South Park Pundit

2006-04-14T15:06:00.000-07:00

Redirect

2006-04-07T23:55:00.000-07:00

SOUTH PARK PUNDIT . COM

Go to the new site.

It's ALIVE!

2006-04-01T13:32:00.000-08:00

The New Site, that is.

SOUTH PARK PUNDIT.COM

It's still going thru some growing pains, but that is the new home of this blog. I don't think I'll be using this one anymore, so update your bookmarks and blogrolls accordingly.

I'm going to leave this one active. I decided against importing Haloscan, but I want to keep the comments. This site will languish in obscurity until such a time as its needed again. Like, say, a big WordPress or Hosting Matters shutdown. Then, I'll come back here until those things get sorted out.

Update

2006-02-20T01:55:00.000-08:00

Still working on finding a new home for this site. I've bought a domain name and a package from Hosting Matters. Hopefully, by the end of the week, I'll be getting comfortable in my newer, sexier digs. In the meantime, keep checking back here for the regularly scheduled drivel.

It's been a rough weekend. Twice now I've had my peace and quiet disrupted by my family and their damned issues. I thought I was going to have to hurt my brother tonight to keep him from doing something to my folks. My moms having some health issues but that isn't keeping her from provoking the rest of the family into ridiculous arguments and feuds. Blood is thicker, though, so regardless of their antics and bullshit, I continue to try my best to help them all get along.

It is seriously making me want to go to law school elsewhere in the country. I'm thinking now that I'll actually finish up my masters work here, so I'll have some kind of marketable skill elsewhere, even if its teaching. I really don't have the patience for it, I know that, but if it pays the bills. I could teach a couple of night classes and do law school during the day. I think that'd work out. Plus, when I graduate and pass the bar, I'll be in a less lawyer-rich environment than SoCal. And I'd get a twofer - move to a more gun friendly state, and get away from the loonies in my family.

I really need sleep right now, but I've still got adrenalin coursing, so I'm gonna get to work on moving the blog.

Question

2006-02-19T00:13:00.000-08:00

I'm driving myself freakin' nuts. I'm importing this blog into the new Word Press blog I just created to replace it.

I'm having a bitch of a time with a couple of things - mainly, I can't seem to find how to edit the (*&^%*& template! There is nowhere I can find that will allow me to edit anything. I want to move my Haloscan comments over - can't. I want to edit the sidebar - can't. I want to import a graphic header - can't.

Any genius out there care to lend a hand? I am an HTML retread...but I have come to hate this platform enough to try to export everything. Do I need to purchase a WP upgrade? I've been told I need to upgrade Haloscan, which I'd be willing to do to keep comments, but if I can't import them...

Enough for tonight. I'm spent.

Long Days

2006-02-18T19:54:00.000-08:00

It has been a loooong couple of days. Some family issues and some other, more intense conflicts have kept me from writing anything much. The couple times I did try to write something, Blogger didn't let me post it up. Once was their fault, once was mine. Or rather, it was the fault of a third party who created a situation that I'd rather have avoided. Steal my wireless internet will you, you bastard...

I tried to get out and go shooting today, but Mother Nature seemed to think it was a bad idea. All week, it's sunny and warm. This morning, its rainy and cold. Forecast for tomorrow - sunny and warm. WTF?

So instead of going shooting with a bunch of friends, I went by myself to my indoor range. I put about 80 rounds downrange with the new California EBR, which I had decided to christen KDD, or Katie, for "Kalifornia Death Dealer." Not PC enough? I'm thinking of having it etched and painted on the blank side of the lower. Well, that or maybe a Punisher skull.

One of the posts that got lost into the Google ether had a bunch of links and whatnot to recommended reading for the weekend. I know I've been slacking, I've seen the traffic fall off, but I just can't make myself write something good or inspired or interesting. Maybe in the next day or two.

I never thought I'd have nothing good to post for three days. *drinks* Watch the video.

And Now...

2006-02-15T15:28:00.000-08:00

For Something Completely Different

Someone's got a healthy sense of humor.

Brick, where'd you get the hand grenade?
I...I don't know.

Larger Scale Gun-Control

2006-02-15T10:18:00.000-08:00

Not only do they like the populace to be disarmed, now they want to abolish the military and send cops to defend our shores from foreign invasion. It seems even our soldiers and Marines can't be trusted with weapons in the liberal Utopia otherwise known as San Francisco...

I received a transcript from Hannity & Colmes, which I have never watched but I know the general jist of the show, from a campus mailing list I am on. The message that went with the link said "Read the whole thing. This man should be President in 2012."

Transcript

Money Shot:

SANDOVAL: I don't think we should have a military. Absolutely.

COLMES: We shouldn't have a military? Wait a minute. Hold on. The United States should not have a military?

SANDOVAL: What good has it done for us in the last five years? That's right. What good has it done us...

HANNITY: Good grief.

SANDOVAL: ... in the last five years.

COLMES: Gerardo, wait a second.

SANDOVAL: We think about the billions that we're spending in Iraq right now, if we spend it on schools. We should not...

COLMES: The United States should not have a military?

SANDOVAL: That's correct.

COLMES: Are you kidding me?

That's right ladies and gents. Gererdo Sandoval, (D) San Francisco, for President of the US in 2012. Thats what the leftist faculty are clamoring for.

Are you kidding me?

La Resistance in CA

2006-02-15T08:28:00.000-08:00

Well, it seems that the rallying cry of "Vive la resistance!" has succeeded in having the fatwhy removed from my blog. Thanks, gang!

Now I'll be directing La Resistance in a different, more important direction.

Via Marc and Uncle, I get disturbing news of the jack-booted thugs in Sacramento, trampling all over the citizens of the state and the rights this country was built on.

I'd been observing this thread at Calguns about the DOJ and their continued lack of respect for CA laws. Yes, the FFL had lower receivers stored outside their safe, which is a big no-no since the lower is the controlled component. However, now the DOJ is claiming that the receivers are "contraband" and refusing to return them.

Due to a lack of credible information, I can't really expand on those two basic premises of what has happened up until now.

I do know that DOJ JBT's have put the fear of God into FFLs here in sunny SoCal. A friend of mine, who wanted to purchase a rifle like mine, went to a shop to shoot the shit with one of the guys he trusts, and ended up being completely put off the whole thing. Words like "felony" and "confiscation" and "federal PMITA prison" can do that to your typical gun owner - that is to say, a law abiding citizen. Even though the information from the sales guy is incorrect, its still uncomfortable. There were also rumors, unsubstantiated, that all detachable mag semi-auto centerfire rifles are going to be banned. Mini-14's, M1A's, Kel-tec's and more. That's the rumor.

La Resistance is going to be watching this closely. I have a huge dog in this fight, and I don't take too kindly to law enforcement breaking laws to keep their boot on the neck of the populace. The law-abiding populace. Those of us who are keeping our nose clean and following the law to the letter are too often the victims of sweeping reforms designed to curb behaviors we don't exhibit.

Last Valentine Thought

2006-02-14T22:13:00.000-08:00

I love you guys...

This is just for you...

I promise it's fun and work safe.

Under Attack!

