Thanks to James Rummel who writes the Blog Hell in a Handbasket for the heads up on this one.
Xavier, who penns the Blog Xavier Thoughts recently wrote a post on home defense shotguns. His thoughts mirror mine as I have often expressed them, if not neccessarily on this site but to those that have sought to learn from me.
To lift a couple of quotes from Xavier;
I'm going to dispense with the crap and keep things simple.
What a person needs is a manuverable gun with a reasonable capacity, and some replenishment ammo. All else is superflurous. The olive drab coated picatinny railed bright light laser guided Walter Mitty guns are fine, but a person should not confuse function with glitz.
This has been my K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) principal for most of my adult life. It is not that I disdain all of the doodads that the modern day Yuppie Warriors seeks to add to their armament, it is just that I find most of them are unneccesary for the task at hand and only get in the way.
From Xavier;
Finally, as in handgunnery, you cannot substitute plastic high-tech add-ons for technique.
For some reason people feel the need to add all kinds of accessories to their firearms. Flashlights, heat shields, laser beams and who knows what else. There are a multitude of reasons for this; The Military does it. It was written about in the gun rags. It looks cool.
The single most effective accessory that one can add to an out of the box firearm is experience. Learn how to use it properly (technique) in the form it arrived, then and only then can a person begin to understand which if any of the aftermarket "Walter Mitty devices" will be of any benefit. Chances are honest inner reflection will negate the addittion of many of those items.
Bear in mind gun rag writers have to say nice things about the products that are sent to them for evaluation. If they were to tell the truth in plain english about some of those products then their source of income would dry up and they would have to find real employment. When reading these articles learn to read between the lines.
In talking to some of these Yuppie Warriors about all the the lights, lasers, bells and whistles that they have added to their favorite firearm, I have been amazed at the pitifully few that have actually spent any time at all in the dark in an attempt to master the use these attachments. These people are only deluding themselves when they screw the lastest and greatest doodads on their gun and expect it to function with out field testing it under the proper conditions for themselves.
Flashlights? They take batteries. I would rather not depend on batteries to save my life. I long ago determined that there is enough ambient light in my house on any given night, especially if we leave a strategically placed night light burning that I do not need a 200 dollar flashlight bolted to my handgun. I suspect that is true of most other homes as well.
Laser sights? A laser is a pointer and in the dim of night it is a pointer in both directions. And as with flashlights I am not going to trust my families safety to a battery.
Heat shields? How much ammo does one expect to expend against a burglar that would require the need for a heat shield.
Also remember all of that stuff you bolt onto that firearm will be in the custody of the local Gendarmes for a very long time should you ever find the need to deploy that tactical monstrosity you call a home defense gun. If you build one you better build two.
Another thought from Xavier;
Of a concern as well is how that gun will appear when held up by a prosecuting attorney in front of a jury if must be used. A gun that looks like a duck gun rather than an evil black rifle will always influence a gun ignorant jury less.
When it comes to handguns I have a pretty rigid set of rules that I apply to myself as well. The handguns that I have chosen to depend on for personal protection are right out of the box.
I occassionally compete with a handgun. I generally see a wide variety of handguns with an even wider array of attachments, doodads and modifications at these competitions. Do they work? Sure they do for the people that have taken the time to be proficeint with them. For many competition is a hobby that they wish to excell at and I whole heartedly think they should add any attachment or make any modification they think is neccesary to help them win. That is why they are in the game. A game that is not life and death.
I compete to maintain a certain edge with the equipment that I choose to have for personal protection. The stress of a match will never duplicate the stress of a life threatening encounter but it is stress none the less. I compete with equipment that is right out of the box the manufacterer sent it in.
I firmly believe that one should compete with what they carry, especially if you are competing to hone your skills, should they ever be needed to save your life. For those that compete just to compete either for a hobby or income, add or modify what ever you need to to win, that is why your doing it.
Do I win against these guys that shoot these high dollar custom guns with all the doodads money can buy that shoot several hundred rounds a week in persuit of their hobby? Some times. But I will admit that I usually place just behind them and ahead of most everyone else in scoring. ( I seriously doubt that the thug that breaks into my house will be one of the current combat pistol competition masters) Although I can generally count on being in the top one third I have not fired more than a few hundred rounds outside of competition in the last year.
Time has just not let me get out and do the kind of practicing I need to do to win a competition. But hey I can grab an out of the box pistol off the night stand show up at a match and give a good showing of myself just about any day of the week.
Why? Becuase I keep my equipment simple, I am uniquely familiar with it AND I compete with what I carry. To me that is what competition is all about.
Xavier is right on when he advices to keep things simple. The bottom line is; Learning to use the equipment properly in the first place will negate the addittion of crutches to prop up faulty technique.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Friday, September 23, 2005
Rock your Glock wraps up Saturday the 24th
Several years ago Chris Zeeb did not even own a firearm. After a couple of unpleasant events, Chris came to the conclusion that for the safety and security of his family owning a handgun, or several for that matter, might not be a bad idea.
Chris Zeeb
From that point Chris has been on a quest that included becoming a certified Glock armorer and has thus far cumulated in putting together the "Rock your Glock" that many of us have competed in this past summer.
I have not been able to attend all of the "Rock your Glock" shoots this summer, but I most certainly will be there tomorrow, between 0800 and 1130 hours for the grand finale. (warning- Sean Hannity quote dead ahead) Let not your hearts be troubled Chris and company are already in the planning stages for a series of "Rock your Glock" Matches next year.
Held at the Lincoln Izaak Walton League Shooting Range there are a few things that make these local matches unique. The first is that Chris sought Glock sponsorship from the very begining. Glock declined for a variety of reasons. The second thing that makes these shoots unique is that, since Glock is not a corporate participant Chris has opened the competition up to all makes of firearms. Addittionally you do not need to be a member of the "Ikes" to compete in the rock You Glock matches.
Your a Sig fan? Bring it out. You like your CZ? Bring it on. Your a Browning HP afficeinado? Your all welcome. The match is open to any brand of center-fire semi-automatic pistols.
In fact a shooter may enter more than one gun if they choose to. Entry fees are quite affordable; Cost is $10 for the first gun/entry and $7.50 for each gun/entry thereafter. Youth under 18 shoot for $5 per gun/entry.
Ideally you will need a Center-fire handgun capable of holding at least 10 rounds, 3 magazines and at least one hundred rounds of ammunition. The 3 magazine suggestion is only that a suggestion. Even though you fire each course 3 times, the exception being the steel plates which is shot four times, you have the opportunity to reload a magazine between each stage of fire.
Please do not forget your hearing and eye protection. Not only is it common sense it is required by match rules.
There are 3 different scenarios that are shot. "The M", the "5 to 25" and "The Plates". Shooters can shoot the scenarios in order that they wish.
The M
The M consists of 4 paper targets (2 at 7 yards, two at 15 yards) and three steel targets (11 yards). In the first stage the shooter engages all four paper targets with 2 shots each and engages ONE of the steel targets. For the second stage the shooter again engages the paper with two shots each and takes down a second steel target. The third stage is a repeat of 1 and two with the 3rd steel target engaged. (if a shooter need to recharge a magazine between stages they will be able to do so) The targets are then scored and after the shooters sheet is annotated he/she moves on to the next scenario.
The 5 to 25
The 5 to 25 consists of 5 paper targets set at 5 yard intervals from (as the name implies) 5 to 25 yards. The shooter loads one magazine and at the tone engages each target in any order the shooter chooses with 2 rounds each. The 2nd and 3rd stages mirrors the first. When the targets are scored and the shooters sheet is annotated he/she moves on to the next scenario.
The Plates
The Plates consist of 6 steel plates that are placed 33 feet from the firing line. At the signal the shooter engages the plates knocking them down with the fewest rounds in the quickest time possible. This scenario is fired four times and magazines can be recharged between stages if the shooter does not have four magazines. After the shooters sheet is annotated it is turned into to the officials.
Scores are tabulated after the match is over and the results are posted on the "Rock your Glock" web site as soon as possible.
This has been a fun successful event that hopefully will be even bigger and better next year. Much thanks needs to go not only to Chris for this but especially to all of the people that have volunteered to help him make this the event it is becoming. I apologize for not knowing all of their names but the volunteer list includes great people like Roger Terrell, Guy Griffith and both Chris and Guys sons.
The "Ikes" shooting range is located on 134th street just south of Highway 2 on the East side of Lincoln. (More detailed directions can be found on the Rock your Glock web site.
Thank you Chris and all of the volunteers that made this happen.
Chris Zeeb
From that point Chris has been on a quest that included becoming a certified Glock armorer and has thus far cumulated in putting together the "Rock your Glock" that many of us have competed in this past summer.
I have not been able to attend all of the "Rock your Glock" shoots this summer, but I most certainly will be there tomorrow, between 0800 and 1130 hours for the grand finale. (warning- Sean Hannity quote dead ahead) Let not your hearts be troubled Chris and company are already in the planning stages for a series of "Rock your Glock" Matches next year.
Held at the Lincoln Izaak Walton League Shooting Range there are a few things that make these local matches unique. The first is that Chris sought Glock sponsorship from the very begining. Glock declined for a variety of reasons. The second thing that makes these shoots unique is that, since Glock is not a corporate participant Chris has opened the competition up to all makes of firearms. Addittionally you do not need to be a member of the "Ikes" to compete in the rock You Glock matches.
Your a Sig fan? Bring it out. You like your CZ? Bring it on. Your a Browning HP afficeinado? Your all welcome. The match is open to any brand of center-fire semi-automatic pistols.
In fact a shooter may enter more than one gun if they choose to. Entry fees are quite affordable; Cost is $10 for the first gun/entry and $7.50 for each gun/entry thereafter. Youth under 18 shoot for $5 per gun/entry.
Ideally you will need a Center-fire handgun capable of holding at least 10 rounds, 3 magazines and at least one hundred rounds of ammunition. The 3 magazine suggestion is only that a suggestion. Even though you fire each course 3 times, the exception being the steel plates which is shot four times, you have the opportunity to reload a magazine between each stage of fire.
Please do not forget your hearing and eye protection. Not only is it common sense it is required by match rules.
There are 3 different scenarios that are shot. "The M", the "5 to 25" and "The Plates". Shooters can shoot the scenarios in order that they wish.
The M
The M consists of 4 paper targets (2 at 7 yards, two at 15 yards) and three steel targets (11 yards). In the first stage the shooter engages all four paper targets with 2 shots each and engages ONE of the steel targets. For the second stage the shooter again engages the paper with two shots each and takes down a second steel target. The third stage is a repeat of 1 and two with the 3rd steel target engaged. (if a shooter need to recharge a magazine between stages they will be able to do so) The targets are then scored and after the shooters sheet is annotated he/she moves on to the next scenario.
The 5 to 25
The 5 to 25 consists of 5 paper targets set at 5 yard intervals from (as the name implies) 5 to 25 yards. The shooter loads one magazine and at the tone engages each target in any order the shooter chooses with 2 rounds each. The 2nd and 3rd stages mirrors the first. When the targets are scored and the shooters sheet is annotated he/she moves on to the next scenario.
The Plates
The Plates consist of 6 steel plates that are placed 33 feet from the firing line. At the signal the shooter engages the plates knocking them down with the fewest rounds in the quickest time possible. This scenario is fired four times and magazines can be recharged between stages if the shooter does not have four magazines. After the shooters sheet is annotated it is turned into to the officials.
Scores are tabulated after the match is over and the results are posted on the "Rock your Glock" web site as soon as possible.
This has been a fun successful event that hopefully will be even bigger and better next year. Much thanks needs to go not only to Chris for this but especially to all of the people that have volunteered to help him make this the event it is becoming. I apologize for not knowing all of their names but the volunteer list includes great people like Roger Terrell, Guy Griffith and both Chris and Guys sons.
The "Ikes" shooting range is located on 134th street just south of Highway 2 on the East side of Lincoln. (More detailed directions can be found on the Rock your Glock web site.
Thank you Chris and all of the volunteers that made this happen.
