Thursday, March 29, 2007

The Thinking Blogger Award


I've been tagged by Fits at Shooting The Messenger for the Thinking Blogger Award. This award seems to have begun at Bennings Writing Pad when he got tagged.

I'm flattered that Fits would find my contributions to his and other blogs and my occaisional postings here to be worthy of this honor.

By the rules of this award I need to tag five other blogs that I feel worthy of the award. Since Fits tagged me I think tag-backs are out. Patrick Joubert had tagged Fits and also tagged Mr. Calhoon.

Though I don't patrol his blog as often as I do others the blogger who I can blame for starting me down this path was Xavier, so he's going to top my list.

Xavier Thoughts is the work of a fellow RN. His blog will entertain, amuse and make you think.

Victor Davis Hanson has a site that is more commercial than blog but his frequent postings are always thought provoking.

El Presidente gives me a more local flavor. Though I will be leaving the Peoples Republic of Kalifornirado in the near future I hope that it will one day be Colorado again.

Oscar Poppa is the home of Civis Proliator. A staunch constitutionalist he carries on the good fight from my future home of Texas.

My final nominee is News From the Border. This blog has the joyless task of reporting on the invasion we face.

I hope that by tagging to some of the places that get my neurons firing, or at least my dander up I'll have lead folks to discover some new frequent haunts for themselves.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Here's Bob!

From the Desk of Bob Beauprez 

Dear Hyunch,
Because we believe that the next presidential election will be a defining moment
in shaping the future of this nation, we have taken the unusual step of making an
early commitment to the person we are convinced should be elected President in 2008.
His name is Mitt Romney.

We have had the opportunity to learn a great deal about Mitt and we are impressed
by what he has achieved - as a husband and father, as a successful businessman, and
as the Governor of Massachusetts who brought conservative governing principles to
a state famous for its liberal tendencies. He and his wife Ann have raised five wonderful
boys, always putting family first. All five sons are married and have given the Romneys
ten grandchildren - so far. Theirs is a family that embodies the values that we,
as Americans, treasure.

As you may know, the invisible primary - the fundraising deadline of March 31st -
is quickly approaching. Presidential candidates will be judged by political pundits
across the country on the amount of money they have raised in the past three months.
We would be pleased if you would join us in supporting
Mitt Romney today [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=kkvva5bab.0.rodid5bab.xptll9bab.688&ts=S0235&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mittromney.com%2Fcontribution%2Fform] with a generous contribution so that he can make a big splash
in the invisible primary. The current maximum for an individual is $2,300 (or $4,600
per couple) per election. Federal multi-candidate PACs may contribute $5,000 per
election. We strongly urge you to consider making
a contribution [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=kkvva5bab.0.rodid5bab.xptll9bab.688&ts=S0235&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mittromney.com%2Fcontribution%2Fform] of any amount to Governor Romney today.

Mitt Romney believes strongly in the core principles of free enterprise, fair and
free trade, accountability in education, personal responsibility, tolerance, strong
families, and a national defense second to none. More than that, however, we are
amazed at what he accomplished during his term as Governor of Massachusetts - strengthening
education, laying the foundation for private, market-based health insurance for all,
and cutting the size and cost of government.

Specifically, without raising taxes or increasing debt, Governor Romney closed a
$3 billion deficit in his first year in office. Each year, Governor Romney filed
a balanced budget without raising taxes. By eliminating waste, streamlining the government,
and enacting comprehensive economic reforms to stimulate growth in Massachusetts,
he got the economy moving again and transformed deficits into surpluses.

At the peak of his business career, he was asked to take over the 2002 Winter Olympics
in Salt Lake City. You may remember that the Olympics were beset by scandal and had
fallen deeply into debt. Romney took over and, as he had done with so many companies,
he went to work turning things around. The
result was the most successful and profitable Olympics in history [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=kkvva5bab.0.rodid5bab.xptll9bab.688&ts=S0235&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mittromney.com%2Fcontribution%2Fform] - even in
the face of security concerns following 9/11.

We share these stories about Mitt Romney because we believe that he possesses not
only the right political philosophy, but also the experience and leadership skills
necessary to guide this great nation. We encourage you to learn more about Mitt Romney
by visiting his website at www.mittromney.com [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=kkvva5bab.0.podid5bab.xptll9bab.688&ts=S0235&p=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mittromney.com%2F].
We are confident that once you do, you will understand why we are actively supporting
Mitt Romney for President.