2006-02-14T13:35:00.000-08:00

I have had a fatwa - no, excuse me - a fatwhy declared against me and my blog.

This. MEANS. WAR!

I urge each and every one of you to click through, visit al-Lay Lines, and leave the following message in the comments to one or many of Marc's posts.

We're "La Resistance."

Let him know that this unilateral action will be met with an equal and opposite reaction!

Update:
Now Marc is appealing to his readers - "But, but...he started it!" But he actually started it here. It's all fun and games, and then he completely rejects the concept of "why?" Well I for one will not stand idly by while he singles out one of the Five W's for arbitrary discrimination! Will you stand with me?!?! If we don't protect the "why's" of this world, pretty soon he'll go after the "what's" and "where's" - it'll be grammatical genocide. I can't let that happen.

Singles Awareness Day

2006-02-14T12:42:00.000-08:00

Here I sit, broken hearted,
Came to blog but barely started,
Out there came a rant and rave
To commemorate this crappy day.

Today marks the one year anniversary of this day last year. Surprise! I know it isn't just me that thinks this holiday is being far too commercialized and exploited. Why the fuck is it even a "holiday" - its more like just another "buy me something-iday". I mean, every other pop up ad I've gotten today is for something Valentine's Day related. I almost sent flowers to my ex-girlfriends just because the FTD.com ads were so persistent. It's getting to be ridiculous.

In my opinion, florists and jewelers are marginalizing the other businesses in the mall and overlooking a tiny little niche market this time of year - single people. By constant subjection to the same "Diamonds are forever..." and "...a heart shaped locket..." and "...but flowers mean he loves you..." stuff on the TV, radio, net and billboards, it drives singles into shopping hibernation. I wouldn't particularly want to go to the mall to pick up a CD or something, only to have to walk past 3 jewelry stores and dozens of happy couples. It's just mean. But, if they changed the outlook of the whole thing, it might cater to a bigger audience.... I'd send one of my girl friends a dozen roses if they came with a dozen longnecks, but otherwise...nah.

The thing about trying to be nice on Valentine's Day is the uncertainty of it all.

I just read somewhere that 50% of dating couples split up on V-Day (thats Valentines, not the Vagina Monologues, though I can't tell the difference). One Half. 50/100. That, my friends, makes me glad to be single today. To make a reservation in August, buy the flowers, dry clean the suit, detail the car, buy tickets to a play and carefully choreograph the whole thing takes a lot of work and emotional effort, only to have your girlfriend decide she hates men today because "...Sally at works boyfriend totally forgot to make reservations and......" WHY THE FUCK DO I HAVE TO SUFFER BECAUSE OF SALLY'S INCOMPETENT BOOB! It takes too much out of you to put yourself up to such close scrutiny in an uncertain world.

Which, finally brings me to the culmination of my musing. V-Day is no longer a day about expressing your love for your boyfriend or girlfriend, wife or husband, significant other, mistress, etc. It has become a day to obsess over material goods and services and equate them to love. If you're anything like me, and you make your emotions and feelings known regularly, than today shouldn't be anything but another day. It's not. I have to prove something, according to the latest Zale's ad. Whatever...maybe it's hypocritical of me to say this now, after buying diamond earrings last V-Day. "Yeah, honey, those look great on you!" OF COURSE they do! They looked great in the fucking case too! Should leave them there, where they can roam free and frolick with the other diamonds.

So "happy" Singles Awareness Day. S.A.D. S-A-D -- think about that acronym. I can't even go to a decent bar tonight to have drinks with some of my friends because they'll be packed full of happy, smiling couples and couples that are on the verge of killing each other after tonight. I'm going to have to eat somewhere with a lighted menu and a drive thru because all of the decent places will be full of love and loathing. Enjoy yourselves - tomorrow, I take back the restaurants, with force if necessary.

Politically Incorrect

2006-02-13T21:56:00.000-08:00

I decided that I was politically incorrect enough to warrant an application to the anti-PC League.

Er, that is to say, I am so politically incorrect as to warrant pointing it out to the world. You bastards...

Thought(s) Of The Day

2006-02-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

"Assault weapons" have only one purpose, and that is to kill lots of people. Therefore, civilians don't need/can't have assault weapons. Police need assault weapons. Because police need to kill lots of people. Is that right?

Hmmm...

Anyway, I have been told that there is violence galore in movies. I beg to differ.

The VP's ND

2006-02-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

By now, everyone and their mother's dog has seen the story about Cheney shooting his hunting buddy.

I just can't bring myself to write anything this morning, as much as I want to. Instead, please check out these folks takes on the event.

Alphecca: Hey Cheney, Can I Call You 'Dick'?

Blogonomicon on The Dick Cheney Thing

Cowboy Blob's Take - Accident Nothing!

SayUncle says I Have To Mention It

The Texican Tattler echoes my sentiments

Xavier's Thoughts on the Incident

Last time I went dove hunting in Arizona I got showered a couple of times, and once I got a few more high-velocity pellets than I would have liked. 30 yards is pretty close, but I'd rather it be a 28ga than a 3" 12ga if I had the choice. Quail hunting is more difficult than dove, and they flush a lot closer to the ground. If Whittington was an inexperienced hunter and wandered into an area where flushing birds would be moving, or moved into a front quarter of the shooter, it'd be easy to see this happening. I may need to get one of these for next time I go hunting. What, they don't come in blaze orange?

That;s Gotta Hurt

2006-02-12T23:05:00.000-08:00

It's a good thing he didn't get killed. LESS LETHAL means "less" - not "this won't kill you."

Of course, judging by the last frame, he's gonna be wishing he was dead when he's pissing blood in a week.

Machine Gun v. Katana

2006-02-10T16:33:00.000-08:00

.50 cal and a big sword...

Well, I know I always wanted to know which would win...didn't you?

Quote of the Day

2006-02-10T13:43:00.000-08:00

In short, real men can handle a glock.
If your not a real man then don't buy one.
Some things in life are best handled by real men.
Its that simple.

Seen in the comments at Alphecca.

All I can say is...re-he-hee-heeeealllllyyyy....

I really wanted to say something, but I try to avoid comments where all I wanna say is "You're a f*cking retard."

Control This! Redux

2006-02-10T10:06:00.000-08:00

Updating previous posts.

The experiment with the Million Moon March is ongoing.

They posted my drawing of "Sunshine"

They also posted Daniel, who has been convicted of lewd acts with children under 14.

You can judge the content of their character based on the company they keep.

Tactical Carbine

2006-02-10T00:06:00.000-08:00

Tam has an excellent post up about the tactical carbine and it's role as a CQB home defense weapon.

Seeing as I just worked my way around all of these problems, and the fact that I agree with just about everything she said, I highly recommend dropping by.

Echo Bravo Romeo One-Fiver

2006-02-08T21:15:00.000-08:00

Well, the California experiment rifle is pretty much done. Say hello to my LCW-15, or an AR-15 built on a Lauer Custom Weapons lower receiver.

All thats left is shooting it - something I plan to do a lot of this weekend.