SomeBody give Cindy a Tinfoil hat
I have stayed away from this simply because I think the lady is mentally deranged and Morally bankrupt. I wasn't going to give her even a minute slice of her fifteen minutes of fame, but now she really has not only gone over the edge she is in a flat spin free fall.
Ma'am Sheehan is now demanding that the U.S. Military be removed from New Orleans.
In a dispatch on leftist filmmaker Michael Moore's website, Sheehan said she was troubled by the "level of the military presence" in the Gulf Coast state.
"George Bush needs to stop talking, admit the mistakes of his all around failed administration, pull our troops out of occupied New Orleans and Iraq, and excuse his self from power," she said.
It seems that I remember reading that The President could not lawfully send troops into New Orleans, that in fact it was the duty of the Governor of that state and that the military precence is in fact the State National Guard doing duties that their organization was formed to do.
I sympathize with the loss of her son, but soon to be divorced for her dumbass crap Ms. Sheehan is in serious need of Mental help. She has shown herself to be such a crackpot that evenHitlary Senator Clinton refuses to meet with her.
The longer she persists in her assinine crusade the more marginalized she is becoming. There are even rumors that the main reason her son went into the Military in the first place was to escape the clutches of a domineering and over bearing Mother. (That would be Cindy Sheehan for those of you in Moonbatville.)
A son. A Husband. A family. It seems that this crackpot's goal in life is to systematically alienate everyone around her. Now she has gone nuclear, in that she is seeking the same from a very very large majority of the country.
I wish she would just hurry up and implode, I am getting tired of litening to her.
But since she is hooked up with the King of Docucrap (Michael MORON) I would expect a docu-lie to come out of all of this. Do you think that the Main Moron could get Susan Siranwrap (Sarandon) to portray Ms. Sheehan?????
Ma'am Sheehan is now demanding that the U.S. Military be removed from New Orleans.
In a dispatch on leftist filmmaker Michael Moore's website, Sheehan said she was troubled by the "level of the military presence" in the Gulf Coast state.
"George Bush needs to stop talking, admit the mistakes of his all around failed administration, pull our troops out of occupied New Orleans and Iraq, and excuse his self from power," she said.
It seems that I remember reading that The President could not lawfully send troops into New Orleans, that in fact it was the duty of the Governor of that state and that the military precence is in fact the State National Guard doing duties that their organization was formed to do.
I sympathize with the loss of her son, but soon to be divorced for her dumbass crap Ms. Sheehan is in serious need of Mental help. She has shown herself to be such a crackpot that even
The longer she persists in her assinine crusade the more marginalized she is becoming. There are even rumors that the main reason her son went into the Military in the first place was to escape the clutches of a domineering and over bearing Mother. (That would be Cindy Sheehan for those of you in Moonbatville.)
A son. A Husband. A family. It seems that this crackpot's goal in life is to systematically alienate everyone around her. Now she has gone nuclear, in that she is seeking the same from a very very large majority of the country.
I wish she would just hurry up and implode, I am getting tired of litening to her.
But since she is hooked up with the King of Docucrap (Michael MORON) I would expect a docu-lie to come out of all of this. Do you think that the Main Moron could get Susan Siranwrap (Sarandon) to portray Ms. Sheehan?????
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Bow Season opened last week and I am still so not ready
Archery season opened on the 15th of September and it came and went with little fanfare at Casa de Gunscribe.
I have hardly shot my bow this year at all. Oh I have been out on a few occassions to try out a new doodad or two that I thought I just couldn't live without, but there has been no serious attempt to get in hunting form.
At the 20 yard range
It could be that I am just getting lazy in my older age or that the weather has had something to do with it. Seriously several people I know that are much more serious archers than I have not made any plans to go afield as yet either. With all of this warm weather the deer just don't seem to be moving around much ..yet.
I really like to keep things to a minimum and only seek to use those items that really work. For those that are interested I will note some of the changes I have made to the original setup.
First my bow is a 10 year old Bear Whitetail II. Yes I am familiar with all of the new and improved yuppie bows that are out there and I could have one if I wanted too, but my wife bought this one for my birthday back in 1995 and it still works absolutely fine thank you.
It still sports the original sights the bow came with, but over the years I have made a few changes or additions to the basic setup.
Not pretty but they work
I would guess that in the last 10 years I have had at least 8 different arrow rests mounted on this bow. None of them seemed to be just quite what I wanted. A few weeks ago I broke down and bought Carolina Archery Products lastest model of the Whisker Biscuit.
Whisker Biscuit
This rest is a shoot through type and it does what I want a rest to do; hold the arrow in place. I have been out to the range with it 3 times now and I think this will most likely be the last rest that this bow will ever have mounted on it.
Tru Fire Release aid
I shoot with the aid of a Tru-Fire release, an act that can cause untimely wear on a bow string. In that regard I recently installed an ultranok on the bow string. This allows the release to attach to it rather than wearing on the string.
Ultranok
I chose this one rather than the string type as I have seen the string type nok fail for other archers; eith it breaks or comes untied at a most unopportune moment.
Another concession I made, this year, to modern technology is switching to carbon arrows. And I am glad I did.
When you care to send the very best send Carbon Express
When I first started shooting a bow (pre-Kindergarten and my Mom still has pics to prove it) all that was available for shaft material was cedar. Many archers still use wood and if I were to take up the long bow or recurve again I would too.
I was about 14 years old when I made my first investment in a dozen fiberglass shaft arrows. They were superior to cedar in many ways but tended to shatter or split fairly easily whaen something hard was struck.
I don't remember when I switched to Aluminum shafts, but I am thinking it was around 1980 while I was in Alaska. I have always been extremely happy with aluminum even though I have bent more than my share.
In the few sessions I have had with the Heritage 350's from Carbon Express I have been suitably impressed with the increased speed and and penetration these shafts have over aluminum. I have not made any changes to the pound weight of my bow since switching from the metal arrows and I can visably see that they fly faster to and go deeper in the target.
20 yard target (if only the Block was edible)
Well there you have it, what the Gun shoots for Archery gear. Old, simple and accurate. ( I guess that describes me and my gear)
Old, Simple and Accurate
I have hardly shot my bow this year at all. Oh I have been out on a few occassions to try out a new doodad or two that I thought I just couldn't live without, but there has been no serious attempt to get in hunting form.
At the 20 yard range
It could be that I am just getting lazy in my older age or that the weather has had something to do with it. Seriously several people I know that are much more serious archers than I have not made any plans to go afield as yet either. With all of this warm weather the deer just don't seem to be moving around much ..yet.
I really like to keep things to a minimum and only seek to use those items that really work. For those that are interested I will note some of the changes I have made to the original setup.
First my bow is a 10 year old Bear Whitetail II. Yes I am familiar with all of the new and improved yuppie bows that are out there and I could have one if I wanted too, but my wife bought this one for my birthday back in 1995 and it still works absolutely fine thank you.
It still sports the original sights the bow came with, but over the years I have made a few changes or additions to the basic setup.
Not pretty but they work
I would guess that in the last 10 years I have had at least 8 different arrow rests mounted on this bow. None of them seemed to be just quite what I wanted. A few weeks ago I broke down and bought Carolina Archery Products lastest model of the Whisker Biscuit.
Whisker Biscuit
This rest is a shoot through type and it does what I want a rest to do; hold the arrow in place. I have been out to the range with it 3 times now and I think this will most likely be the last rest that this bow will ever have mounted on it.
Tru Fire Release aid
I shoot with the aid of a Tru-Fire release, an act that can cause untimely wear on a bow string. In that regard I recently installed an ultranok on the bow string. This allows the release to attach to it rather than wearing on the string.
Ultranok
I chose this one rather than the string type as I have seen the string type nok fail for other archers; eith it breaks or comes untied at a most unopportune moment.
Another concession I made, this year, to modern technology is switching to carbon arrows. And I am glad I did.
When you care to send the very best send Carbon Express
When I first started shooting a bow (pre-Kindergarten and my Mom still has pics to prove it) all that was available for shaft material was cedar. Many archers still use wood and if I were to take up the long bow or recurve again I would too.
I was about 14 years old when I made my first investment in a dozen fiberglass shaft arrows. They were superior to cedar in many ways but tended to shatter or split fairly easily whaen something hard was struck.
I don't remember when I switched to Aluminum shafts, but I am thinking it was around 1980 while I was in Alaska. I have always been extremely happy with aluminum even though I have bent more than my share.
In the few sessions I have had with the Heritage 350's from Carbon Express I have been suitably impressed with the increased speed and and penetration these shafts have over aluminum. I have not made any changes to the pound weight of my bow since switching from the metal arrows and I can visably see that they fly faster to and go deeper in the target.
20 yard target (if only the Block was edible)
Well there you have it, what the Gun shoots for Archery gear. Old, simple and accurate. ( I guess that describes me and my gear)
Old, Simple and Accurate
Two Blogs in Two Days
In the previous post I waxed eloquent told you about Husker Mike's Blog and behold the comments section contains a response from another local Blog that I was unaware of.
After spending some time reading The Lincolnite I have decided that this Blog deserves a place on my Blogroll as well.
In the past I have not written about a lot of the local shenanigans that take place in the Capitol City only those that irritate me enough to pen thoughts on.
Enter Mr Wilson another local citizen that has his blog on the pulse of the community. It is a pleasure to note that Mr Wilson and I seem to be like minded on so many issues, especially the ones I have written about in the past.
If you really want the continuous low down on what is really happening in Lincoln, Nebraska make the Lincolnite a daily read.
P.S. As to your search for a Camera Mr Wilson I am so far happy with the Kodak that I recently acquired and commented on a few posts down the page.
Update: I didn't realize it at the time I wrote this that there are several others that are blogging under the Lincolnite banner. Be sure to check out the posts by Mr T's Den, 625 Elm street, d.m.b. sports report, and sports star as well. There is lot's of very goog local information from these guys.
After spending some time reading The Lincolnite I have decided that this Blog deserves a place on my Blogroll as well.
In the past I have not written about a lot of the local shenanigans that take place in the Capitol City only those that irritate me enough to pen thoughts on.
Enter Mr Wilson another local citizen that has his blog on the pulse of the community. It is a pleasure to note that Mr Wilson and I seem to be like minded on so many issues, especially the ones I have written about in the past.
If you really want the continuous low down on what is really happening in Lincoln, Nebraska make the Lincolnite a daily read.
P.S. As to your search for a Camera Mr Wilson I am so far happy with the Kodak that I recently acquired and commented on a few posts down the page.
Update: I didn't realize it at the time I wrote this that there are several others that are blogging under the Lincolnite banner. Be sure to check out the posts by Mr T's Den, 625 Elm street, d.m.b. sports report, and sports star as well. There is lot's of very goog local information from these guys.
Blasphemy??? I say not
I am slowly becoming aware of other Nebraska based Blogs. The latest is Titled Husker Mike's Blasphemy.
I do not hold much interest in the team sports. I have nothing against them, it is just not something I devote any time to.
Having said that I do root for the home team, Yea Go Big Red, simply because they are the home team. I have even been to one Husker's game in the 11 years we have lived in the area. It was some years back when after losing the week before the Huskers trounced one of the Kansas teams 40 something to nothing.
We went because I know a former Husker player (who shall remain nameless but whose younger brother still plays for a pro team) was going to be out of town that weekend and did not need the four season tickets that his family maintains. And yes I would go again.
In fact the closet thing to Husker red I have ever worn on game day is hunter orange, and then only when a game co-insides with one of the deer seasons.
I do plead guilty to watching the Big Red Machine play their bowl games though, I can get into that.
Anyway after reading some of Mike's blasphemy I find that we are very like minded in what we observe to be the current state of affairs at UNL. When I do pay attention to such things anyway.
I think that he has Pederson and the rest of the staff pegged to a "T" and respectfully add him to my Blogroll.
In other words just because I am from Nebraska it doesn't mean you'll see much UNL sports talk here. If you want Big Red info that is spot on read Mike's musings. I will be.
I do not hold much interest in the team sports. I have nothing against them, it is just not something I devote any time to.
