Saturday, December 31, 2011

Happy New Year!

Staying home tonight. We stopped going out on New Year's Eve a couple of years ago after we came *this close* to being in THREE traffic accidents (not our fault) on our way home.
One avoided accident is good for a pretty exciting adrenaline rush, but three had me pretty freaked out by the time we got home....

So, hope everybody has a Happy New Year, and only 11 more months to go before we can rid ourselves of The Obamanation and his ilk!

Be safe out there tonight! I'm cleaning my firearmas today, and tomorrow I'll be installing a new screen door and garage side door.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Back From The Range

And egads, was it crowded!
The staff said it's been like this all week, with lots of new shooters. We saw several dozen people bringing in new rifles, obviously new because they were in the cardboard box, and still in the plastic when they took them out of the box.
SO...we waited about an hour for my son's cousin to show up, all the while watching to see if any shooting stations opened up.
Finally, about 2pm, we were able to get a stall at the skeet part of the range. I've never shoot skeet before, but using cousin Bryan's 20 gauge Ithaca pump, I scored 10 for 10.
I was astounded.....
And it was fun. I can see why people enjoy shooting skeet.
Then we finally got a shooting bench around 2:45. We were on the long range this time, and although I'm still a "100 yard" shooter, there were people there who were shooting targets at 200, 300, 400, and 500 yards.
And hitting them.....
Only fired my Marlin 30-30 about 10 times, and I was shooting 2" or better groups at 100 yards, so I'm going to consider the scope zeroed for the 150 gr ammo I shoot. I was a lot more anxious to try the new Nikon scope (yes, I mounted it the right way!) on my slug gun. With the previous learning experience, and all my notes from Old_NFO, I was able to get it zeroed at 50 yards with 5 rounds. Then I moved the target out to 100 yards, and all I had to do was use the correct dot on the BDC, and I was on the money.
I was having so much fun with the slug gun, I shot that most of the day.
And I was getting ~2" groups at 100 yards from the Lead Sled, not bad for me!
Then, my son's cousin (ex-brother-in-law's son) opened his other rifle case, and brought out a 1940 Mosin-Nagant in wonderful condition. This was the first time I actually got to shoot one, and Bryan shot the pants off me with it. He was 9-ring or better at 100 yards with the iron sights, and I was "in the black", but no where as good as him or my son.
Oh, to have 26 year old eyes again!
Plus he's shot it a lot, and I haven't, so I'm sure I could get better by turning ammo into skill.
The high point of the day for me was meeting the guy at the next bench. He was shooting an M1 Garand, and when I asked him about it, he told me it was a CMP "Select" grade rifle. Turns out he's an Appleseed instructor, and he gave me an entire package of information on how to get into the CMP so I can get my very own M1.
AND...they have Appleseed instruction up at the range twice a month.
So, I'm going to borrow a 22 rifle, sign up, take the course, join an affiliated club, and get myself an M1!
All in all we had an excellent time, I learned a lot, and my son and his cousin had a ball.
And my right shoulder will be screaming at me tomorrow for shooting 20 or so rounds from the slug gun out of the lead sled!

Range Day!

Off to Angeles Shooting Ranges this morning with my son and his cousin.
I'll post some more after we get back this afternoon.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

FEMA Billing Katrina Victims?!?

I just got this link in an email from one of the (many) mailing lists I subscribe to.
Abso-frickin-lutely disgusting!

From the Charlotte Observer

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Busy, Busy!

Well, I got the new scope mounted and "pre-zeroed" on my Remington 1100, and had to take the side-saddle off the 870 to put the mount and 'red-dot' sight on it. Guess I'll get a butt-cuff to hold extra shells, or tinker something up to put the side-saddle back on.
The new doors were delivered today (they wouldn't fit in my Jeep, and I don't like strapping big stuff on the roof!), so tomorrow I'll tackle those.
And I've transferred about 12 record albums to my PC. It's a time-intensive process, as you can only record them as fast as they play. The brand-new LP's I recorded sound great, but a couple of the used ones are going to need some work to clean up the ticks and pops on them. Once I get all of them recorded on my A/V machine, I'll either transfer them to a portable hard disk, or burn them to a data DVD and them clean them up on this PC.
I'm using my Technics SL-1210 turntable, a TCC TC-750 phono preamp, M-Audio Delta 44 sound card, and Audacity to do the recording. I also have Adobe Audition, but it's on the Windoze box I'm using to record, and as my dear wife would like her dining room table back, I don't think I'll be able to leave things set up to do the post-processing using that PC.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Merry CHRISTmas, Everyone!