However, I can't help but wonder at the current controversy surrounding these guns. With the CA DOJ trying its damndest to create a seperate tier of uber-assault weapons specifically for these newest guns, I just can't help but laugh a little bit to keep from crying.

I don't understand how they can make them "double assualt weapons." In CA SB23, they outline the features that would make a rifle an AW. Clearly, one of the requirments for any AW is a detachable magazine. Right there, this rifle and its pinned mag, should be exempt. I could conceivably see using a detachable mag after it's registered as an AW, but what they're attempting to do is require us to register our compliant, non-AW rifles as "assault weapons," and then prohibit them from having all the scary looking features they can now legally have.

I urge all readers of this blog, particularly the Californians, to ask your favorite gun right organization guy - "What are you willing to do to help 10,000 Californians that the DOJ is trying to screw?"

Yeah, I know there aren't as many of us being screwed by the current situation as, say, San Fran handgun owners, but by and large the people who purchased the CA legal EBR's are the ones who are the most aware of gun rights and the most outspoken proponents of the Second Amendment.

Hopefully, when this fight comes, the NRA and other RKBA .org's will have our back. I'm willing to pony up until it hurts to cover court fees, and so are a lot of other Californians, but without support from the most outspoken advocates, we'll be made to look like a bunch of militia wackos in the papers.

All for simply possessing a semi-auto version of the rifle our armed forces employ overseas. A completely legal rifle, currently unregulated, will essentially be banned because of how it looks. Our state officials will do what the national legislator wouldn't, because here - it's not political suicide. Not yet, at least.

DOJ Memo - not yet legislation, just intent. Something that I personally do not want to see happen. I've complied with all of the current laws, even self-limiting my magazine capacity to 5 rounds so as not to arouse any suspicion from anyone, DOJ or range monkeys included. But its not enough for them.

On a lighter note, I need to come up with a name for my rifle. Any suggestions?

Rimfire Roundup

2006-02-08T21:13:00.000-08:00

Go check out the Rimfire Roundup at Mr Completely's. It a great collection of posts about rimfire shooting, ammo, guns and gear. Allll kinds of rimfire-y goodness.

And you may learn something - I'd never learned of a .41 rimfire before, until just this week. Thanks Mr. C!

And yours truly contributed a little bit...

That's my Mark II! And my ammo! On my kitchen counter! Sweet!

Whoa!

Just rolled over 20,000 visitors since Sept. 05. Thanks guys!

Delta 351

2006-02-08T14:15:00.000-08:00

A few choice aviator jokes.

Tower: "Delta 351, you have traffic at 10 o'clock, 6 miles."
Delta 351: "Give us another hint! We have digital watches!"
==========================================
"TWA 2341, for noise abatement turn right 45 Degrees."
"Center, we are at 35,000 feet. How much noise can we make up here?"
"Sir, have you ever heard the noise a 747 makes when it hits a 727?"
==========================================
From an unknown aircraft waiting in a very long takeoff queue: "I'm f...ing bored!"
Ground Traffic Control: "Last aircraft transmitting, identify yourself immediately!"
Unknown aircraft: "I said I was f...ing bored, not f...ing stupid!"
==========================================
O'Hare Approach Control to a 747: "United 329 heavy, your traffic is a Fokker, one o'clock, three miles, Eastbound."
United 239: "Approach, I've always wanted to say this...I've got the little Fokker in sight."
==========================================
A DC-10 had come in a little fast and thus had an exceedingly long roll out after touching down. San Jose Tower Noted: "American 751, make a hard right turn at the end of the runway, if you are able. If you are not able, take the Guadalupe exit off Highway 101, make a right at the lights and return to the airport."
==========================================
There's a story about the military pilot calling for a priority landing because his single-engine jet fighter was running "a bit peaked." Air Traffic Control told the fighter jock that he was number two, behind an eight-engine B-52 that had one engine shut down. "Ah," the fighter pilot remarked, "the dreaded seven-engine approach."
==========================================
A Pan Am 727 flight waiting for start clearance in Munich overheard the following: Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance time?"
Ground (in English): "If you want an answer you must speak in English."
Lufthansa (in English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in Germany. Why must I speak English?"
Unknown voice from another plane (in a beautiful British accent) "Because you lost the bloody war."

Control This! III

2006-02-08T09:30:00.000-08:00

Updating the Million Moon March

This is getting to be too much fun. Well, aside from scouring the sex offender list in and around my neighborhood, it's been fun. Most of those guys would look quite at home at the muzzle end of a home defense, but thats beside the point.

I tried being funny, I tried being serious - now I'm enlisting undercover confederates, albeit unbeknownst to them. Specifically, this guy - a model citizen if I ever saw one.

Captioned: Make me safe from armed violence. I wish I could have made it say "Make me safe from armed victims," but that would be almost too much to ask.

A also drew a hippie, complete with a joint, named him Sunshine and submitted it. We'll see if they post it.

Deja Vu

2006-02-07T21:08:00.000-08:00

It occured to me tonight that, when I started this blog about 9 months ago, my first post was devoted to a similar vein as one I wrote today.

When I started this thing, I was sitting in my office, reading articles online and on other blogs about the Newsweek debacle, the rioting Muslims and the deaths that were created by these rioting people. I was dumbfounded and outraged at the same time (quite an accomplishment), and I created a Blogger account to express myself.

Today, I was sitting in my office, reading articles online and on other blogs about the Muhammed cartoon debacle, the rioting Muslims and the deaths the rioting Muslims produced. Suddenly, I had this strange sense that I had been here before...

Koran desecration = Muhammed cartoon
Rioting Muslims = Rioting Muslims
Dead people in riots = Dead people in riots

Starting to look awfully familiar.

Support free speech. Buy Danish.

Mel? Where are you?

2006-02-07T17:36:00.000-08:00

I see The Anarchangel's wife is beginning to post at his blog. Her name is Mel. I was confused for a minute when I thought Chris described himself as an attractive 25 year old woman...kinda offputting.

My guestblogger's name is Mel, too. But where the hell did she go? She made one post and disappeared. And that one post, her first ever, got more comments than my first ever did, and it got linked by a few bloggers bigger than yours truly.

Paging Melinda. Where are you? Please write something good. Come back. I know you're alive. You owe me a beer. Did you forget the password? Don't think I don't see you reading this - I have the IP logs.

Attention, Please

2006-02-07T16:59:00.000-08:00

If I could have your attention for one moment, please. Thats right, look over here. There we go.

Now, it has come to my attention that there have been some cartoons published around the world that are creating a backlash of malcontent, in turn creating an uprising of support for the cartoonists. Rather than display the offending material here and risk bringing a "fatwah" upon myself, I will choose instead to display this image.

Fuck you if you can't take a joke.

That is all. Please return to your regularly scheduled programming. And remember - Buy Danish.