Having said that I do root for the home team, Yea Go Big Red, simply because they are the home team. I have even been to one Husker's game in the 11 years we have lived in the area. It was some years back when after losing the week before the Huskers trounced one of the Kansas teams 40 something to nothing.
We went because I know a former Husker player (who shall remain nameless but whose younger brother still plays for a pro team) was going to be out of town that weekend and did not need the four season tickets that his family maintains. And yes I would go again.
In fact the closet thing to Husker red I have ever worn on game day is hunter orange, and then only when a game co-insides with one of the deer seasons.
I do plead guilty to watching the Big Red Machine play their bowl games though, I can get into that.
Anyway after reading some of Mike's blasphemy I find that we are very like minded in what we observe to be the current state of affairs at UNL. When I do pay attention to such things anyway.
I think that he has Pederson and the rest of the staff pegged to a "T" and respectfully add him to my Blogroll.
In other words just because I am from Nebraska it doesn't mean you'll see much UNL sports talk here. If you want Big Red info that is spot on read Mike's musings. I will be.
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
The gun show sucked but I am cured
As noted in a previous post I had been suffering from Buyagunitchitis and there was an upcoming gunshow.
To be quite honest I did not think much of the show itsself but I did settle on a new in the box CVA synthetic stock Bobcat muzzle loader in 50 caliber for $54.00.
I got this primarily for the wife who has recently expressed a desire to shoot blackpowder. As soon as we can we will take it out to the range and wring it out.
Starting out we will be loading it with a patched round ball ahead of a 30 grain equivelant of Pyrodex. This is not a real potent load for hunting, but it is a good target load to start a new shooter at.
Shooting 30 grains reduces the noise and felt recoil allowing the novice to concentrate on the basics of a new sport. As her experience increases we will increase the amount of powder and eventually shoot the Powerbelt bullet for hunting.
The Powerbelt bullet has proved to be very accurate in both of my sons CVA Bobcats and a buddy of mine took a deer with one a few years ago. He was using an in-line 50 caliber from Cabela's and 150 grain blackpowder equivelant load of pyrodex.
To be quite honest I did not think much of the show itsself but I did settle on a new in the box CVA synthetic stock Bobcat muzzle loader in 50 caliber for $54.00.
I got this primarily for the wife who has recently expressed a desire to shoot blackpowder. As soon as we can we will take it out to the range and wring it out.
Starting out we will be loading it with a patched round ball ahead of a 30 grain equivelant of Pyrodex. This is not a real potent load for hunting, but it is a good target load to start a new shooter at.
Shooting 30 grains reduces the noise and felt recoil allowing the novice to concentrate on the basics of a new sport. As her experience increases we will increase the amount of powder and eventually shoot the Powerbelt bullet for hunting.
The Powerbelt bullet has proved to be very accurate in both of my sons CVA Bobcats and a buddy of mine took a deer with one a few years ago. He was using an in-line 50 caliber from Cabela's and 150 grain blackpowder equivelant load of pyrodex.
First the Comedian, Now the Commentator
Shortly after completing his ESPN coverage of Nebraska's rather ugly defeat of Pittsburghs college football team Brent Musberger gets jacked up by the local Gendarmes.
In a move remenicent of the recent Ron White fiasco Lincoln police Officers cited Musburber for consuming alcohol in public and having an open container in a motor vehicle.
Mind Musburger was not driving the vehicle in question, he was only a passenger and it appears he was the only one cited for these agregious violations.
Has there ever been a celebrity come to Lincoln that hasn't been jacked up by the local cops?
What the Journal Star had to say
In a move remenicent of the recent Ron White fiasco Lincoln police Officers cited Musburber for consuming alcohol in public and having an open container in a motor vehicle.
Mind Musburger was not driving the vehicle in question, he was only a passenger and it appears he was the only one cited for these agregious violations.
Has there ever been a celebrity come to Lincoln that hasn't been jacked up by the local cops?
What the Journal Star had to say
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Katrina: My thoughts
To this point I have not posted anything on Katrina. There has been so much that has been written already from all sides of the spectrum that there was nothing new I felt I could add.
Now that time has past and there seems to be some semblance of operation pervailing I still do not have anything new to offer, only my thoughts in hindsight. These are my thoughts on things that I have heard on the MSM and read around the Blogdom. In that regard I won't clog this missive up with links. We have all heard the things I write about and if we haven't those item can be found on the Internet.
My heart does go out to these people in there time of grief, they do need to examine the actions of the leaders that they elected and take appropriate action at the ballot box to ensure that things work better the next time this happens.
It will happen again; 1)The Gulf Coast is noted for it's hurricanes 2) New Orleans Buloxi and Gulfport are on the coast 3) a large portion of that area is at or below Sea Level.
It seems that the President did in fact suggest that the area be evacuated at least 5 days prior to landfall. In addition he made millions of dollars available to the Governor by pre-emptively declaring New Orleans a disaster area.
That the Governor chose not to avail herself of this suggestion until two days before landfall is squarely on her shoulders. None of the natural disaster funds appear to be used to evacte the residents of the area.
That 500 and some busses were allowed to be destroyed by flooding when the Mayor and local leaders had 5 days notice is deplorable. Many are protesting that with; Where would they go anyway?
Well how about anywhere out of the area, after all the President had already freed up millions of dollars for use by the State and Local authorities.
It has been credibly reported that orders had been issued, contrary to local, state and federal law, to confiscate firearms from law-abiding citizens, leaving them defenseless. It has also been reported that this order was thankfully short lived.
Prior to the storm the Red Cross had staged semi-trailers loaded with neccessities. When the Red Cross approached Local leaders about disbursing these supplies to individuals in the shelters they were turned away.
Why? The explanation goes as such, We want these people moved out as soon as possible, if these things are provided they will want to stay in the shelters and many more will come.
A disaster of this magnatude has been in the making for more than 50 years; plenty of time for the local agencies to have developed a plan for such a storm. There are rumors that a plan was in place but either it was not followed or it was inadaquate.
As I see it there has been a lot warnings that something like this would eventually happen and an awfull lot of money has been previously spent on the subject. That the State and Local leaders took that money and failed to heed the warnings is an atrocity that needs to be addressed by the voting residents of those areas.
I find it abhorant that the Governor, the Mayor and the New Orleans Chief of Police put themselves whining and crying in the MSM demading the Federal Government (read President Bush) to do something they should have been responsible for and prepared to do for themselves.
It is not the job of those in service to the people at the Federal level to maintain a 24/7 watch on what could or might happen in New Orleans, or any other place for that matter. Those people did in fact warn at least 5 days prior that the state and local leaders needed to get on the ball and do something.
First and foremost it is the job of the local leaders, including the Mayor and Police Chief to anticipate and plan for things of this nature.
Above that it is the oversight of the State level personel that are in service to the people to assist the local authorities in the implimentation of the local disaster plan.
When it elevates to more than the State and local authorities can handle or have planned for, then aid and assistance from the Federal level becomes neccessary.
It is incumbant for the local leaders to have a plan and be prepared for a disaster that both the state and federal leaders can augement.
That the Local leaders in New Orleans Government either; did not have a plan, it was inadaquate, or it was not implimented is without question.
That the State Government either; did not have a plan, it was inadaquate, or it was not implimented is without question.
It is without question and painfully obvious that the Federal Government and the Red Cross clearly stood ready to assist days prior to the disaster.
Their warnings were not heeded, the money was not spent and in the immediate aftermath the supplies were REFUSED by the state and local authorities.
At some point it became clear that in order for something to get done Federal employees essentially with nothing to build on had to take over from scratch.
When you represent the Federal Government and have been given nothing to build on, had all of your previous attempts to help rebuffed, it takes time to get things back on track.
For decades Local and State Leaders in that area knew that someday Katrina (or some other named hurricane) would be a reality. It is painfully obvious that they never seriously planned for an event of this magnatude or availed themselves of the mantra that the Federal Government WOULD BAIL THEM OUT.
That last statement can be validated in that in the days following Katrina the Chief of Police was on the MSM screaming and hollering about where is the federal government and why aren't they doing anything.
Chief they were doing something. They at least had the right to expect a plan to build on rather than start from scratch. That you were on television crying for the federal government to "Come do it for me, oh woe is us, Come do it for us" is painfully obvious that you have risen above your level of competancy and are deserving of being tossed out on your ass.
As a side note there was alot going on, but the MSM, as they are doing in Iraq, were only focussing on the rebel rousers and not the dedicated hard working representitives of the people that were in fact doing things.
Am I the only one that thinks that Geraldo Rivera was diliberately trying to incite something in his coverage of Katrina from outside the Superdome?
Now that time has past and there seems to be some semblance of operation pervailing I still do not have anything new to offer, only my thoughts in hindsight. These are my thoughts on things that I have heard on the MSM and read around the Blogdom. In that regard I won't clog this missive up with links. We have all heard the things I write about and if we haven't those item can be found on the Internet.
My heart does go out to these people in there time of grief, they do need to examine the actions of the leaders that they elected and take appropriate action at the ballot box to ensure that things work better the next time this happens.
It will happen again; 1)The Gulf Coast is noted for it's hurricanes 2) New Orleans Buloxi and Gulfport are on the coast 3) a large portion of that area is at or below Sea Level.
It seems that the President did in fact suggest that the area be evacuated at least 5 days prior to landfall. In addition he made millions of dollars available to the Governor by pre-emptively declaring New Orleans a disaster area.
That the Governor chose not to avail herself of this suggestion until two days before landfall is squarely on her shoulders. None of the natural disaster funds appear to be used to evacte the residents of the area.
That 500 and some busses were allowed to be destroyed by flooding when the Mayor and local leaders had 5 days notice is deplorable. Many are protesting that with; Where would they go anyway?
Well how about anywhere out of the area, after all the President had already freed up millions of dollars for use by the State and Local authorities.
It has been credibly reported that orders had been issued, contrary to local, state and federal law, to confiscate firearms from law-abiding citizens, leaving them defenseless. It has also been reported that this order was thankfully short lived.
Prior to the storm the Red Cross had staged semi-trailers loaded with neccessities. When the Red Cross approached Local leaders about disbursing these supplies to individuals in the shelters they were turned away.
Why? The explanation goes as such, We want these people moved out as soon as possible, if these things are provided they will want to stay in the shelters and many more will come.
A disaster of this magnatude has been in the making for more than 50 years; plenty of time for the local agencies to have developed a plan for such a storm. There are rumors that a plan was in place but either it was not followed or it was inadaquate.
As I see it there has been a lot warnings that something like this would eventually happen and an awfull lot of money has been previously spent on the subject. That the State and Local leaders took that money and failed to heed the warnings is an atrocity that needs to be addressed by the voting residents of those areas.
I find it abhorant that the Governor, the Mayor and the New Orleans Chief of Police put themselves whining and crying in the MSM demading the Federal Government (read President Bush) to do something they should have been responsible for and prepared to do for themselves.
It is not the job of those in service to the people at the Federal level to maintain a 24/7 watch on what could or might happen in New Orleans, or any other place for that matter. Those people did in fact warn at least 5 days prior that the state and local leaders needed to get on the ball and do something.
First and foremost it is the job of the local leaders, including the Mayor and Police Chief to anticipate and plan for things of this nature.
Above that it is the oversight of the State level personel that are in service to the people to assist the local authorities in the implimentation of the local disaster plan.
When it elevates to more than the State and local authorities can handle or have planned for, then aid and assistance from the Federal level becomes neccessary.
It is incumbant for the local leaders to have a plan and be prepared for a disaster that both the state and federal leaders can augement.
That the Local leaders in New Orleans Government either; did not have a plan, it was inadaquate, or it was not implimented is without question.
That the State Government either; did not have a plan, it was inadaquate, or it was not implimented is without question.
It is without question and painfully obvious that the Federal Government and the Red Cross clearly stood ready to assist days prior to the disaster.
Their warnings were not heeded, the money was not spent and in the immediate aftermath the supplies were REFUSED by the state and local authorities.
At some point it became clear that in order for something to get done Federal employees essentially with nothing to build on had to take over from scratch.
When you represent the Federal Government and have been given nothing to build on, had all of your previous attempts to help rebuffed, it takes time to get things back on track.