Just in case I get busy on the Honey Dew list and don't have time to post.
I have a new back screen door to put on.
I have a new side entrance door for the garage to put on.
I have two new light fixtures to install in the kitchen.
I have an interface board to build to put one of my radios on the Internet for remote control.
I have to get the new Nikon scope mounted on my Remington 1100.
I have a mount and "Red Dot" site to install on my Remington 870.
AND....I'm going to record all my vinyl records to my Audio/Video PC so I can burn some CD's of the them.

So....an early MERRY CHRISTMAS to everyone who stops by!

Unhappy Muslims....

The conclusion: The Muslims are not happy!!!

· They are not happy in Gaza .
· They are not happy in the West Bank .
· They are not happy in Jerusalem .
· They are not happy in Israel . (There is no equality)
·
They are not happy in Egypt .
· They are not happy in Libya
· They are not happy in Algeria .
·They are not happy in Tunis .
· They are not happy in Morocco .
· They are not happy in Yemen .
· They are not happy in Iraq
· They are not happy in Afghanistan .
· They are not happy in Syria .
· They are not happy in Lebanon .
· They are not happy in Sudan .
·They are not happy in Jordan .
· They are not happy in Iran ..

Where are the Muslims happy?

They are happy in England.
They are happy in France.

They are happy in Italy.
They are happy in Germany.
They are happy in Sweden.
They are happy in Holland.
They are happy in Denmark.
They are happy in Belgium.
They are happy in Norway.
They are happy in the U.S.
They are happy in Canada.

They are happy in Romania.
They are happy in Hungary.

They are happy in Australia.
They are happy in New Zealand.

They are happy in any other country in the world that is not under Muslim dictatorial rule.

And whom do they blame?


· Not Islam.
· Not their leadership.
· Not themselves.


But the same countries in which they are happy to live.

In a democracy they can live comfortably,
enjoy the high quality of life which they did not build and work for,
they don't have to be productive and earn a living,
they can be wild,
and break the law,
exploit the social services,

wear Burkhas and make a mockery

of our Police and Courts
and generally bite the hand that feeds them.

My question is why do they always try to bring their failed system with them, why do they want to turn every Western democracy into the country they left ....?

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Took My NRA Range Saftey Officer Class Today

I enjoy taking training classes, so when my instructor friend informed me last month he was running an NRA RSO class, I signed up.
It covered all the nuts and bolts of operating a range, and dealing with the public, from novice to advanced shooters.
We covered safety, emergency procedures, stoppages and malfunctions, and a variety of other mundane details related to the day-to-day operations on a range.
Didn't get any trigger time, but I did learn a lot, and met some nice people.
Long day, 10am to 8pm, but I got 98% on the written, and should have my RSO credential in 45~60 days.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Decisions 2012

Well......I've been doing my best to vet the Republican candidates as far as who I'm going to support.
Like it matters who *I* support!
It's just something I do to help me decide who I think is most aligned with what I believe in.
I was pretty big on Herman Cain (thanks, wirecutter!), but then he had some baggage that came to light, and decided to withdraw.
I *almost* like Newt, but he's a bit too slick and flippy-floppy for me.
Yes, I know he's very smart, and a studied historian, but I don't think he _really_ supports the 2nd Amendment, and that's pretty important to me.
Romney?? Not in a million freakin' years!!
So, that kinds leaves either Rick Santorum, or Michele Bachmann.
I'm still carefully reading their campaign sites, and burning up Google, and haven't decided yet.
Just have to see how they do in the debates I can find them in.
One thing for sure, four more years of that IDIOT we currently have in the White House will just about do us in.
Keep your powder dry!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Instead of a "Where's Wookie?", How About We Start A "Where's Breda?"