South Park Pundit (SPP) is responsible for the content of this post. If any or every person is offended by the content of this website, good. That means we're doing our jobs. I have a highly paid team of crack writers working around the clock to produce this stuff, so someone better be getting pissed off. Or pissed on. Thats just as good in some countries. Anyhoo - if this offends you, go somewhere and work on your sensitivity a little bit. I'd recommend taking a long walk on a short pier to clear things up. And if you want to burn something in effigy, fine - print out this page, douse it and yourself in gasoline and light on fire. Have fun with that and take lots of pictures. No sacred cows were harmed during the creation of this...wait, theres one. Nevermind. Now get the hell out of here - I have work to do, people to piss off, etc. Excuse me. If you were not pissed off during the reading of this or other SPP productions, please write us or comment, and we will do the best we can to accomodate you. We will even make house calls if you pay for roundtrip air fare. Some restrictions apply. Some rights reserved, like the right to keep and bear arms, with which you may become intimately familiar.

OK, Media...

2006-02-07T13:03:00.000-08:00

Turn Your Head And Cough

It's time for your weekly check-up, courtesy of Alphecca.

This week - the Olympic Biathlon and shooting in schools.

My high school had a rifle range in the ROTC building. I was an "expert marksman" and briefly one of the shooters on the rifle team. We only used pellet rifles, but they still had the old .22's locked up in the armory with about 100 decom'd 1903 Springfields that our drill team and color guards used. Memories...

Haunted Highway

2006-02-06T17:57:00.000-08:00

Another weird event on the same stretch of highway the sign fell on a couple weeks ago. Haunted? Maybe so.

Either way, traffic on this road is really beginning to get to me.

A Good 'un

2006-02-06T12:35:00.000-08:00

Found on one of my favorite forums today...

Project CAM4gery Pt 1

2006-02-06T10:32:00.000-08:00

The first step to turning a completely disassembled lower into a functioning weapon is studying. I'd never done this type of thing before, but I don't lack the necessary proficiency to get it done. So I hit the books. Figuratively, of course. What I really did was hit the 'net.

First stop, ARFCOM. AR15.com is an invaluable resource to those building their first or twentieth AR series weapons. The tutorials are top-notch, easy to follow and understand, and are illustrated sufficiently well as to allow a technical novice like me to have no problems. The guide for putting an AR lower is found here.

"So this is how the pro's do it?" Ok, I was game. Friday night 10pm, I just stood in line for 2 hours at UPS will-call to pick up my package containing my upper assembly, and my eyes are getting blurry. Perfect time to build a gun!

First things first - parts inventory. Nothing like getting to the end and discovering your selector detent never shipped...

Figured I'd lay it out just like the diagram, just to make sure I did it correctly.

I also consulted this thread at ARFCOM. It's detailed pictures and easy instructions had me flying thru in no time. Note the laptop in the background - invaluable asset on a build like this.

The only problem I ran into on the whole build was with the bolt release pin. Little sonofabitch didn't want to get in there! I had purchased a set of punches from Bushmaster, but they weren't doing the trick, so I tried the vice-grip thing and that did it. It did it at the expense of the finish on the lower. I taped the jaws of the 'grips, but there must have been a sharp edge in there somewhere, because I marred the finish somethin' awful. I don't have a macro function on my camera (damn 2004 technology!) so the pic I took of the damage didn't come out well. You'll just have to take my word for it.

An hour and a half later, I had the complete lower assembled.

F'n Steelers!

2006-02-05T20:03:00.000-08:00

Hey, at least I won enough playing poker to cover my bets and buy myself some more AR parts.

By the way, did any of you pay Official No. 53 to keep making bogus calls against the Seahawks? I almost had to kill the TV when they ruled it a "fumble" for Seattle in the 4th.

F'n Steelers. Congratulations, you guys - hopefully you get syphillis at the after party.

Hey hey! I'm not the only one who noticed! I will give you Steelers fans one thing, though - you bring new meaning to the words "Steel Curtain."

"There is no Team but Pittsburgh, and Bettis is the messenger."

I Hate Blogger

2006-02-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

One of my posts disappeared. And I have no idea where it went....it was there, and when I refreshed the page, it was gone. I know it existed - it hade comments attached to it. Where the hell did it go?

Plus, everytime someone comments on a Blogger-hosted weblog, it shows it as "updated" in my favorites folder. There may not have been a post for days, but it'll say updated. Hmmm...

Another thing is the text editor - I just flat out don't like it.

I may be trying to move this blog to another hosting service in a while. Any bets on whether I can be the only gunblog in MuNu land? Probably not...

Thank You, DOJ

2006-02-03T12:05:00.000-08:00

You bastards.

Trying to create legislation...thats not your job. Your job is to enforce legislation.

Baad DOJ! Bad! Trying to create a fourth class of "assault weapons" - which are already in compliance with existing law, I might add - and ban them, causing residents to register already legal, non-Kasler-feature rifles. You fucks.

I just caught a whiff of this. I'm waiting for the official word before I go apeshit, contact my representative, contact the NRA, contact Mars, have a seance and exorcise the demons. I am going to be ROYALLY PISSED if these clowns get away with this.

But in the mean time, I'll have a cool looking CA-legal-purgatory AR. That I spent too much money on if I can never remove the fixed mag kit, even after the list comes out. You fucks...

UPDATE:

While it's nothing official, it seems to be the doomsday scenario that I thought it would be IF it's legal. It seems to me they're trying to backtrack on their original definitions and laws to catch those of us fortunate enough to see their mistakes and exploit them. Again, not set in stone, and I think it may be a scare tactic to stem the flow of lowers into CA, but we won't know for sure for a while yet. When about 10,000 Californians started this, I think we were all expecting the DOJ to play by the rules, rules they just happened to make, and it comes as little suprise that they are now going to try and call "Foul!" and twist up the legislation even more.

Upon Waking Up

2006-02-03T10:17:00.000-08:00

You ever have one of those dreams that you're body tries to wake you up from? Your leg tries to jerk you out of your sleep? You get those neck twitches that rattle your brain? Or is that just me. Well, it happened this morning, and I gotta say "Thanks, leg!"

Last night I dreamed I was at a VPC sponsored cocktail party shindig dance gala event. Dianne Feinstein was hammered and she kept trying to get close to me, but she smelled like gasoline and brimstone so I kept trying to light her on fire. Sarah Brady was there, giving a keynote address on something (sounded like the teacher from Charlie Brown). As I walked around the room, I was astounded by the strength with which they were speaking, a term I now dub "retard-strength", and how many of them were there. Rosie and Mike Moore had a pudding wrestling match that I'd rather not have been privvy to.

When the meal portion of the evening came along, the spotlight shone directly down on me. They introduced me as a defender of people's right, a proponent of the Constitution and the 2nd amendment, and an advocate for victims rights to self-preservation and self-defense. They asked me to take a seat of honor at their table. As I took my seat, Bill Clinton brought in a tray of utensils and a chafing dish and placed them on the table in front of me. Before I knew what was happening, they set upon me. Barbara Boxer was at my side, strapping me into the chair as Chuck Schumer...well, you know that scene from "Hannibal", where Lecter eats the guys brains while he's still alive? Yeah, that scene. Yeah, thats what they did. The fuckers lobotomized me and ate my brains. Yeah, right about then, my leg just went "GET UP!" and jerked me awake. Exactly one minute before my alarm went off.

I just goes to show - don't eat pizza that you left on the counter all day or bad things can and probably will happen to your mind. Hey...does anyone else detect the faint odor of gas and brimstone?