For decades Local and State Leaders in that area knew that someday Katrina (or some other named hurricane) would be a reality. It is painfully obvious that they never seriously planned for an event of this magnatude or availed themselves of the mantra that the Federal Government WOULD BAIL THEM OUT.
That last statement can be validated in that in the days following Katrina the Chief of Police was on the MSM screaming and hollering about where is the federal government and why aren't they doing anything.
Chief they were doing something. They at least had the right to expect a plan to build on rather than start from scratch. That you were on television crying for the federal government to "Come do it for me, oh woe is us, Come do it for us" is painfully obvious that you have risen above your level of competancy and are deserving of being tossed out on your ass.
As a side note there was alot going on, but the MSM, as they are doing in Iraq, were only focussing on the rebel rousers and not the dedicated hard working representitives of the people that were in fact doing things.
Am I the only one that thinks that Geraldo Rivera was diliberately trying to incite something in his coverage of Katrina from outside the Superdome?
What ever is going around
I really have wanted to posted some items of interest these passed few days, but I have been plagued with what ever it is that is going around. I just haven't had the ambition to do much more than cough and sweat.
Today was better than yesterday so I truely hope to have something up by the weekend.
Today was better than yesterday so I truely hope to have something up by the weekend.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Duct tape and the digital age
I have known for a long time that I needed a new digital camera. The problem is the old the old one still takes really good pictures. When the tab that held the battery cover closed broke I, with a certain amount of redneck pride, broke out the duct tape and gave new life to that camera.
Really it was no big deal. there was room in the camera bag for the tape and it only took a few extra seconds to slice off a strip of tape and rescure the cover. There is only so much that even duct tape can do though. Warm weather and perspiration at times would allow the tape to slip just enough to interupt the flow of DC energy unless the photographer could find a creative way to hold the cover closed. Yea a person looked a bit funny trying to take pictures with it and eventually I was the only one that could make it work or was not embarrassed to be seen using it. But, hey did I tell you it still takes really good pictures? Really it wasn't that bad until the hinge side of the baterry cover began to go south. Even as good as it is even duct tape couldn't hold the cover tight enough to maintain a DC circuit when both sides of the cover are FUBAR.
Enter this weekend.
Yesterday, "She Who Must be Obeyed", reminded me that we are hosting a suoire this weekend and all of the kids and grandkids will be in attendance and we need a new camera. She further avered that I needed to get one TODAY. Her reasoning was that it would take a minimum of two full days for my redneck mind to figure out how to take pictures with it. She reminded me that all I had to do was learn to take the pictures in two days, once that was done I could then take the week or so that would be needed to learn how to transfer them to the computer and print them out.
"Honey all you have to do is be able to take pictures with it by Saturday".
Smart woman she is, but did I tell you the old one still takes good pictures when I can get it to work? So with me reluctantly in tow we head off to the neighborhood Wal-Mart. "She Who Must be Obeyed" was doing most of the looking and comparing while I was hanging out in the sporting goods section. After a time she tracked me down and told me she found what she thought was a good one and it was less than $200.00.
I followed her back to the camera department and checked out her choice. It was a good 4 mega-pixel camera, but something kept tugging at the periphery of my vision. No longer able to ignore it, I turned and picked up the item of distraction. It too was a 4 mega-pixel camera and just seemed to more astetically pleasing and fit my hand a bit better than the one she was leaning toward. It was also priced about $70.00 higher.
It did not take much explaining that even though this one had more features, the control buttons were bigger and easier for me to operate with ten thumbs.
$260.00 later we are on our way home with a new camera and the trepidation of trying to figure out another new-fangled electronic device.
Aww it's a Kodak Moment
Wow! I suprized even my self. I actually understood the User's Guide and within a few minutes of opening the box and installing the baterries I was; A) Change the settings B) able to take pictures, C) Able to take video D) Hook it up to the television slide show the pictures and play the video.
As soon as I post this missive I am going to install the software on the computer and hopefully by the end of the day I will be able to upload the pics and even print them out.
It really is scary how much of a high-tech redneck I am becoming.
Really it was no big deal. there was room in the camera bag for the tape and it only took a few extra seconds to slice off a strip of tape and rescure the cover. There is only so much that even duct tape can do though. Warm weather and perspiration at times would allow the tape to slip just enough to interupt the flow of DC energy unless the photographer could find a creative way to hold the cover closed. Yea a person looked a bit funny trying to take pictures with it and eventually I was the only one that could make it work or was not embarrassed to be seen using it. But, hey did I tell you it still takes really good pictures? Really it wasn't that bad until the hinge side of the baterry cover began to go south. Even as good as it is even duct tape couldn't hold the cover tight enough to maintain a DC circuit when both sides of the cover are FUBAR.
Enter this weekend.
Yesterday, "She Who Must be Obeyed", reminded me that we are hosting a suoire this weekend and all of the kids and grandkids will be in attendance and we need a new camera. She further avered that I needed to get one TODAY. Her reasoning was that it would take a minimum of two full days for my redneck mind to figure out how to take pictures with it. She reminded me that all I had to do was learn to take the pictures in two days, once that was done I could then take the week or so that would be needed to learn how to transfer them to the computer and print them out.
"Honey all you have to do is be able to take pictures with it by Saturday".
Smart woman she is, but did I tell you the old one still takes good pictures when I can get it to work? So with me reluctantly in tow we head off to the neighborhood Wal-Mart. "She Who Must be Obeyed" was doing most of the looking and comparing while I was hanging out in the sporting goods section. After a time she tracked me down and told me she found what she thought was a good one and it was less than $200.00.
I followed her back to the camera department and checked out her choice. It was a good 4 mega-pixel camera, but something kept tugging at the periphery of my vision. No longer able to ignore it, I turned and picked up the item of distraction. It too was a 4 mega-pixel camera and just seemed to more astetically pleasing and fit my hand a bit better than the one she was leaning toward. It was also priced about $70.00 higher.
It did not take much explaining that even though this one had more features, the control buttons were bigger and easier for me to operate with ten thumbs.
$260.00 later we are on our way home with a new camera and the trepidation of trying to figure out another new-fangled electronic device.
Aww it's a Kodak Moment
Wow! I suprized even my self. I actually understood the User's Guide and within a few minutes of opening the box and installing the baterries I was; A) Change the settings B) able to take pictures, C) Able to take video D) Hook it up to the television slide show the pictures and play the video.
As soon as I post this missive I am going to install the software on the computer and hopefully by the end of the day I will be able to upload the pics and even print them out.
It really is scary how much of a high-tech redneck I am becoming.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Criminals run rampant on the streets of Lincoln
But they do so at their own peril. I have no doubt that these offenders will be in custody before too much more time passes.
Recent History
In the past 9 or 10 days local media outlets have reported a string on violent crimes in the Capitol City.
It started last Sunday morning with an armed home invasion that that I wrote about here. There was another reported home invasion reported the following morning (Monday). In both instances the perpetrators seemed interested in robbing the occupants of their firearms.
Sometime last night there was an other apparent home invasion, this one cumulating with the shooting death of the occupant. At the time of this writing all that is known of this latest tragic incident is reported here.
In addition to these home invasions there has been at least three armed robberies of fast food Mexican restaurants. Police chief Tom Casady told the Journal Star;
The way the suspects carried out the armed robbery at Amigos, 2063 S. 16th St., was similar to 10 to 15 other robberies, Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady said Monday. Investigators have found similarities in the cases, although they can’t say with certainty the same suspects pulled all of them.
Last December
All of these restaurant robberies are reminicent of the Taco Bell robbery/shooting that took place last December on North 27th street. The three perpetrators in that crime were caught when one of them was identified as a former employee. Yes it is rare for an armed robbery in Lincoln to end with a shooting as Chief Tom Casady stated at that time;
Of the 1,536 robberies — armed and unarmed — that occurred here between 1994 and 2003, only one person was shot, Casady said. That robbery occurred in April 1998 at the Gas ‘N Shop, 5560 S. 48th St. The robber shot the victim twice, but she survived.
I know the Chief has a lot on is mind and is maybe getting old, but surely he hasn't forgotten the tragedy that occurred at Acher Arms on January 28th, 2000. After all it was one of the crimes highlighted in the Departments annual report for that year. (link is to a pdf file)
Related Robberies
Of the 10-15 cases of armed robbery so far this year the Police Department thinks several are related as is reflected in the in the Crimes Stoppers report that has been issued;
The Lincoln Police Department is investigating an series of ARMED ROBBERIES (7) that have occurred at Restaurants in the City of Lincoln between May 8th and August 24th. Because of the method of the robberies and the similar descriptions of the suspects, it is believed they are related.
Having a working knowledge of how the Lincoln Police Department works, I am sure it will be only a matter of time before the miscreant youth identified for these crimes are brought before the Judge.
Many times I have expressed my differences with Chief Tom Casady, but there is one thing I will say;
Chief Casady genuinely cares about Lincoln and it's citizens and he knows how to get the job done.
Since becoming Chief Casady has kept the Lincoln Police Department on the cutting edge of crime solving techniques. Chief Casady has done more with less than most cities of comparable size or larger. So much so that he has repeatedly been invited to other U.S. cities and foriegn countries to speak on the methods that he has implimented here. In fact Chief Casady recently returned from a trip to London, England where he was invited to share his experiences. Several other cities, including foriegn cities have sent emmessaries to the Capitol City to study the way things are done here in order to build that knowledge in their home jurisdiction crime fighting abilities.
At Chief Casady's direction the Lincoln Police Department was one of the first departments in the country to develop computer programing to track criminal trends and patterns. The results of this foresight was most evident in the aprehension of a local bank robber that had committed a dozen or more bank robberies in the last several years.
It was no accident that the man was caught as he was about to commit another one. Based on data provided by the departments computer programming, Investigators were able to pin point almost to the hour when and where the suspect would strike again.
By entering all of the known data into the computer the police were able to determine that the dates of subsequant robberies were based on the amount taken from the previous bank robbery. The program also showed that the suspect had a penchant for banks that were away from high traffic areas. In essence the police had it narrowed down to about four banks they thought he would hit and a four day window in which he would commit the robbery. Within the first few hours of the very first morning of that window the suspect, not being one to dissappoint, appeared in the parking lot of one of the four banks and was apprehended after a brief foot chase.
In another case computer programming allowed officers to solve an ongoing series of indecent exposure crimes that most probably would not have been linked had it not been for the computer programming.
If one takes stock in statistics, the Lincoln Police Department, as compared to other cities of the same size, is definately under manned and under bugeted. This has not stopped the fine officers, led by Chief Casady, from amassing an enviable record of solving crime. They have done so by thinking and acting "outside of the box".
As long as there are bad people there will always be crime, that will never stop. Yes there have been a recent spate of violent crimes in Lincoln. Will there be more? Of course there will, be that is just the nature of some that have been unjustly labled as human beings instead of the vicious predators that they are.
The good citizens should know, however that their Police Department is internationaly recognized in criminal investigation and that Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady and the fine Officers under his command are working very hard to catch those responsible for this recent rash of violent crimes.
Recent History
In the past 9 or 10 days local media outlets have reported a string on violent crimes in the Capitol City.
It started last Sunday morning with an armed home invasion that that I wrote about here. There was another reported home invasion reported the following morning (Monday). In both instances the perpetrators seemed interested in robbing the occupants of their firearms.
Sometime last night there was an other apparent home invasion, this one cumulating with the shooting death of the occupant. At the time of this writing all that is known of this latest tragic incident is reported here.
In addition to these home invasions there has been at least three armed robberies of fast food Mexican restaurants. Police chief Tom Casady told the Journal Star;
The way the suspects carried out the armed robbery at Amigos, 2063 S. 16th St., was similar to 10 to 15 other robberies, Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady said Monday. Investigators have found similarities in the cases, although they can’t say with certainty the same suspects pulled all of them.