Should you like to make a contribution, we ask that you contribute
online [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=kkvva5bab.0.rodid5bab.xptll9bab.688&ts=S0235&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mittromney.com%2Fcontribution%2Fform] by credit card to ensure that your contribution is counted before March
31st. If, for whatever reason, you do not wish to contribute online, you may contribute
by check or credit card by printing and filling out the donor form found
here [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=kkvva5bab.0.sodid5bab.xptll9bab.688&ts=S0235&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mittromney.com%2Fcontribution_form.pdf]. Please include '10001' as the Fundraiser ID and FCO001 as the Source
Code on either form.

If you are contributing with a donor form, we kindly ask that you return it today
so that Mitt may receive it in time to count your contribution towards this quarter.
Please fax donor forms containing credit card contributions to (866) 891-3307. Alternatively,
you may mail donor forms and any checks to the following address: Romney for President,
Inc., P.O. Box 55899, Boston, MA 02205. All checks must be made payable to "Romney
for President, Inc." and if you are making a contribution as a couple from a joint
account and your contribution is to be attributed to both of you, please ensure that
both of you sign the donor form and any check.

Please show your early support by making
a contribution today [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=kkvva5bab.0.rodid5bab.xptll9bab.688&ts=S0235&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mittromney.com%2Fcontribution%2Fform]. In addition, we also encourage you to join Team
Mitt [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=kkvva5bab.0.todid5bab.xptll9bab.688&ts=S0235&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mittromney.com%2Fvolunteer%2Fform], the Romney campaign's national grassroots support network. By doing
so, the campaign will keep you informed of the latest activity and let you know about
opportunities to make a difference.

We thank you for your consideration. Should you have any questions, please don't
hesitate to contact us.

Warm regards,

Bob & Claudia Beauprez

Dear Bob,

Thank you for taking the time to write to me regarding your feelings about Mitt Romney. Mind if I ask a few questions?

First, what actions did Mitt Romney take to keep illegal aliens from residing in Massachusetts or taking jobs from real citizens and legal immigrants?

Second, what did Mitt Romney do to restore the rights of gun owners in Massachusetts?

Third, why would I throw good money after bad in giving to Romney after I lost money backing you to run for Governor last year? You do remember last year, don't you, Bob? You lost the race to a guy who was all but kissing illegal alien keester on public television. Why was that? Because you were caught being a hypocrite. Your bank was giving accounts to illegal aliens, Bob.

Now, you WERE better than the former Denver DA who let illegal alien drug pushers go on misdemeanor pleas that let them stay in the United States so they could molest little girls.

If I have to back a lost cause for 2008 then why wouldn't I give my money to someone else from Colorado who has a real agenda and a better track record than Romney? Someone like Tom Tancredo?

Oh, yeah. I fogot. I already did give to him. That means there is nothing left for your friend Mitt.

Sorry,
Hyunch.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Ain't Dat Pitiful?

I'll admit it. I read gun pron.

Guns, American Handgunner, Guns & Ammo. If I can find a stack of them being given away I'm in hog heaven, no matter how out of date they are.

This morning I picked up the latest copy of American Handgunner and noticed that they had a feature story on the Wilson ADP. This is Wilson Combat's rendition of a polymer pistol.

Today while gobbling my lunch in my car before returning to work I read through the story. The pictures of the pistol were, as usual, wonderful. The story the magazine told of the pistol made me hope that everyone who considers this pistol reads the review.

Let me say that I don't know anything about Wilson Combat. I have no axe to grind. I don't own any of their products nor have I ever even held on that I can recall.

That said I think this pistol was a major mistake for them. I'd read somewhere previously that this ADP had originally appeared before under another gun makers' label and it hadn't been reliable or well made. The review of the Wilson ADP seems to back up that impression.

Reliability. The review goes to great lengths to talk about how this pistol is for "carry alot, shoot little". The test shooting was usually halted around the 100'th round because the pistol stopped functioning with anything like reliability.

Ergonomics. The reviewer talks about the fingers bumping the safety button during firing. Then mentions how when shooting it left handed he was hitting the magazine release while firing. Not good. Very not good.

What I don't understand is why a company that others seem to favor with high honors and higher prices felt the need to market a pistol that will do nothing positive for their reputation. The images in the magazine were glowing. The story under the pictures was anything but.

The writer tried in vain to put some positive spin on this one but I feel the magazine is likely to see advertising money from Wilson go bye-bye after this issue hits wide circulation.