Mentally Engaged

2006-02-02T09:56:00.000-08:00

I love finding a book that, no matter how hard I try, I can't put it down. I was up reading until after 3am this morning, and I'm reading at my desk this morning.

The book: The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

I've read everything that Jeffrey Shaara (Michael Shaara's son)has written, and Gone For Soldiers is on my top 5 all-time favorite reads. Which, for me, is strange. I like to read fiction, and I'm a fiction writer (or at least creative non-fiction) which boggles me as to why I'm so drawn to a historical novel. Hmmm...But for some reason, I'd neglected to read The Killer Angels until now.

But I digress...

I highly recommend it. It's a 4 day, multiple first-person account of the Battle of Gettysburg, told from both sides. It's written very well, and is historically sound in that it reflects the views and opinions of the commanders it shadows, Shaara having used notes, letters and diaries from the officers as sources.

For some reason, perhaps the tone and the word selection, perhaps something else, I can't help but root for the Confederates even though I'm aware of what the outcome must be.

I'm going to give it 4 stars. If you happen to be bored and in the market for a good 400 pages of entertainment, hopefully you'll like it too. Shaara didn't win a Pulitzer for nothing...

Control This! II

2006-02-02T08:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I linked to The War on Guns' effort to get gunbloggers to deluge a "pictures for peace" petition.

Of course, they won't post the pics.

So this morning, I'm going to try a different tack. Subtle irony.

I submitted this photo with the following message:

"You can't hug the children with small arms. Mmmm...children."

and tried again with

"Small arms don't help evil men - their presence in civilian hands deters them. Would you rather only the tyrannical have small arms?"

Needless to say, neither has appeared on the site as of yet. Too obvious? I'll keep trying. Dammit, I just realized I should have said "tyrannous", not tyrannical.

Update

I got this in reply:

Dear Josh ..,

Thank you for joining the Million Faces petition!

Now we need your help in getting others to sign it as well.
Simply copy the text at the end of this email and paste it
into a new email. Edit as you wish then send it to friends,
family and colleagues.

Unfortunately, the image you uploaded did not meet our photo
guidelines (see http://www.controlarms.org/faq.htm#rejected).
A standard image has been used instead. If you still wish
to upload a photo of your face - simply return to the Million
Faces Petition and enter the same name and email as last time
and add your photo like last time. It will be screened and
you'll receive another confirmation email.

Thanks for being one in a million who are getting tough on arms.

Control Arms campaign

PS - you chose not to get email updates about the campaign
when you signed-up. We respect your choice. If you change your
mind and wish to receive update emails, just sign-up again and
be sure to check the box granting us permission at:
http://www.controlarms.org/million_faces/en/index.php/register?s=1326367

======== COPY & PASTE THIS EMAIL TO SEND TO FRIENDS ========
Amnesty, IANSA and Oxfam have just launched a global
campaign aiming to stop gun running and control the arms
trade - and they need your support now. Simply go to:
http://www.controlarms.org/million_faces/en/index.php/register?s=1326367

Armed violence wrecks lives by fuelling conflict, poverty,
and human rights abuses. The campaign is calling for an
international Arms Trade Treaty which will make it harder
for arms to get into the wrong hands.

Your support will help us to show that people - like you -
around the world are outraged by arms trade abuses, and
demand tougher arms controls. Act now at:
http://www.controlarms.org/million_faces/en/index.php/register?s=1326367
==============================
=============================

If you have any questions, please call 0870 333 2700 or e-mail
info@controlarms.org In the subject line, please write
"Control Arms" and we will get back to you as quickly as possible.

If you wish to change the email address you received this
email at, please contact us at: info@controlarms.org

If you wish to know more about our email privacy policy,
please visit: http://www.controlarms.org/faq

If you do not wish to receive future emails, or if you have
received this message in error, please accept our apologies
and contact us at: info@controlarms.org

Amnesty International, Company registration number 1606776 Limited by Guarantee

IANSA, Company registration number 4452066, Ltd by Guarantee

Oxfam, Registered Charity 202918, Company Limited by Guarantee

Control This!

2006-02-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

David Codrea at The War On Guns points us toward an online, pictographic petition to stop arms sales in the world. Not illegal arms sales, just all of them. The people who started it don't make any distinction between a person being murdered by gangs or a woman shooting her stalker in self-defense - to them, both actions are equally reprehensible. There is something fundamentally wrong with that way of thinking.

Our Million Faces petition is collecting photos and self portraits from around the world to reach our goal of one million faces by June 2006. We will use these faces to send a powerful, global message of support to the world's governments for an International Arms Trade Treaty.

I had an image I saw online a while back, one of Oleg Volk's, sitting in "My Documents" that I thought adequately expressed how I feel about this little utopian pet project.

Send one in yourself, and spread the word. They won't display them. I don't doubt that for a minute. But disrupting their little cocoon of utopian rhetoric is worth it.

Update: Yup, they definately aren't posting our images. Censoring the free exchange of ideas? Liberals? Noooooo!??!?!?! It also doesn't suprise me, in fact I had to laugh, to see my ex-girlfriends picture in there. We had some major...differences, to say the least.

Updates:
Control This! II
Control This! III

Coming Soon!

2006-02-01T14:57:00.000-08:00

Oh God. What have I done?

I ordered my upper assembly and other assorted parts today. Cleaning kits, buttstocks, ammo, ~~mags~~, optics - all are dancing in my head.

The best part? I ordered the kit from Del-ton. They rock. Nay, they r0x0rZ my b0xorz!1!! They're building it NOW, to have it headspaced, test-fired and shipped tomorrow, so I get it from UPS FRIDAY! How freakin' cool is that? And the nice lady I spoke with was very helpful and helped me get exactly the stuff I wanted, even though it was outside the norm.

Needless to say, all my friends will now be buying from them. And I have to thank Tam for inadvertently telling me about Del-ton's existence. Otherwise, I'd be wrestling a vice and action block right now, screwing up a barrel while trying to build an upper.

This weekend I will have pics and plans, detailed step-by-step er, steps, and maybe, hopefully, possibly a range report. That is, if Bushmaster hurries the hell up and ships my BATFE approved 10-rd mag.

Whoopeee!

You may think I'm over reacting, but this is a kind of a coup in CA. I never thought I'd be able to build a black rifle, who cares if its neutered, but just getting one is a joy.

Idiots With Guns

2006-01-31T23:11:00.000-08:00

I want to donate this picture to Xavier's series.

Funniest thing about this picture?

That's me.

I just found this in the hard drive of my old computer that I'm giving to a friend. A couple of things in my defense: first, the shotgun is definately unloaded. Second, though you can't see it, my finger is off the trigger. Lastly, the shot wasn't taken just to be a jackass with a gun, but rather to show off the Surefire foregrip I'd just installed.

Still, no real excuse.

Second funniest thing: the Hustler store bag in the background. Heh...

Guys Weigh In

2006-01-31T18:31:00.000-08:00

Stupid Headline:

Poll Finds Men Want Alba as Girlfriend

OK, fellas - raise you hand if this suprises you.

*crickets*

Thought so...