Last December
All of these restaurant robberies are reminicent of the Taco Bell robbery/shooting that took place last December on North 27th street. The three perpetrators in that crime were caught when one of them was identified as a former employee. Yes it is rare for an armed robbery in Lincoln to end with a shooting as Chief Tom Casady stated at that time;
Of the 1,536 robberies — armed and unarmed — that occurred here between 1994 and 2003, only one person was shot, Casady said. That robbery occurred in April 1998 at the Gas ‘N Shop, 5560 S. 48th St. The robber shot the victim twice, but she survived.
I know the Chief has a lot on is mind and is maybe getting old, but surely he hasn't forgotten the tragedy that occurred at Acher Arms on January 28th, 2000. After all it was one of the crimes highlighted in the Departments annual report for that year. (link is to a pdf file)
Related Robberies
Of the 10-15 cases of armed robbery so far this year the Police Department thinks several are related as is reflected in the in the Crimes Stoppers report that has been issued;
The Lincoln Police Department is investigating an series of ARMED ROBBERIES (7) that have occurred at Restaurants in the City of Lincoln between May 8th and August 24th. Because of the method of the robberies and the similar descriptions of the suspects, it is believed they are related.
Having a working knowledge of how the Lincoln Police Department works, I am sure it will be only a matter of time before the miscreant youth identified for these crimes are brought before the Judge.
Many times I have expressed my differences with Chief Tom Casady, but there is one thing I will say;
Chief Casady genuinely cares about Lincoln and it's citizens and he knows how to get the job done.
Since becoming Chief Casady has kept the Lincoln Police Department on the cutting edge of crime solving techniques. Chief Casady has done more with less than most cities of comparable size or larger. So much so that he has repeatedly been invited to other U.S. cities and foriegn countries to speak on the methods that he has implimented here. In fact Chief Casady recently returned from a trip to London, England where he was invited to share his experiences. Several other cities, including foriegn cities have sent emmessaries to the Capitol City to study the way things are done here in order to build that knowledge in their home jurisdiction crime fighting abilities.
At Chief Casady's direction the Lincoln Police Department was one of the first departments in the country to develop computer programing to track criminal trends and patterns. The results of this foresight was most evident in the aprehension of a local bank robber that had committed a dozen or more bank robberies in the last several years.
It was no accident that the man was caught as he was about to commit another one. Based on data provided by the departments computer programming, Investigators were able to pin point almost to the hour when and where the suspect would strike again.
By entering all of the known data into the computer the police were able to determine that the dates of subsequant robberies were based on the amount taken from the previous bank robbery. The program also showed that the suspect had a penchant for banks that were away from high traffic areas. In essence the police had it narrowed down to about four banks they thought he would hit and a four day window in which he would commit the robbery. Within the first few hours of the very first morning of that window the suspect, not being one to dissappoint, appeared in the parking lot of one of the four banks and was apprehended after a brief foot chase.
In another case computer programming allowed officers to solve an ongoing series of indecent exposure crimes that most probably would not have been linked had it not been for the computer programming.
If one takes stock in statistics, the Lincoln Police Department, as compared to other cities of the same size, is definately under manned and under bugeted. This has not stopped the fine officers, led by Chief Casady, from amassing an enviable record of solving crime. They have done so by thinking and acting "outside of the box".
As long as there are bad people there will always be crime, that will never stop. Yes there have been a recent spate of violent crimes in Lincoln. Will there be more? Of course there will, be that is just the nature of some that have been unjustly labled as human beings instead of the vicious predators that they are.
The good citizens should know, however that their Police Department is internationaly recognized in criminal investigation and that Lincoln Police Chief Tom Casady and the fine Officers under his command are working very hard to catch those responsible for this recent rash of violent crimes.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Don't come any closer, I am contagious
It is official I have been self diagnosed with the highly contagious Buysgunitchitis.
Although Buyagunitchitis can strike at anytime I first began noticing the symptoms shortly after seeing a bright orange billboard with black lettering announcing an upcoming gun show.
For those that are likewise afflicted the gun show will be held the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of September at the Lancaster County Event Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.
There are two phases of Buyagunitchitis; The first is when you know specifically what kind and caliber of firearm your looking for, the other is the worst and most dreaded form of this affliction in that you really haven't been wanting or needing a particular firearm, but since it has been awhile since your last aquisition you have the urge to buy one just because you can.
It is this second form of Buyagunitchitis that I am afflicted with at this time and there are only two known cures for recovery.
The simplist way to overcome Buyagunitchitis, as in the case of knowning what you want, is simply go to the show or a local dealer and make the best deal you can. Purchasing a firearm results in a miraculously instantanious cure for Buyagunitchitis.
That is okay when you know exactly what you want and can afford it. Beyond that things can get a bit complicated.
What if you don't know what you want? What if your local dealer doesn't have what your looking for? What if you can't afford it right now?
My problem is I don't know what I want/need. Its true! I have bought a few firearms in the last year or so and really haven't spent as much time with them as I would like, so I really have not given any thought to buying anymore any time soon. So why then am I so struck with this affliction that I need to buy another gun? Granted there are any number of accesories that I am planning to spend money on at the show, it is not the same as buying a firearm though and it is certainly not a cure for Buyagunitchitis. It doesn't even temporarally relieve any of the symptoms.
I know, I know, I can as I have in the past, just let Buyagunitchitis run its course and move on. Yea right! Anybody that has opted for this type of cure will tell you it is not a pleasant experience. In case anyone is partaking of food as they read this I won't go into the horrid details of what a person goes through when they decide not to buy a gun and let Buyagunitchitis run its course. Just know that one is never completely cured going cold turkey. The next bout with it will be worse than the last until the afflicted finally breaks down and buys something.
I am not as strong as I used to be and readily admit it, I could get through this one, but the increased effects of the next one just might do me in.
I have spent the last three days wanting to buy another firearm and nearly every waking moment has been in consideration as to what firearm it will be. Of course I could just go to the show without a specific firearm in mind and just buy something that catches my eye. That is not a good plan in my experience as I have made some of my worst buys when I was buying a gun just to buy a gun. The biggest problem with that is you usually end up with something that you paid to much for or wasn't what you thought it would be and then Buyagunitchitis sets in all over again.
I really think I need to review a post I made back in January on how to shop a gun show and commit myself to following my own rules. In the mean time I will try to keep thinking of something to set my sights on (pun intended) and maybe by show time I can effect a cure that I can live with for a number of years to come.
Yea I got it bad, I told yuh to keep your distance I am contagious.
Well there it is, the first step toward recovery; admitting that you have a problem.
Hi I am Gunscribe and I suffer from Buyagunitchitis.
Although Buyagunitchitis can strike at anytime I first began noticing the symptoms shortly after seeing a bright orange billboard with black lettering announcing an upcoming gun show.
For those that are likewise afflicted the gun show will be held the 2nd, 3rd and 4th of September at the Lancaster County Event Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.
There are two phases of Buyagunitchitis; The first is when you know specifically what kind and caliber of firearm your looking for, the other is the worst and most dreaded form of this affliction in that you really haven't been wanting or needing a particular firearm, but since it has been awhile since your last aquisition you have the urge to buy one just because you can.
It is this second form of Buyagunitchitis that I am afflicted with at this time and there are only two known cures for recovery.
The simplist way to overcome Buyagunitchitis, as in the case of knowning what you want, is simply go to the show or a local dealer and make the best deal you can. Purchasing a firearm results in a miraculously instantanious cure for Buyagunitchitis.
That is okay when you know exactly what you want and can afford it. Beyond that things can get a bit complicated.
What if you don't know what you want? What if your local dealer doesn't have what your looking for? What if you can't afford it right now?
My problem is I don't know what I want/need. Its true! I have bought a few firearms in the last year or so and really haven't spent as much time with them as I would like, so I really have not given any thought to buying anymore any time soon. So why then am I so struck with this affliction that I need to buy another gun? Granted there are any number of accesories that I am planning to spend money on at the show, it is not the same as buying a firearm though and it is certainly not a cure for Buyagunitchitis. It doesn't even temporarally relieve any of the symptoms.
I know, I know, I can as I have in the past, just let Buyagunitchitis run its course and move on. Yea right! Anybody that has opted for this type of cure will tell you it is not a pleasant experience. In case anyone is partaking of food as they read this I won't go into the horrid details of what a person goes through when they decide not to buy a gun and let Buyagunitchitis run its course. Just know that one is never completely cured going cold turkey. The next bout with it will be worse than the last until the afflicted finally breaks down and buys something.
I am not as strong as I used to be and readily admit it, I could get through this one, but the increased effects of the next one just might do me in.
I have spent the last three days wanting to buy another firearm and nearly every waking moment has been in consideration as to what firearm it will be. Of course I could just go to the show without a specific firearm in mind and just buy something that catches my eye. That is not a good plan in my experience as I have made some of my worst buys when I was buying a gun just to buy a gun. The biggest problem with that is you usually end up with something that you paid to much for or wasn't what you thought it would be and then Buyagunitchitis sets in all over again.
I really think I need to review a post I made back in January on how to shop a gun show and commit myself to following my own rules. In the mean time I will try to keep thinking of something to set my sights on (pun intended) and maybe by show time I can effect a cure that I can live with for a number of years to come.
Yea I got it bad, I told yuh to keep your distance I am contagious.
Well there it is, the first step toward recovery; admitting that you have a problem.
Hi I am Gunscribe and I suffer from Buyagunitchitis.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Hagelisms are begining to abound
Sub Titled: Haggling with one G
Hagelisms !!! I hope I just coined a new word.
Now that the elections of 2004 are behind us, some of the more self-appointed prominent politicians are jockeying to take up residence it the Peoples digs at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We all new Hillary would. We suspect that Kerry will again as well. Add to that Joe Biden and a few others, namely Chuck Hagel (Rhino - Ne.).
When our Military first made their precence know in Iraq last year Hagel was at the fore front calling for more troops on the ground and "Let's get this thing done". Later in the year however when Chuck Hagel was stumping the state as the Nebraska Chair of the Re-elect President Bush Campaign, Hagel never missed an opportunity to distance himself from the President. Now Hagel is clearing standing in opposition to the President on the war in Iraq and several other issues. What changed his mind is anybody's guess, but I surmise it has everything to do with his ambitions for the Whitehouse.
In the changing winds of political opinion Hagel is proving that he can waffle with the best of them.
What was once said of John Kerry; "This political race for President is defined as having clear and concise opinions and ideas from all sides of the political spectrum ..... and that is just John Kerry's positions" can be applied to Chuck Hagel.
I was on to Hagel last year and wrote about it here on these pages.
8/13/2k4 Chuckie takes a Bride
8/15/2k4 Chuckie goes to the Whitehouse
12/03/2k4 Another question to ponder
12/21/2k4 What party will Hagel represent in 2008
Now that Hagel has become the Republican "go to guy" for the Sunday propaganda shows more and more people are starting to realize what Chuck Hagel really is. Does Chuck Hagel believe in something? Yes. He believes in Chuck Hagel. Does Chuck Hagel stand for something? Yes. Chuck Hagel stands for Chuck Hagel and what ever it will take to get him elected to the highest office in the land.
This Country needs a leader with backbone, not someone who will waffle on any issue in a deceitful attempt to get elected. We have had to many of them already; Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Ted Kennedy ... ad infinitem.
Chuck Hagel isn't just holding a wetted finger in the air (like Bill Clinton always did) to decide which side of an issue he needs to be on today, Hagel is flapping in the breeze like Gramma's drawers on the clothes line. It seems by all outward appearances that Hagel is actually to the left of Hillary on issues dealing with Iraq.
For some really good analysis of what Chuck Hagel is about lately read what the fellow Nebraska Bloggers are saying about our esteemed Senator;
From Ryne McClaren - Preview: 2008
From PTG @ The Plains Feeder - Senator Chuck Hagel's sad Viet-Nam fixation
Chuck Hagel is not the "over night and out of the blue salvation" that the Republican Party needs to keep a presence in the Whitehouse beyond 2008. Chuck Hagel has been carefully crafting and molding himself into a viable candidate for President for a very long time. Time will tell what other issues Hagel will waffle or change his mind on.
Most of us are familiar with the word "Borked" and it's origins, by the end of 2008 the word of the day could very well be "Hageled". (You saw it coined here first folks)
Hagelisms !!! I hope I just coined a new word.