I can see why a major maker would need a polymer pistol to compete against Glock. I don't see why a smaller maker would invest in such a project unless they really had a design that would one-up the best-in-class product.

They will no doubt sell many to people who know the Wilson name. I also have no doubt that in about two years these pistols will be on the remainder rack at CDNN for dirt cheap prices.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it would take some powerful convincing before I'd plunk down half the MSRP for this pistol, let along anything near it.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Winkin', Plinkin' and Nod

Tonight I went to the range and just had some fun. Educational fun, for my part, but fun.

Having picked up a stack of as-yet unbroken clay birds from the trap field I scattered them on the 30 Meter berm on the silhouette range and began busting clays. These birds are bigger than even the ram used in smallbore silhouette and this was the closest berm. Not a lot of challenge. Just fun.

Having something break when you hit it is fun!

Sunday, March 25, 2007

I see a little silhouetto of a ram...

Ten of them, actually and I actually managed to hit on them. For me, my experience, my equipment and my talent that's flat out amazing.

I went to the smallbore silhouette shoot at the gun club today. The predominant rifle was an Anschutz sporter. High power scopes were in better vogue than shooting vests.

How did I do? I came in dead last over all. Two matches. 6 out of 40 the first one, 7 out of 40 the second.

You know I can only improve from here.

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Bones About It

The best line yet heard by me regarding Rudolph Giuliani's candidacy for POTUS?

Plenty of people — politicians included — have skeletons in their closets. In the case of presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, that closet is a walk-in.

Skeletons indeed, like the one standing at the right hand of St. Rudi. For those with short memories that's Bernie Kerik. Bernie was passed along by St. Rudi to George the Migration Player to head up the (then) newly formed Dept. of Homeland Security. It took about three minutes for someone to figure out that Kerik had skeletons. Tastefully remodeled, to be sure, but skeletons.

Then there is the former Mrs. Giuliani. Or rather former Mrs. Giulianis, plural. Merry Olde England may remember their kings with fondness but I'm not sure that someone who hasn't Ronald Reagan's charisma, let alone good positions, would have the makings of winning the Oval Office. We don't need "The Six Wives of Rudolph I" as part of our heritage.

Then there is the question of law and order. Before Kerik the Greedy became St. Rudi's right-hand man that job was held by William Bratton. It could be said that he deserves the credit for the modest decreases in crime in NYC. Law and order is about the only issue that Giuliani really has any conservative credit. If he really doesn't own even that what gives him reason to believe he deserves to be President as a Republican. Shouldn't he run in the party he really belongs to?

Monday, March 19, 2007

Five years

I did not support entering into Iraq. I did not believe that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. I did not believe that he was partying with Osama.

Now that you are through cussin' me out read on.

Today I am of the opinion that the only course for the U.S. is to win in Iraq. To win that means that all forms of terrorism there must be crushed. If that means turning Tehran into a glass crater, well, better there than Jerusalem.

This war is not Vietnam. The Vietnamese were and have not followed us back to attack us. The powers that keep up the fighting in Iraq have already visited destruction on our own shores and will do so again if they win in Iraq.

I support using any and all means necessary to win this war. If that means a draft then Uncle Sam knows where to find an RN who can also shoot and salute. I'm many years older than when I had U.S. Army stamped on my chest but I'm also trained to give medications, change bandages and other valuable skills. I don't have to be able to run fast to patrol a ward full of wounded.

I say this because we face an enemy more lethal than any we have ever faced before. Time was distance was our ally. We found out that distance has shrank a great deal back in 2001.

We must become the sort of nation we never were. Hardened to war. We face an enemy with no head so we must kill all the tentacles. We must burn them out when and where we find them. We must not let sentiment or sympathy stay our hand. Our enemy uses that to weaken us so he may strike when our backs are turned.

We must win in Iraq to give our nation time to wake up. To throw off the lazy dream of "liberalism" like a too heavy comforter and face the cold dawn.

If we do not win in Iraq and we do not throw off that too heavy comforter it will become our burial shroud.

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Grip A Glock

It was well over a year ago that I first fired a Glock. It was a 2nd gen with a home-stippled grip frame lent by a guy I got a short course from. I had other guns but wanted to see what all the Glockenfuss was about.

I wasn't too impressed by the feel of the gun but when the instructor popped the slide off of his G 35 and I saw how sweet and simple the engineering was I got hooked. I'm a sucker for good engineering.

It wasn't until later that I heard from another guy about how bad his hand got bitten by Glocks when he was doing IPSC competition. Silly me. I'd drawn that G 19 many times, blew 250 rounds of ammo and failed to get slide bite.