Who doesn't want a gorgeous, rich girlfriend that can get you into all the best bars and clubs pretty much anywhere and actually seems coherent? If you don't, you're either happily in a relationship and in denial to yourself (probably for plausible deniability to the wife/GF), or you're gay, or you are out of your fucking mind.

Too bad they didn't post her number in that story...I wonder if it was in Paris Hilton's address book? Hmmm...

Quote of the Day

2006-01-31T16:19:00.000-08:00

"I was carrying around an M16 with a grenade launcher and using hollowpoints, but that 5-5-6 round doesn't work. I shot this one guy 17 times but he had one of our flak jackets, and those things will stop a .50 cal, so he wouldn't die."

- Random Marine in my office today.

Senator Sheehan?

2006-01-31T14:21:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking on the Sheehan debacle lately. I've commented on several blogs about it, and I've been taking in all the articles I can. It's very important to me as a hard-working friend of the military in California. I can't help but be appalled at the thought. I want to vomit. Its that much of a shock to my system.

I need to lay down...

But then I got to thinking about it a little more. About far-ranging implications and repercussions of such an act of unthinkable stupidity and suicide by vote. The more thought I put into it, the more my head hurt. Eventually, the dry heaves went away and I had an epiphany.

If the lunatic leftist fringe in CA, those residing in San Fran and Los Angeles, ran Sheehan for Senate, the opponent Republican would win. It's that simple. Feinstein needs the moonbat votes, and her share would be split with Sheehan. About 46% of CA voted against Boxer last time around, and I doubt any of those would swing toward either of them. We'd end up with 46% for Anonymous Republican, 24% for Feinstein and 27% for Sheehan.

Regardless of the way the lunatics make Californians look, we aren't all Birkenstock wearing granola crunching weed smoking non showering tiedying protesting non-violent militant pacifist vegan hippy fuck mooks.

I think, in the long run, it would be a good thing for the country, too. All of those moderate voices out there, the ones who disagree with both sides equally but dislike Bush for some reason, they'll see just how insane the Democratic party is becoming. They run Sheehan on an indy ticket and garner half of the "blue" votes, and the rest of the country will see what a bunch of raving lunatics the supposedly mainstream Democrats of California are.

It's political suicide, and they are clamoring for it.

Would anyone, D or R, in the Senate or House support anything she says? Didn't she basically call Clinton and Kennedy and Kerry, all the usual suspects, fascists for disagreeing with her? She doesn't understand politics at all. Her campaign would consist of a "Camp Casey" and crying. She'd be the ultimate single-issue candidate, like me running for governor to change the gun laws. (its in the back of my mind already...)

So, I changed my mind. Let her run. Click here and encourage her!

I join all of these bloggers in their quest. My 100 or so regular readers will surely agree.

Superbowl XL

2006-01-31T12:02:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to get excited about the Superbowl. My team didn't make it, largely thanks to questionable coaching decisions, but thats a topic for another post. No, it's not - how can we have one of the best RB's, the best TE, a great QB, the best run defense and a great squad in all other aspects and go 9-6? Fuuuuuuck....

Ok, moving on.

I'm ordering the KEGS today. Since most of my friends won't drink good beer in quantity, I have to find something lighter, like Rolling Rock or Michelob. 15.5 gallons of that will go down easy. Then a 5 gallon Michelob Ultra for the girls. That's how whipped I am...I bend over backwards for girls I'm not even dating or sleeping with, but my friends are. The Ultimate Wingman, at your service. I'm suprised at how inexpensive these are - $90 for 15gal. of Rolling Rock? I need a kegerator in my house STAT! Then I'd probably never leave...

I'm also trying to get some food prepped. Ribs for the BBQ - the big beef ones - and a couple of london broils are marinating happily away. Let me share my marinade recipe:
Stir 3/4cup light brown sugar into 1 cup Bushmills whiskey until mostly dissolved. Add 1/4cup worchestershire sauce, 1/4cup soy sauce, 1tbsp garlic salt, 1tbsp onion salt. Mix together and marinate. The booze cooks off but softens the meat fiber before it does. The brown sugar makes the stuff kinda glaze over. This recipe is acutally a permutation of a recipe my grandfather got from an Admiral Crow when he was a chief in the Navy years and years ago. Grill it over hot coals so it sears and leaves the center rare and juicy. Mmmmm...beef...

Plus, I'll probably spring for jalapeno poppers and hot wings.

Prediction:

Seahawks 28, Steelers 13

Quarterbacks: Matt Hasselbeck v. Ben Roethlisberger; Advantage: Even.
Seattle has a good passing attack to back their run game, but so does Pitt. A slight advantage may go to the NFC here, as over the last of the season, Seattle has been doing more and more with their passing game by getting Stevens and Seneca Wallace in the mix, whereas Pitt has remained unchanged. Both Big Ben and Hasselbeck are going to have something to prove this weekend, and it'll be one hell of a matchup. Of course, Ben is going to have to throw into that Seattle secondary, and as Delhomme just found out, that is no easy task.

Runningbacks: Jerome Bettis et al. v. Shaun Alexander; Advantage: Seattle
What can I say? The guys the league MVP. His numbers speak for themselves. Pitt is going to have a hell of a time limiting him to less than 100yds and a TD, but I'd look for more. Bettis, on the other hand, is going to be tough to stop. He's got a chip on his shoulder, this is his last year and he's playing in Detroit. All of that factors in. But he's not a good back outside the tackles. He can pound it up the middle so many times, but he can't bounce it outside like Tomlinson, Johnson and Alexander.

Receivers: Ward and Co. v. Jurevicius and Co.; Advantage: Pitt
WIthout a doubt, Ward is going to outclass the Seattle receivers. He's just too good. I look for one big play out of him, with some balls going to Randle El and Miller too. Seattle has strong receivers but no superstars. They are very diverse, however. I wouldn't be too suprised to see Seneca Wallace haul in another insanely good catch for a TD this time around, but I expect Joe Jurevicius and Stevens to split the load pretty evenly. Hasselbeck doesn't like to check-down to Alexander, but I wouldn't be suprised to see some of that to throw the Pitt D off.

Defense; Advantage: Seattle
I have sung their praises enough. Go back and watch highlights of their game against the Eagles and you'll see what I'm talking about. Pitts is good, undoubtadly, but not that good.

So I'll be sticking by my prediction. And drinking a lot. And eating good food with good friends. And hopefully playing some poker with my drunken friends while I'm at it.

The Evil You Know

2006-01-31T11:15:00.000-08:00

Versus the Evil You Don't

And those evils that try and fool you into thinking that they are trying to protect you...

Clicky the pic-ky for more.

One More...

2006-01-30T19:14:00.000-08:00

My Turn

2006-01-30T18:30:00.000-08:00

I've been seeing motivational posters popping up all over the place and I figure I need to get in on the action.

And since my love for Stone is unequivocal...

Of course, one should always be most concerned with results.

And one of my favorite subjects...

Wallet Overboard!

2006-01-30T12:06:00.000-08:00

I'm spec'ing out what I want for my first AR upper receiver right now. I've got it narrowed down to exactly the parts and manufacturers I want, its just a matter of placing the order and waiting patiently, with bated breath, for UPS to arrive.