Now that the elections of 2004 are behind us, some of the more self-appointed prominent politicians are jockeying to take up residence it the Peoples digs at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. We all new Hillary would. We suspect that Kerry will again as well. Add to that Joe Biden and a few others, namely Chuck Hagel (Rhino - Ne.).
When our Military first made their precence know in Iraq last year Hagel was at the fore front calling for more troops on the ground and "Let's get this thing done". Later in the year however when Chuck Hagel was stumping the state as the Nebraska Chair of the Re-elect President Bush Campaign, Hagel never missed an opportunity to distance himself from the President. Now Hagel is clearing standing in opposition to the President on the war in Iraq and several other issues. What changed his mind is anybody's guess, but I surmise it has everything to do with his ambitions for the Whitehouse.
In the changing winds of political opinion Hagel is proving that he can waffle with the best of them.
What was once said of John Kerry; "This political race for President is defined as having clear and concise opinions and ideas from all sides of the political spectrum ..... and that is just John Kerry's positions" can be applied to Chuck Hagel.
I was on to Hagel last year and wrote about it here on these pages.
8/13/2k4 Chuckie takes a Bride
8/15/2k4 Chuckie goes to the Whitehouse
12/03/2k4 Another question to ponder
12/21/2k4 What party will Hagel represent in 2008
Now that Hagel has become the Republican "go to guy" for the Sunday propaganda shows more and more people are starting to realize what Chuck Hagel really is. Does Chuck Hagel believe in something? Yes. He believes in Chuck Hagel. Does Chuck Hagel stand for something? Yes. Chuck Hagel stands for Chuck Hagel and what ever it will take to get him elected to the highest office in the land.
This Country needs a leader with backbone, not someone who will waffle on any issue in a deceitful attempt to get elected. We have had to many of them already; Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Ted Kennedy ... ad infinitem.
Chuck Hagel isn't just holding a wetted finger in the air (like Bill Clinton always did) to decide which side of an issue he needs to be on today, Hagel is flapping in the breeze like Gramma's drawers on the clothes line. It seems by all outward appearances that Hagel is actually to the left of Hillary on issues dealing with Iraq.
For some really good analysis of what Chuck Hagel is about lately read what the fellow Nebraska Bloggers are saying about our esteemed Senator;
From Ryne McClaren - Preview: 2008
From PTG @ The Plains Feeder - Senator Chuck Hagel's sad Viet-Nam fixation
Chuck Hagel is not the "over night and out of the blue salvation" that the Republican Party needs to keep a presence in the Whitehouse beyond 2008. Chuck Hagel has been carefully crafting and molding himself into a viable candidate for President for a very long time. Time will tell what other issues Hagel will waffle or change his mind on.
Most of us are familiar with the word "Borked" and it's origins, by the end of 2008 the word of the day could very well be "Hageled". (You saw it coined here first folks)
Monday, August 22, 2005
Armed thugs invade home and take loaded gun/s
I was hesitant about posting this because I could not find any references in the online version of the local fish wrapper to link to it. How ever after listening to it ad infinitem every hour all day Sunday on AM 1400 KLIN I decided to write about it.
The gist of the story;
Some time in the dark wee hours of the morning a man and his girlfriend are rousted from sleep by a loud knocking at their door. Upon answering the door the residents are assaulted by at least two people, one of which is armed with a handgun. The late night intruders demand the firearms owned by the man and depart with a loaded (as reported by the radio station) "assault weapon" and a shotgun.
I am having a hard time understanding the dynamics of this particular crime and fail to understand how a suitably armed person could allow this to happen.
Why would anyone open their door to loud knocking at that hour of the morning without knowing who it was first? How could anyone with an apparently loaded firearm not have it ready for IMMEDIATE use when someone is knocking on their door at that unGodly hour of the morning? Why wasn't at least one of the residents secluded in another room ready to or in the process of calling 911? Where was this loaded firearm when the residents were opening their door to persons unknown in the dark of night? Why wasn't someone ready and prepared to use it when armed thugs with illicet intentions forced themselves across the threshold in the dark hours of the day?
There are lots more questions I have concerning this, but the bottom line is that I fail to understand how someone can just open their door to anyone in the wee hours of the morning and allow themselves to be robbed of a loaded firearm. If you are not prepared to use it don't own it and most certainly don't leave it laying around the house loaded.
With "Home Invasions" becoming an ever increasing reality, even in rural America, when someone knocks on your door at that time of day certain precautions must be taken until you can verify that the interloper is a friend or foe. When in doubt call 911 and for God's sake DO NOT open the door. If you do open the door to person or persons unknown in the middle of the night be prepared; To respond to their actions accordingly or suffer the consequence of your folly.
There are now two more guns on the street because somebody either, failed to take the neccesary precautions to ensure their own safety or they were not fully prepared to use the tools at their disposal to protect themselves from harm.
The gist of the story;
Some time in the dark wee hours of the morning a man and his girlfriend are rousted from sleep by a loud knocking at their door. Upon answering the door the residents are assaulted by at least two people, one of which is armed with a handgun. The late night intruders demand the firearms owned by the man and depart with a loaded (as reported by the radio station) "assault weapon" and a shotgun.
I am having a hard time understanding the dynamics of this particular crime and fail to understand how a suitably armed person could allow this to happen.
Why would anyone open their door to loud knocking at that hour of the morning without knowing who it was first? How could anyone with an apparently loaded firearm not have it ready for IMMEDIATE use when someone is knocking on their door at that unGodly hour of the morning? Why wasn't at least one of the residents secluded in another room ready to or in the process of calling 911? Where was this loaded firearm when the residents were opening their door to persons unknown in the dark of night? Why wasn't someone ready and prepared to use it when armed thugs with illicet intentions forced themselves across the threshold in the dark hours of the day?
There are lots more questions I have concerning this, but the bottom line is that I fail to understand how someone can just open their door to anyone in the wee hours of the morning and allow themselves to be robbed of a loaded firearm. If you are not prepared to use it don't own it and most certainly don't leave it laying around the house loaded.
With "Home Invasions" becoming an ever increasing reality, even in rural America, when someone knocks on your door at that time of day certain precautions must be taken until you can verify that the interloper is a friend or foe. When in doubt call 911 and for God's sake DO NOT open the door. If you do open the door to person or persons unknown in the middle of the night be prepared; To respond to their actions accordingly or suffer the consequence of your folly.
There are now two more guns on the street because somebody either, failed to take the neccesary precautions to ensure their own safety or they were not fully prepared to use the tools at their disposal to protect themselves from harm.
Saturday, August 20, 2005
The Mossberg SSI-One
For years I have been intrigued with single shot rifles and wanted at least one for my collection. I had been able to shoot several of the different makes in the past including the Ruger Number 1 and the Thompson Center Contender/Encore. Personally I like the idea of just changing barrels to change calibers but I have never cared for the style of TC's firearm. The Ruger is a fine looking rifle and it fits me well, but if you want one in another caliber you have to buy a whole new rifle.
Mossberg SSI-One
Enter the Mossberg SSI-One. This single shot firearm has been around since the late 90's, has the streamlined looks of the Ruger and like the Encore it is available in several calibers. To me this firearm shoulders and fits well, has the lines of a fine rifle and holds steady. I have heard it refered to as "The Poorman's Ruger #1". I wanted one. I was looking for one in .270 and finally bought one in 30-06 caliber earlier this year. It was just to good of a deal to pass up and I will be just as happy with the 06 anyway. Besides I can always get a 270 barrel for it. When I took posession of it I made a list of other barrels I would like to have for it. These "extra barrels" come with its own forend and a weaver scope base. First among the other barrels I wanted was the 12 gauge rifled slug barrel and the possibly the .243 or 22-250.
The SSI does not come in as wide a selection of calibers as the Encore, but the choice is respectable; The .223 barrels come in both standard and heavy variations, as does the 22-250. Other calibers include the .243, and .308. There is also a "very tight choked" smoothbore 12 gauge barrel for turkey hunting.
It should also be noted that the SSI-One does not appear in Mossbergs current line up of firearms on their website. I have heard through the grapvine that they have quit making it for at least the rest of this year. Whether production will resume next year or not is not known at this time. There are however a number of new unfired and used gun and barrel combinations in the hands of dealers and the general public.
Simmons 44 Mag 3-10 Scope
As for the 30-06, I topped it with a Simmons 44 Mag 3-10 scope that I have had for years. It is still a very accurate scope and gave me good service when it was mounted on a Remington 788 in 308 caliber that I have had since the mid 70's. The first time at the range with the ought six we only had time to shoot a box or so of ammo at 25 yrds. I used some standard Remington Express 150 grain PSP Core-lokts and some Remington Reduced Recoil 125gr PSP Core-Lokts. After sighting it in at 25 yards we did pop a few water filled Mountain Dew bottles at 100 yards just for fun.
Note: For the ballistically challenged the line of sight is a flat line from the eye to the target. Since gravity effects all things with mass the flight path of a bullet must be an arc or it will never impact the line of sight. The bullet starts out below the line of sight with the rear of the barrel father below the line of sight than the front of the barrel. Because of the arc the fired bullet will "rise" above the line of sight at a given distance from the barrel, reach the apex of its arc at a given point downrange and then as the effects of gravity take over it will "fall" below the line of sight at a given distance from the barrel. A knowledgeable shooter can save ammo by knowing where these line of sight intersections take place with certain ammo and use the closer distance to "sight" the rifle in. After doing so one should always shoot at the farther distance to verify the sight and possibly make any fine adjustments.
Remington 30-06 ammo
In the case of the 150 grain load I used and the length of the barrel the bullet will first cross the line of sight at about 37 yrds and cross it again at 250 yards and be aproximately 2 1/2 inches high at 100 yards. In our short session we did not find the recoil of the 150 grain loads objectionable, but after shooting the 125 grain Reduced Recoil loads and then shooting the 150's again the difference, to say the least, was very noticable. The Reduced Recoil loads in the 30-06 are supposed to have more power than the 30-30 and have a range of 200 plus yards for deer size game. It was also our experience that, as Remington advertisies, they do shoot to the same point of impact as normal 30-06 150 grain loads.
Bushnell Banner Shotgun Scope
Recently I was able to aquire an unfired NIB 12 gauge rifled slug barrel for my SSI. It was still warm from the box UPS delivered it in when I mounted a Bushnell Banner 1.5 - 4.5 shotgun scope on it. From my perspective the one drawback is that the slug barrel is ported. I realize it probaly helps manage the recoil some and I shouldn't complain, but I have just not settled into the idea of holes in my barrels yet and it is just one more thing that needs to be cleaned.
Mossberg SSI- One Shotgun Barrel
Setting up on the range to sight the shotgun barrel we placed the target at 25 yards. At that range it initially shot about 3 inches to the right and 2 inches low with Remington Premier Copper Solid one ounce 2 3/4 inch Sabot slugs. A bit of a sight adjustment and we moved the target stand out to 50 yards.
Remington Slugs
Aside: When sighting in a 12 gauge shotgun it should be done at 50 yards. Because of slug velocity and wind speed if a shotgun is sighted in at 100 yards it is technically only sighted in for that days wind and will not impact the same sighting on successive days. At 50 yards the slug is still super sonic and uneffected by the wind. Sighting in a 12 gauge slug gun to impact 2 1/2 - 3 inches high at 50 yards will have that firearm dead on at 100 yards on a windfree day. Practice is required to learn the compensation for wind drift at 100 yards after the gun has been "zeroed" 3 inches high at 50 yards.
Shooting at 50 yards showed that the slugs were still printing a bit to the right. I over adjusted and had the next two printing left. a final adjustment was made and the last two were essentially about 2 inches high and center. (see accompanying target)
50 Yard Target
Shooting 10 rounds (about 20 dollars worth of ammunition) I was was very impressed with the way the SSI handled and shot. Recoil was far from objectionable, probably due to the ported barrel I'm sure. It will take a few more boxes of ammo before I will be ready to hunt with this gun with the 12 gauge barrel installed, but I think that it will do what I want it to and I am already tasting the venison I hope to take on a trip to Ohio this deer season.