Really!

Breda's is one of the very first blogs I started following when I first started doing blogging. She always had great stuff, and since my sister was a Librarian, I felt some kind of empathy.

BUT....

Where's Breda?

Not a peep in three weeks now......

Hurry back, a lot of us miss your commentary!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

50 Years Ago Today....


The first Amateur Radio satellite, OSCAR-1, was launched from Vandenberg AFB, piggy backed with Discoverer-XXXVI, a "scientific" satellite.
OSCAR 1 only lasted a couple of weeks, and reentered at the end of January, but it was a stunning achievement considering it was built by a bunch of "Hams", in somebody's garage.
Space Today Online has a fairly current History of Amateur Radio Satellites.

And for more info and the current status of all the Amateur Radio satellites, please go to the AMSAT webpage.

Fiocchi "Canned Heat" 45ACP Range Test








Steven over at BulkAmmo.com was kind enough to send me a can of Fiocchi "Canned Heat" ammo for a review/range test.
Not being an "Authorized Journalist", or a well-known 'Competition Shooter', I'm not sure why he chose me to do this, but hey, FREE AMMO!
And although I've bought a lot of stuff from them in the past, the only compensation I'm getting out of this is the 50 round can of 45ACP they sent me.
The packaging is pretty clever (my wife pronounced it as "cute"), and it's supposed to be hermetically sealed. Sure enough when I popped the lid, it hissed at me just like a big tub of Planter's Peanuts, so I assume the seal was intact. One of the things I noticed when I unpacked it from the shipping box is that all the rounds were loose in the can, and they made some rattling noises.
Still, the rounds looked good after I took one out and examined it.
The bullets have a much more brass look to them than the Winchester "White Box" ammo I normally shoot, so I'm not sure what the jackets are made from. I've shot Fiocchi ammo before, and the bullets had the same brass-look to them, so I guess that's just the alloy they use for the jacket.
So, packing up my "Canned Heat" along with some White Box, I headed out to the range. I haven't been pistol shooting for over a month (me bad!), and I knew I'd need some warming up before I could see how well the Fiocchi shot compared to the White Box.
It took me 4 magazines before I was reliably "in the black" at 10 yards! Yep, it's a perishable skill, and I keep saying I should get out more! Still, even the first few shots were well within the "dinner plate" area the NRA says makes you 'good enough' for home defense, but I know I'm better than that.
After I'd loosened up a bit, I wiped my Kimber 1911 down, and loaded the magazines with the Fiocchi ammo.
It shoots just fine, and at 10 yards the accuracy was as good as the White Box stuff. Recoil and report are about the same, and every round fed OK.
No 'flyers' at all, but I did have a couple of failure-to-eject rounds that I'll write off as being caused by my less than clean Kimber.
The other thing I noticed, and I've seen it before shooting Fiocchi, is that it tends to "dirty up" the gun a bit more than some of the other ammo I've fired.
Not bad like one other brand I tried once, but it definitely gets the muzzle end sooty.
The pictures I took are from opening the can at home, to showing the sooty muzzle on my Kimber.
All in all it's decent ammo, and has the advantage of being packed in something better than a cardboard box, which might be important to you if you need to stash a bunch somewhere that has less than adequate climate control.
For long term storage I think I'd still put it in a big Zip Loc bag, as the can is made from cardboard, and night not take kindly to getting soaked.
Thanks again to Steven at BulkAmmo.com for providing me with some FREE AMMO!

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Tolerance

From one of my like-minded friends....

I am truly perplexed that so many of my friends are against a mosque being built at Ground Zero. I think it should be the goal of every American to be tolerant. Thus the Mosque should be allowed, in an effort to promote tolerance.

That is why I also propose that two nightclubs be opened next door to the mosque, thereby promoting tolerance from within the mosque. We could call one of the clubs, "The Turban Cowboy", which would be gay, and the other a topless bar called "You Mecca Me Hot."