Well, hearing about it sort of cursed me. I did get slide bite from Glocks mostly because I was fearing it. I wasn't even drawing the gun from holster so why I should get bitten must have been out of fear of it.

I let my slide bite heal and then went back to the Glocks. Between last weekend and this one I've fired 200+ rounds out of my G 23 doing grabs from the holster, both from a Blackhawk CQC and a Galco Combat Master.

No slide bite.

Draw, fire, holster. Draw, fire, holster. Draw, fire, fire, fire, holster. Over and over and not once did I get bitten. Well, a light nibble when I shifted to my left hand. More because I haven't been working on training that hand to grip as much as I should.

I haven't stippled this G 23's grip. It's 3rd gen and I haven't even ground off the silly finger spacers.

No Glock Finger. No slide bite.

So much for the fears. Now to work on the real issues.

Glock Like a Man

This morning I got to the range early. This let me get a pistol berm and also allowed me to go pick up a box full of clay "birds" from the trap shoot range. Once sent down range the range personnel don't care enough to pick them up again.

At the berm there were some partial birds already laying on the backstop so I used those for hip shooting.

The G 23 can put a round into the general vicinity of where you are looking when drawn from the holster. I'm talking within 4". I'm still hitting "high" on hip shooting but I expect practice to bring that down. The draw-to-hip-shoot exercises were never left or right of what I was focused upon.

Movement is still a bugaboo. When I switched to firing at an ICE-QT my misses were present, failing to even nick the cartoon thug 8-10 of the rounds I fired. I even managed to miss the cardboard sheet the target was stapled to once. It pegged into my wooden target stand.

If anyone wants to know why you don't want to use FMJ for wet work shoot the bullet into a 2x2. The hole shows almost no deformity except for the splinters on the rear as the bullet flies out. The hole stays a uniform shape.

If it will go through 2" of pine it won't have any problems passing through muscle fat and most organs and exiting the other side ready to penetrate someone else.

Saturday, March 17, 2007

FAL ammo testing


Out to the range today.

First came re-sighting in one of my 10/22 rifles. A fall had knocked the scope loose.

I did a lot of off-hand shooting but didn't photograph the targets. I'm shooting off-hand from the Marlin 39AS and two modified 10/22s. I don't feel guilty about off-hand shooting at 25 yards so long as I stick to small targets.

I didn't get a chance to shoot my pistol today as the handgun berms were occupied with a 3-gun shoot.

I did get a chance to test out the ammo I recently picked up for the FAL. This is Lake City 7.62x51. I fired the target on the left with that ammo from a bench using front rest and rear. Distance was 100 yards. The target on the right was an equal number of shots from some Australian ammo that the guy next to me had brought. It wasn't serving him well. He had a Sako tactical rifle. The Lake City shot better for him.

The weather was good today, not too windy. Hope to have more fun tomorrow.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Gone Glockin'

After firing off the 7.62 I'd brought to the range I moved over to a pistol berm and used the same target to take rounds from my G 23.

Yes. I've turned into a Glockhead.

Today's practice was useful because I didn't have to stand still. I could even draw from the holster with live ammo in the pistol. Those were both forbidden at the indoor range.

I practiced drawing to fire one handed, transition to two handed and moving backwards/to the side of the target.

Light flannel shirts are not the easiest to get out of your way when you are drawing from concealement.

Lessons better learned in practice than in crisis.

FAL O' Mine

I had the FAL out to the range again today. I'd had it there at least once since my first post about this rifle.

Most of the snow has melted so bullet impacts are mostly just splats into mud.

There was not much wind today. I keep forgetting to bring the wind meter that I picked up with me. I just know it wasn't as hard or as steady as it was the last time I was firing.

The ammo today was some FMJ milsurp I picked up at a gun shop.

I had purchased 6 used mags from someone months ago and they had sat here not being used. Last Sunday I sat and took them apart, cleaning them while watching that silly Lost Tomb thing.

All 6 functioned for me just fine today. I had stuck up an 8" Orange Peel on cardboard 100 yards downrange. It really wasn't too difficult to keep all the rounds in that 8" off the bench with the 3-9x scope cranked up.

I've used up everthing but 100 rounds of Match .308 so I have picked up 1,000 of what was sold to me as Lake City. We'll see how that does next time I'm at the range.

I will want to test the iron sights for shorter ranges, too. See if I can get it set for 50 yards. I can't trust my eyes without magnification past that range.
 

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