Even with the very little shooting I have done with this firearm using either barrel I am impressed with it and look forward to using it in the field in the near future and years to come. It handles very well, fits me and is showing itself to be a very accurate gun.
As a final note I would like to impart two observations that I have formulated in a lot of years of shooting slugs from shotgun barrels. The first is that slug barrels of the rifled variety require the use of sabot rounds. I don't know if the Foster type slugs will "lead up" a rifled barrel or not, but I do believe that the sabot makes for a more accurate clean shooting round in the rifled barrels. The second is the the grooves that are swaged into the soft lead of the Foster type slugs are not ment to make the slug spin in the barrel of a smooth bore shotgun. They do however give stability and possibly some spin to the flight of a slug once it has departed the barrel, much the same way dimples effect the flight of a golf ball.
Mossberg SSI-One
Enter the Mossberg SSI-One. This single shot firearm has been around since the late 90's, has the streamlined looks of the Ruger and like the Encore it is available in several calibers. To me this firearm shoulders and fits well, has the lines of a fine rifle and holds steady. I have heard it refered to as "The Poorman's Ruger #1". I wanted one. I was looking for one in .270 and finally bought one in 30-06 caliber earlier this year. It was just to good of a deal to pass up and I will be just as happy with the 06 anyway. Besides I can always get a 270 barrel for it. When I took posession of it I made a list of other barrels I would like to have for it. These "extra barrels" come with its own forend and a weaver scope base. First among the other barrels I wanted was the 12 gauge rifled slug barrel and the possibly the .243 or 22-250.
The SSI does not come in as wide a selection of calibers as the Encore, but the choice is respectable; The .223 barrels come in both standard and heavy variations, as does the 22-250. Other calibers include the .243, and .308. There is also a "very tight choked" smoothbore 12 gauge barrel for turkey hunting.
It should also be noted that the SSI-One does not appear in Mossbergs current line up of firearms on their website. I have heard through the grapvine that they have quit making it for at least the rest of this year. Whether production will resume next year or not is not known at this time. There are however a number of new unfired and used gun and barrel combinations in the hands of dealers and the general public.
Simmons 44 Mag 3-10 Scope
As for the 30-06, I topped it with a Simmons 44 Mag 3-10 scope that I have had for years. It is still a very accurate scope and gave me good service when it was mounted on a Remington 788 in 308 caliber that I have had since the mid 70's. The first time at the range with the ought six we only had time to shoot a box or so of ammo at 25 yrds. I used some standard Remington Express 150 grain PSP Core-lokts and some Remington Reduced Recoil 125gr PSP Core-Lokts. After sighting it in at 25 yards we did pop a few water filled Mountain Dew bottles at 100 yards just for fun.
Note: For the ballistically challenged the line of sight is a flat line from the eye to the target. Since gravity effects all things with mass the flight path of a bullet must be an arc or it will never impact the line of sight. The bullet starts out below the line of sight with the rear of the barrel father below the line of sight than the front of the barrel. Because of the arc the fired bullet will "rise" above the line of sight at a given distance from the barrel, reach the apex of its arc at a given point downrange and then as the effects of gravity take over it will "fall" below the line of sight at a given distance from the barrel. A knowledgeable shooter can save ammo by knowing where these line of sight intersections take place with certain ammo and use the closer distance to "sight" the rifle in. After doing so one should always shoot at the farther distance to verify the sight and possibly make any fine adjustments.
Remington 30-06 ammo
In the case of the 150 grain load I used and the length of the barrel the bullet will first cross the line of sight at about 37 yrds and cross it again at 250 yards and be aproximately 2 1/2 inches high at 100 yards. In our short session we did not find the recoil of the 150 grain loads objectionable, but after shooting the 125 grain Reduced Recoil loads and then shooting the 150's again the difference, to say the least, was very noticable. The Reduced Recoil loads in the 30-06 are supposed to have more power than the 30-30 and have a range of 200 plus yards for deer size game. It was also our experience that, as Remington advertisies, they do shoot to the same point of impact as normal 30-06 150 grain loads.
Bushnell Banner Shotgun Scope
Recently I was able to aquire an unfired NIB 12 gauge rifled slug barrel for my SSI. It was still warm from the box UPS delivered it in when I mounted a Bushnell Banner 1.5 - 4.5 shotgun scope on it. From my perspective the one drawback is that the slug barrel is ported. I realize it probaly helps manage the recoil some and I shouldn't complain, but I have just not settled into the idea of holes in my barrels yet and it is just one more thing that needs to be cleaned.
Mossberg SSI- One Shotgun Barrel
Setting up on the range to sight the shotgun barrel we placed the target at 25 yards. At that range it initially shot about 3 inches to the right and 2 inches low with Remington Premier Copper Solid one ounce 2 3/4 inch Sabot slugs. A bit of a sight adjustment and we moved the target stand out to 50 yards.
Remington Slugs
Aside: When sighting in a 12 gauge shotgun it should be done at 50 yards. Because of slug velocity and wind speed if a shotgun is sighted in at 100 yards it is technically only sighted in for that days wind and will not impact the same sighting on successive days. At 50 yards the slug is still super sonic and uneffected by the wind. Sighting in a 12 gauge slug gun to impact 2 1/2 - 3 inches high at 50 yards will have that firearm dead on at 100 yards on a windfree day. Practice is required to learn the compensation for wind drift at 100 yards after the gun has been "zeroed" 3 inches high at 50 yards.
Shooting at 50 yards showed that the slugs were still printing a bit to the right. I over adjusted and had the next two printing left. a final adjustment was made and the last two were essentially about 2 inches high and center. (see accompanying target)
50 Yard Target
Shooting 10 rounds (about 20 dollars worth of ammunition) I was was very impressed with the way the SSI handled and shot. Recoil was far from objectionable, probably due to the ported barrel I'm sure. It will take a few more boxes of ammo before I will be ready to hunt with this gun with the 12 gauge barrel installed, but I think that it will do what I want it to and I am already tasting the venison I hope to take on a trip to Ohio this deer season.
Even with the very little shooting I have done with this firearm using either barrel I am impressed with it and look forward to using it in the field in the near future and years to come. It handles very well, fits me and is showing itself to be a very accurate gun.
As a final note I would like to impart two observations that I have formulated in a lot of years of shooting slugs from shotgun barrels. The first is that slug barrels of the rifled variety require the use of sabot rounds. I don't know if the Foster type slugs will "lead up" a rifled barrel or not, but I do believe that the sabot makes for a more accurate clean shooting round in the rifled barrels. The second is the the grooves that are swaged into the soft lead of the Foster type slugs are not ment to make the slug spin in the barrel of a smooth bore shotgun. They do however give stability and possibly some spin to the flight of a slug once it has departed the barrel, much the same way dimples effect the flight of a golf ball.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
It's been a year and then some
I can't believe it has been more than a month since my last post. During that time this Blog turned one year old. I wrote my first post on July 21st of 2004. I had known a blogger or two and was reading several prior to scribing my own posts, but it was Publicola that really inspired me to begin my own. I had some things I wanted to say and he was willing to post them on his Blog when he suggested that I consider starting my own. I thought about it for a few weeks and with some encouragement from others I began publishing "From the Heartland".
I previously noted I had been reading blogs for some time and the one thing I did not want to publish was a clearing house for what other Bloggers were doing. You know what I mean; Nothing but notes and links to other peoples work. To me those types of Blogs get old real quick, as there is not much original thought just a bunch of "click on over to ____ and check the story on ....."
Having said that I have and will continue to link to other Bloggers when the occassion warrants and I hope they continue to return the favor. Linking is an important atribute of blogging in that if I am doing research for a post and run across a blog that has already covered the topic it is important to note that Blog with a link, or if it is a really great piece that just needs to be spread around. I just did not and still don't want "From the Heartland" to be a series of links to someone elses work. I have attempted and will continue to write posts that are of interest to me from my point of view and offer some salient points that may not have been noted elsewhere.
It has been a really good year at Casa De Gunsribe cumulating with the celebration of a newborn grandson last month and Mrs Gunscribe and my 29th wedding anniverary this past Sunday (the 14th).
To say that I have been seriously busy around the homestead is an understatement. It is apple picking time and though we only have a few trees they have been coming in all at once and we have had an exceptional crop this year. Between all of the outside work and some woodworking chores that Mrs Gunscribe has had me on (Building a new entertainment center and deck chairs) I have barely found time to attend any shooting competitions let alone practice. I'm not sure I should be complaining about that though even without the practice I have placed 3rd in the last two bowling pin shoots I entered.
Again I realize it has been more than a month since I posted and I am sincerely greatfull to all of you that have hung in there with me. I have managed in the past week to get out to the range twice. The first time the wife and I took our bows out for a few hours and a good friend and I got to the rifle range to sight in my Mossberg SSI-One that I have written about in the past. This time I left the 30-06 barrel at home and concentrated on the 12 gauge rifled slug barrel that is topped with a Bushnell shotgun scope. Hopefully I can get to a post about it in the next day or so.
Thank you all that have been reading my Blog this past year. Thank you Bloggers that have thought enough of my work to link my posts and add me to your Blogrolls. And I especially thank each and everyone of you that took the time to leave comments on posts that interested you whether you agreed with me or not.
I previously noted I had been reading blogs for some time and the one thing I did not want to publish was a clearing house for what other Bloggers were doing. You know what I mean; Nothing but notes and links to other peoples work. To me those types of Blogs get old real quick, as there is not much original thought just a bunch of "click on over to ____ and check the story on ....."
Having said that I have and will continue to link to other Bloggers when the occassion warrants and I hope they continue to return the favor. Linking is an important atribute of blogging in that if I am doing research for a post and run across a blog that has already covered the topic it is important to note that Blog with a link, or if it is a really great piece that just needs to be spread around. I just did not and still don't want "From the Heartland" to be a series of links to someone elses work. I have attempted and will continue to write posts that are of interest to me from my point of view and offer some salient points that may not have been noted elsewhere.
It has been a really good year at Casa De Gunsribe cumulating with the celebration of a newborn grandson last month and Mrs Gunscribe and my 29th wedding anniverary this past Sunday (the 14th).
To say that I have been seriously busy around the homestead is an understatement. It is apple picking time and though we only have a few trees they have been coming in all at once and we have had an exceptional crop this year. Between all of the outside work and some woodworking chores that Mrs Gunscribe has had me on (Building a new entertainment center and deck chairs) I have barely found time to attend any shooting competitions let alone practice. I'm not sure I should be complaining about that though even without the practice I have placed 3rd in the last two bowling pin shoots I entered.
Again I realize it has been more than a month since I posted and I am sincerely greatfull to all of you that have hung in there with me. I have managed in the past week to get out to the range twice. The first time the wife and I took our bows out for a few hours and a good friend and I got to the rifle range to sight in my Mossberg SSI-One that I have written about in the past. This time I left the 30-06 barrel at home and concentrated on the 12 gauge rifled slug barrel that is topped with a Bushnell shotgun scope. Hopefully I can get to a post about it in the next day or so.
Thank you all that have been reading my Blog this past year. Thank you Bloggers that have thought enough of my work to link my posts and add me to your Blogrolls. And I especially thank each and everyone of you that took the time to leave comments on posts that interested you whether you agreed with me or not.
Thursday, June 16, 2005
It is just not the FiveseveN they want to Ban
H.R. 1136 and its companion bill SB. 527 in the Senate does far more than just ban the much aligned FiveseveN Pistol along with the SS190 and SS192 ammunition that it uses.
The purpose for these bills is expressed in the preamble of each;
To protect the Nation's law enforcement officers by banning the Five-seveN Pistol and 5.7 x 28mm SS190 and SS192 cartridges, testing handguns and ammunition for capability to penetrate body armor, and prohibiting the manufacture, importation, sale, or purchase of such handguns or ammunition by civilians.
That seemingly inocuous statement gives the impression that the sole target of this legislation is one firearm and the two types of ammunition that is currently available for it (depending on what country your in).
Reading farther into the bill though one realizes that it is not just the FiveseveN that is the target.