Next door should be a butcher shop that specializes in pork, and adjacent to that an open-pit barbeque pork restaurant, called " Iraq o'Ribs."

Across the street there could be a lingerie store called "Victoria Keeps Nothing Secret", with sexy mannequins in the window modeling the goods. Next door to the lingerie shop, a liquor store called "Morehammered."

All of this would encourage the Muslims to demonstrate the tolerance they demand of us, so the mosque problem would be solved. If you agree with promoting tolerance, and you think this is a good plan, please pass it on...For the sake of tolerance!

Friday, December 9, 2011

World's Smallest V-12

This is astounding! I've built lots of things "From Scratch". but nothing like this.
My Dad was a Tool and Die maker, and I know my way around a machine shop, but this just blows me away.
I can't read Italian, but looking at the video, I could tell what the captions meant by seeing what part of the engine he was working on.
Amazing testament to one man's patience.

And here's another guy who makes RUNNING scale-model engines.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

70 Years Ago Today.....

We got blindsided while the politicians fiddled away.
Let us pray it never happens again.
And keep your powder dry!

New Additions to the Bookshelf

The other day as I was cleaning out an office for somebody who's no longer with the company (looong story) I happened to find a well-worn paperback called "Term Limits" by an author I'd never heard of, Vince Flynn. I read a few pages, thought it started off pretty well, and tossed it on my desk to read later.
I really enjoyed it!
Then the other night when I was picking up some prescriptions for the Mrs, I spotted a NEW Vince Flynn book in the rack by the pharmacy, so I grabbed it. It's called "American Assassin", and was an equally good read.
WELL.....one thing led to another, I cruised on over to Amazon, and now I have ALL of Vince Flynn's books, with the exception of "Kill Shot", which is due out in February.
Vince writes "political thrillers", and does them very well. His technical accuracy is second only to Tom Clancy, his characters are well-developed, the writing is fast-paced, and I'm really happy I saved that copy of "Term Limits" from going into the trash!
Check him out.....you'll probably enjoy his stories as much as I do!

Sunday, December 4, 2011

You Might Be An "Occupier" If.....

1. You moved to a tent in Zucotti Park because you always wanted a nicer place to live.

2. You quit your “job” to attend the protests, but your mother continues your allowance and now does the dishes herself.

3. You are confused that you can’t find the Wal-Mart on Wall Street.

4. You are enraged that the taxpayers had to bail out Wall Street even though you’ve
never paid taxes or know anyone who has.

5. You hate capitalism but expect a capitalist to provide you a good paying job with great benefits.

6. You think Socialism has something to do with Facebook, and Capitalism has to do with Washington , DC .

7. You demand a job, forgetting that you were fired for not doing the one you had.

8. You despise the rich even though they pay your share of taxes.

9. You are very clear in your protest objectives:

“Screw the USA ”
“Save the ______ (fill in the blanks – whales, spotted owls, sturgeon)”
“Self-realization is the first step toward self-actualization”
“Down with … uh… everything!”

10. You think 99 weeks of unemployment is the least the government should give you for the
3 months you put in at McDonalds.

11. You drove a Toyota to the protest, you’re plugged in to a Sony Walkman, talk over a Samsung phone, and play a Yamaha keyboard in a punk band, but you are incensed over jobs being outsourced to other countries.

12. You demand your rights, but can’t quite recall where they are enumerated.

13. You believe you have a right to every penny earned, but the rich do not, and you base your claim on equality.

14. You believe a man is greedy if he worked his way up to CEO on 16-hour days, runs a company employing thousands, and made $10 million last year, but is not greedy if he made $50 million last year for making two motion pictures or shooting a ball through a hoop.

15. You left behind trash, feces, urine-soaked sod, discarded clothing, and used condoms after your “Save the Environment” protest.

16. You know you’re not a Socialist because you stick pretty much to yourself at parties.

17. You don’t pay taxes, but somehow that’s more than your “fair share”.

18. You hate the rich, but hope you win the lottery.

Annnnd.....We Got Zip.....

 Total snow was about 6~8", but half o0f it melted as soon as it hit, and we never had more than 3" on the ground at any one time....