Let me know if I've forgotten anything.

CMT Flat-top receiver w/ feed ramps and Wilson chrome-lined barrel, 1:9
Chromed bolt assembly
PRI Gasbuster charging handle
Knights Free-float RAS
PRI Gas block/flip front sight
ARMS Back-up iron sight
TangoDown Battle Grip
Ace Socom Stock
Lower parts kit
Detachable mag kit (blech!)

I'll be adding a Surefire M910A and a Trijicon Reflex that I already have. I may also get a better trigger, after I see how the standard one feels.

This is going to be the most expensive gun in my safe, but I have two reasons for going with all the pomp and circumstance. First, this is my very first AR. You free-staters may scoff at people hanging accessories off of over-priced rail kits, secure in knowing that your 17 AR's will never be tarnished by that filth, but rather revel in their pristine, natural condition. Hogwash, I say. If I only get one or two, I'm going all out. The second reason I'm going buckwild is because I just pumped a G into my gun fund playing cards last weekend, and if I don't spend it on the AR project, I'll probably buy a Glock or something that won't be as cool or get as much use.

I'm also picking up a couple more lowers. That way, I can build other permutations further on down the line.

I'm so excited. I feel like a kid on Christmas who threatened Santa into bringing exactly what he wanted!

My Foe

2006-01-29T18:55:00.000-08:00

Gophers: 0 Me: 0

My gopher hunting adventure ends in defeat.

Not because I didn't try. I got up this morning and went to have lunch with my folks. My dad and I unshipped our rifles afterward, and setup on the back porch overlooking the yard. I found a half-dozen mounds and uncovered the holes, hoping to draw the gophers out. I also put down some doggy biscuits as bait, since I read somewhere that that works.

About an hour later.
"Dad?"
"Yeah?"
"You sure you have a gopher problem?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Well, just that I haven't seen a gopher, all day, but that wood pile down there seems to be brimming with ground squirrels."
"Your mom likes the squirrels, and the dog loves to chase them."
"Yeah, but they're the ones digging holes. Not gophers."
"Oh."

So, after consulting with my mom, they decided they could live with holes in the lawn. Apparently watching the dog fruitlessly chase the little beasts outweighs the damage they do. I suggested they adopt a tough cat that'd get the squirrels and that the dog could chase, but they figure they'll have to replace the cat every so often when it gets eaten by a mountain lion.

I guess we'll have to see who's the better shot at the range or out in the desert. There's just something so satisfying about blowing up soda cans and lightbulbs in the desert than punching paper, so maybe thats what we'll do.

I Am Greatness Personified

2006-01-29T13:41:00.000-08:00

Great Song

2006-01-27T19:53:00.000-08:00

I also need one of these roof-racks for, ya know, traffic and stuff...

Read and Be Merry

2006-01-27T17:57:00.000-08:00

The Carnival of Cordite .45 edition is up and ready for your viewing pleasure.

Happy Friday!

Intelligence Test

2006-01-27T16:15:00.000-08:00

Wanna drive yourself up a wall?

Here ya go.

I'll even give you one - "2 Makes a Pair"

Enjoy

To What End?

2006-01-27T10:35:00.000-08:00

A post at Say Uncle, linked to an article in the Rocky Mountain News, got me thinking this morning.

A newspaper editor takes the path of righteous indignation by publicly releasing the addresses of registered owners of pitbulls.

"If we have even one citizen attacked by a pit bull, that's enough for me," McIntyre said.
She said she printed the 24 addresses for the "greater good of the community" and deliberately withheld names or phone numbers.

This type of behavior is absolutely unacceptable in a society that supposedly embraces personal freedom. I have the freedom to not be harrassed by some paper-pushing nanny, and that freedom supercedes said nanny's interpreted "right" to look out for "the greater good of the community."

Unless one of the legally registered dog owners presses the matter and files a lawsuit, this action is not likely to be noticed outside of the internet, where a storm in a teacup may garner some attention but be ultimately forgotten.

Where does this type of behavior end? I already know what creates the mentality this editor holds: she's smarter than the rest of us and thereby must protect us from ourselves by marginalizing groups within our society that she sees as "dangerous" or "politically incorrect" or "unfavorable."

To what end?

Hypothetical: A 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee, white, is used in a bank robbery in which a security guard is murdered. A crime and a tragedy, to be sure. But, regardless of where the police investigation is leading, some overreaching editor publishes a list of owners of 2000 white Grand Cherokees. For the children. "If one crime is prevented by..." Bullshit. My names on that list in your paper, and you have no right to invade my privacy. You are NOT an investigator, you are not a cop, you are not guardian of all that is good and right in this world, and you have no right or obligation to invade my privacy and my world to make yourself either feel better or seem like one of the "good guys." No. Uh-uh. Fuck you. I don't care that you had to buy your accomplice at the DMV a stteak dinner to get the list - all your life are belong to me. I own you.

Hypothetical: A young white male, 6 feet tall and weighing approximately 220lbs (with rogueish good looks ;)) knocks over a convenience store. The police have fingerprints and a grainy photograph from the surveillance video to work with, and they are pursuing their investigation. John Anchorman is apalled that something like this could happen just down the street from his house, and decides to take action! Alongside the grainy surveillance photo, he flashes photographs of every young 6' 220lb white male living within a 5 mile radius. Under the photos are the "Crime Busters!" phone number and an advisory that these people are armed and dangerous. 2 million viewers see the broadcast. 340 photographs of innocent people are shown with a voiceover by Mr. Anchorman intoning how the clerk is in a coma at Mt. Hope, recovering from a gunshot wound that will leave him deaf, mute, paralyzed, castrated and epileptic.

The implication that these innocent people had anything to do with a crime which is already being actively investigated by the proper authorities costs some of them undue hardship. Including me, who has now had my pic flashed across a citywide broadcast in association with a serious crime. It encourages a certain type of vigilante-ism from the general population.

And one thing is for certain - when the groundless accusations prove to be false, hysterical moanings of an overactive media participant, there will be no apology, no retraction, no editors note. There never is.

Lets take it one step further. You knew where this was going, though, didn't you?

Hypothetical: Johnny Ringo shoots up the local watering hole with his twin .45LC revolvers. (Sure, I shamelessly stole the reference from Tombstone. So what?) The local newspaperman decides that law enforcement is obviously too slow and cumbersome to handle such an arduous task, though they are actively pursuing the real suspect, so without any foresight whatsoever, he accuses every owner of .45LC handguns of having taken part in the massacre. Mind you, there is no substantive evidence of this, just hysterical conjecture and speculation. He obtains a list of registered owners - "public record, my good son!" - and publishes it in his greasy rag. Several recognizable names are on the list, such as the sheriff and mayor. This, however, justifies the righteous newspaperman. "If it only saves one child..." He pushes for an open registry of handguns, requiring owners to notify neighbors and employers and prohibiting owners from living within 200 feet of a municipal building or school, and if all else fails, an outright ban. When questioned about his overreaching accusations of innocent people, he says "They lost their privacy when they registered their guns."

No, wait, he didn't say that. McIntyre did. In real life.