In Section 2 Findings and Purpose paragraph (a) is FiveseveN specific, while paragraph (b) gets to the real and intended purpose of H.R. 1136 and SB. 527;
(b) Purpose- The purpose of this Act is to protect the Nation's law enforcement officers by--
(1) testing handguns and ammunition for capability to penetrate body armor; and
(2) prohibiting the manufacture, importation, sale, or purchase by civilians of the Five-seveN Pistol, ammunition for such pistol, or any other handgun that uses ammunition found to be capable of penetrating body armor.
Both SB 527 and H.R. 1136 seek to have all handguns tested and any that are found to use ammunition that is capable of penetrating body armor will be banned.
Without listing the entire liteny of handguns that use ammunition that is capable of penetrating body armor, just consider the few that are relatively benign for the purposes of personal protection and self defense.
The first that comes to mind is the single shot Thompson Center Contender and any of its clones. This particular handgun comes in a variety of rifle calibers including the .223, 243, 7mm-08, 30-30 and 45-70.
Because of their ballistics any or all of these cartridges will penetrate body armor worn by Police Officers and the Contender and its clones would be banned under this law.
There are also any number of single or multiple shot bolt action handguns used exclusively for hunting that would be banned by this law and we haven't even addressed the most common firearms that are used by millions of citizens everyday to protect themselves.
Section 3 Armor Piercing Ammunition, calls for an expansion of the definition of armor piercing ammunition to include;
(iii) a projectile that--
(I) may be used in a handgun; and
(II) the Attorney General determines, pursuant to section 926(d), to be capable of penetrating body armor.'.
(b) Determination of Capability of Projectiles to Penetrate Body Armor- Section 926 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
"May be used in a handgun". How is that for a catch phrase? It doesn't even have to have been chambered in a handgun at any time. Under this bill if the Attorney General "determines that a cartridge may be used in a handgun" and is capable of penetrating "body armor "exemplar" it will be rated as armor penetrating. Well there goes the 30-30, 30-06 308 and 270, not to mention the 300, 7mm or any of the other magnums. Further reading of this section gets to the very core of what is meant to be accomplished with this legislation;
(d)(1) Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Attorney General shall promulgate standards for the uniform testing of projectiles against Body Armor Exemplar.
(2) The standards promulgated pursuant to paragraph (1) shall take into account, among other factors, variations in performance that are related to the type of handgun used, the length of the barrel of the handgun, the amount and kind of powder used to propel the projectile, and the design of the projectile.
(3) As used in paragraph (1), the term `Body Armor Exemplar' means body armor that the Attorney General determines meets minimum standards for the protection of law enforcement officers.
Paragraph (3) is the crux of the bill, as it allows the Attorney General to determine what body armor will be used for the tests. It is commonly know that most Police Officers are equipped with Threat level IIIA or higher body armor. In his/her infinate wisdom an Attorney General could very well "determine" that Threat Level IA is the media to which all tests will conducted.
In fact Section 2 paragraph (3) specifically refers to Threat level IIA body armor;
(3) The Five-seveN Pistol and 5.7 x 28mm SS192 cartridges are capable of penetrating level IIA armor. The manufacturer advertises that ammunition fired from the Five-seveN will perforate 48 layers of Kevlar up to 200 meters and that the ammunition travels at 2100 feet per second.
Should that happen there is very few handgun calibers that will be available for the private citizen to have for personal protection or HUNTING for that matter.
Section 4 Armor Piercing Handguns and Amunition addresses certain word changes to the applicable section of USC Title 18, but the most glaring change found in that section is;
(1) IN GENERAL- It shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture, import, market, sell, ship, deliver, possess, transfer, or receive-- (C) any other handgun that uses armor piercing ammunition.
H.R. 1136 and SB. 527 go way beyond just banning the Fiveseven and its ammunition. This legislation is an outright assault on any and all of the calibers common or not so common to any and all of the shooting sports and self defense.
The bottom line is that even if you don't own a handgun or have never even contemplated owning one and you are content with your deer rifle and shotgun, these bills may very well ban the ammunition for that rifle because it was at one time, currently is, or "may be determined" by the Attorney General as "capable of being" chambered in a Handgun.
The purpose for these bills is expressed in the preamble of each;
To protect the Nation's law enforcement officers by banning the Five-seveN Pistol and 5.7 x 28mm SS190 and SS192 cartridges, testing handguns and ammunition for capability to penetrate body armor, and prohibiting the manufacture, importation, sale, or purchase of such handguns or ammunition by civilians.
That seemingly inocuous statement gives the impression that the sole target of this legislation is one firearm and the two types of ammunition that is currently available for it (depending on what country your in).
Reading farther into the bill though one realizes that it is not just the FiveseveN that is the target.
In Section 2 Findings and Purpose paragraph (a) is FiveseveN specific, while paragraph (b) gets to the real and intended purpose of H.R. 1136 and SB. 527;
(b) Purpose- The purpose of this Act is to protect the Nation's law enforcement officers by--
(1) testing handguns and ammunition for capability to penetrate body armor; and
(2) prohibiting the manufacture, importation, sale, or purchase by civilians of the Five-seveN Pistol, ammunition for such pistol, or any other handgun that uses ammunition found to be capable of penetrating body armor.
Both SB 527 and H.R. 1136 seek to have all handguns tested and any that are found to use ammunition that is capable of penetrating body armor will be banned.
Without listing the entire liteny of handguns that use ammunition that is capable of penetrating body armor, just consider the few that are relatively benign for the purposes of personal protection and self defense.
The first that comes to mind is the single shot Thompson Center Contender and any of its clones. This particular handgun comes in a variety of rifle calibers including the .223, 243, 7mm-08, 30-30 and 45-70.
Because of their ballistics any or all of these cartridges will penetrate body armor worn by Police Officers and the Contender and its clones would be banned under this law.
There are also any number of single or multiple shot bolt action handguns used exclusively for hunting that would be banned by this law and we haven't even addressed the most common firearms that are used by millions of citizens everyday to protect themselves.
Section 3 Armor Piercing Ammunition, calls for an expansion of the definition of armor piercing ammunition to include;
(iii) a projectile that--
(I) may be used in a handgun; and
(II) the Attorney General determines, pursuant to section 926(d), to be capable of penetrating body armor.'.
(b) Determination of Capability of Projectiles to Penetrate Body Armor- Section 926 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
"May be used in a handgun". How is that for a catch phrase? It doesn't even have to have been chambered in a handgun at any time. Under this bill if the Attorney General "determines that a cartridge may be used in a handgun" and is capable of penetrating "body armor "exemplar" it will be rated as armor penetrating. Well there goes the 30-30, 30-06 308 and 270, not to mention the 300, 7mm or any of the other magnums. Further reading of this section gets to the very core of what is meant to be accomplished with this legislation;
(d)(1) Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Attorney General shall promulgate standards for the uniform testing of projectiles against Body Armor Exemplar.
(2) The standards promulgated pursuant to paragraph (1) shall take into account, among other factors, variations in performance that are related to the type of handgun used, the length of the barrel of the handgun, the amount and kind of powder used to propel the projectile, and the design of the projectile.
(3) As used in paragraph (1), the term `Body Armor Exemplar' means body armor that the Attorney General determines meets minimum standards for the protection of law enforcement officers.
Paragraph (3) is the crux of the bill, as it allows the Attorney General to determine what body armor will be used for the tests. It is commonly know that most Police Officers are equipped with Threat level IIIA or higher body armor. In his/her infinate wisdom an Attorney General could very well "determine" that Threat Level IA is the media to which all tests will conducted.
In fact Section 2 paragraph (3) specifically refers to Threat level IIA body armor;
(3) The Five-seveN Pistol and 5.7 x 28mm SS192 cartridges are capable of penetrating level IIA armor. The manufacturer advertises that ammunition fired from the Five-seveN will perforate 48 layers of Kevlar up to 200 meters and that the ammunition travels at 2100 feet per second.
Should that happen there is very few handgun calibers that will be available for the private citizen to have for personal protection or HUNTING for that matter.
Section 4 Armor Piercing Handguns and Amunition addresses certain word changes to the applicable section of USC Title 18, but the most glaring change found in that section is;
(1) IN GENERAL- It shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture, import, market, sell, ship, deliver, possess, transfer, or receive-- (C) any other handgun that uses armor piercing ammunition.
H.R. 1136 and SB. 527 go way beyond just banning the Fiveseven and its ammunition. This legislation is an outright assault on any and all of the calibers common or not so common to any and all of the shooting sports and self defense.
The bottom line is that even if you don't own a handgun or have never even contemplated owning one and you are content with your deer rifle and shotgun, these bills may very well ban the ammunition for that rifle because it was at one time, currently is, or "may be determined" by the Attorney General as "capable of being" chambered in a Handgun.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
INS building in Lincoln, Nebraska Evacuated
After a suspicious powder was found in the mailroom of the Immigration and Naturalization Service Building authorities evacuated and cordoned off the area.
As of mid afternoon authorities said tests on the unknown substance are consistant with the chemical make up of deoderant.
What ever it is it was apparently inhaled by some of the INS employees and all were decontaminated and sent to a local Hospital.
The lincoln Jopurnal Star has this report on the incident.
As of mid afternoon authorities said tests on the unknown substance are consistant with the chemical make up of deoderant.
What ever it is it was apparently inhaled by some of the INS employees and all were decontaminated and sent to a local Hospital.
The lincoln Jopurnal Star has this report on the incident.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
More on the smoking ban as the dollars minus down
I have covered this issue several times in the past and the more time that passes the more it is proving out that Lincoln is and will continue to loose an awful lot of money because of the ban.
Mary Harris Rauner, Manager of of BC's Bar in Lincoln has a very inciteful opinion that has was recently published in the Lincoln Journal Star.
Ms. Rauners figures are as current as has been released and she makes makes a point that I alluded to in a previous post;
One of the areas that can be positively identified with the effects of the smoking ban are the Keno figures from the City of Lincoln. Even with a massive (and very expensive) promotion in the month of February, keno revenue is down $943,250 for the City of Lincoln through the first quarter of 2005. The small towns surrounding Lincoln however, are up almost that amount, with Waverly, Crete, Denton, Raymond and Sprague up $755,310 for the same period, according to the state department of revenue. The initial April and May figures reflect a greater loss for the city of Lincoln.
Ms. Rauner, as the manager of BC's, is in a postion to see first hand the effects of the ban;
I am trying to rebuild a viable and profitable business among the ashes of this ban. The work involved in revising our business plan to accommodate new clientele is essential for survival. We intend to stay in compliance with the ban, but I cannot be silent simply because Dart and his advocates do not agree with my stance on what I believe to be an issue of civil liberty.
Yes like she said it is a done deal and now it remains for those businesses that are most affected by the ban to either rise from the ashes or fall by the way side.
It seems there are a lot of spitefully happy people, whether they know it or not, that are walking around town without a nose on their face.
Mary Harris Rauner, Manager of of BC's Bar in Lincoln has a very inciteful opinion that has was recently published in the Lincoln Journal Star.
Ms. Rauners figures are as current as has been released and she makes makes a point that I alluded to in a previous post;
One of the areas that can be positively identified with the effects of the smoking ban are the Keno figures from the City of Lincoln. Even with a massive (and very expensive) promotion in the month of February, keno revenue is down $943,250 for the City of Lincoln through the first quarter of 2005. The small towns surrounding Lincoln however, are up almost that amount, with Waverly, Crete, Denton, Raymond and Sprague up $755,310 for the same period, according to the state department of revenue. The initial April and May figures reflect a greater loss for the city of Lincoln.
Ms. Rauner, as the manager of BC's, is in a postion to see first hand the effects of the ban;
I am trying to rebuild a viable and profitable business among the ashes of this ban. The work involved in revising our business plan to accommodate new clientele is essential for survival. We intend to stay in compliance with the ban, but I cannot be silent simply because Dart and his advocates do not agree with my stance on what I believe to be an issue of civil liberty.
Yes like she said it is a done deal and now it remains for those businesses that are most affected by the ban to either rise from the ashes or fall by the way side.
It seems there are a lot of spitefully happy people, whether they know it or not, that are walking around town without a nose on their face.
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