To what end must this nanny-state mentality be permitted to run rampant? To what level of responsibility must we hold these self appointed overseers?

Little Known Facts

2006-01-27T10:17:00.000-08:00

Did you know:

Chuck Norris once worked as a weatherman for the San Diego evening news. Every night he would make the same forecast: Partly cloudy with a 75% chance of Pain.
Simply by pulling on both ends, Chuck Norris can stretch diamonds back into coal.
When Chuck Norris does a pushup, he isn't lifting himself up, he's pushing the Earth down.
Chuck Norris invented the bolt-action rifle, liquor, sexual intercourse, and football-- in that order.

That last one puts me forever in his debt for all four, albeit in a different order.

To learn more about the fascinating God-like creature know only as "Chuck Norris" visit this site. But only visit if you have a spare 2 hours to read it all. Otherwise, Chuck Norris will roundhouse kick you in the face.

The Varmint Cong

2006-01-27T08:59:00.000-08:00

License to kill gophers by the government of the United Nations. Man, free to kill gophers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit - ever. They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote. - Groundskeeper Carl Spackler, Caddyshack, 1980

I have an appointment with my parents this weekend to "sort out" their gopher problem. Before they even asked me, they went around to their neighbors and asked them if they had any problems with someone shooting gophers in our yard. Of course, no one did. And if it goes well, the neighbor to the west may hire me to clean up his yard as well.

It raises an interesting question - "Mom, why not poison or trap the little buggers?" In both cases, they're worried about the dog either getting into the poison or digging up the trapped carcasses and eating them.

Not a real smart dog, but we love her anyway. Plus, they figure it'll be more humane this way - a swift, instant darkness instead of agony for an hour. And my dad thinks he can outshoot me, so a little friendly competition may be in the works.

So for Sunday, I may not get to write much (whats new?) and what I write will probably be brief and pointless (again, news?), but know that I am making the world safe from the Varmint Cong.

I gotta get in this dudes pelt and crawl around for a while...

Updated to add: I'll be hunting them with my TALO 10/22 and CCI QuikShok hypervelocity rounds. "...Superior firepower. And thats all she wrote."

A Centennial Past

2006-01-26T23:50:00.000-08:00

This article is attributed to Massad Ayoob. It was originally published in the Oct. 2003 issue of GUNS magazine.
***
The hundred-year anniversary of the .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) cartridge approaches. Trivia quiz:

The .45 ACP was conceived in what year? A: 1911. B: 1905. C: 1904.

Many would answer A, but they would have confused the cartridge with the most popular pistol for which it was chambered. The more deeply schooled handgun historian would answer B, the year Colt produced the first semiautomatic pistol designed by John Browning for the "caliber .45 rimless smokeless cartridge."

However, that would be an incorrect answer as well. The right answer is C. Remember, the question was, in what year was the .45 ACP conceived.

In his superbly detailed book Colt Automatic Pistols, Donald B. Bady wrote, "Colt's developed a .45 inch caliber automatic pistol because of the demand for that bullet diameter. When U.S. Government field trials with small quantities of .38 automatic pistols demonstrated that that caliber was insufficient, the importance of preparing a .45 was increased. Work started on this project in 1904, presumably arising from the .41 inch caliber program just concluded. By early 1905, Colt's had successfully fired a .45 bullet from an enlarged version of the Military Model 1902 style pistol. By mid-1905, the Colt .45 automatic pistol was in limited production."

The famous Thompson-LaGarde tests to determine the US military's new handgun had begun in 1904, and the .45 ACP came along in time to not only participate but win. Interestingly, it was not in the form of today's 230-grain hardball round at 820 to 880 feet per second.

Writing in his classic Cartridges of the World, authority Frank C. Barnes noted that the .45 ACP load of the Thompson-LaGarde tests was actually a 200-grain bullet at 900 foot-seconds velocity, developing 405 foot-pounds of energy. That energy is equaled by the 230-grain bullet at 855 foot-seconds, which later became the "standard" bullet weight for the cartridge.

Note that in the beginning, the .45 ACP superseded a ".41 ACP" that died a-borning. More than 85 years before the introduction of today's stupendously popular .40 S&W cartridge, Colt's had been working on the concept, along with a 9.8mm round.

The latter, also stillborn, had been intended largely for the European market. What made the .40 S&W work was modern bullet design: it was the first semiautomatic pistol cartridge designed from the ground up to work with a hollow point bullet. What made the .45 ACP so famous was that, with its great bullet mass, it got the job done even with a full metal jacket, round nose projectile.

Fast Forward

Today, the .45 ACP is better and more versatile than ever. Conventional-style bullet weights range from 117 grains (Aguila) to 230 grains (everybody). Sub-100 grain .45 ACP slugs are available as exotic pre-fragmented projectiles, and I've seen swaged bullets up to 260 grains handloaded for tasks like shooting bowling pins. The original 200-grain weight is hugely popular among reloaders, particularly with the Hensley & Gibbs No. 68 lead semi-wadcutter, and is still loaded by CCI in a famously effective wide-mouth Gold Dot JHP. At a standard velocity of 975 fps it churns up 421 foot-pounds, and is available as an even hotter +P running at 1,050 foot-seconds.

Numerous 185-grain JHP rounds at a +P velocity of 1,140 fps, including one loaded by Olin for U.S. Special Forces, deliver 535 foot-pounds, energy comparable to a full power 10mm Auto.

In the traditional 230-grain weight, we have the most dynamically expanding JHP bullets ever, enhancing the .45 ACP's already legendary stopping power. These include CCI's Gold Dot, Federal's Hydra-shok, PMC's StarFire, Remington's Golden Saber, and Winchester's SXT/Ranger series. Specifically engineered to open at low velocities, these rounds make particularly good sense in today's breed of three-inch barrel concealed carry .45 ACPs.

Recent events have again shown our nation's military the dramatic superiority of .45 hardball over 9mm in the same configuration, a simple fact of physics written in the blood of combat since before World War I. In addition to a resurgence of military interest, the .45 ACP enjoys the greatest popularity ever among both the police establishment and the armed citizenry in this country.

2004 will mark an even hundred years since the conception of this great cartridge. The all-American .45 ACP is more potent, more versatile, and altogether better than ever today.

Utility Infielder

2006-01-26T23:28:00.000-08:00

Everyone has that one gun if their safe that occupies no role specifically, but will adequately fill whatever role you need to put it in.

This is mine.

A Ruger P90 in .45ACP. Alloy frame, Hogue grips, single stack mag. Bare bones package kinda gun.

Nothing fancy. Not even a gun thats pretty to look at. In fact, its gotta be the homliest of all of my shooters. But damn if I can't count on it.

This is the gun that I lent my parents to take on a cross-country RV trip when they expressed a desire to have something in case the SHTF. This gun left my possession, transferred into the name of a good girl friend of mine, when her TRO didn't seem to be deterring her ex-fiance and she didn't have the money to buy a gun of her own. Her new husband and his USP.45 do the trick now, so I got this one back. I taught my kid brother to handle centerfire pistols with this gun.

This gun has been dropped in a stream, accidentally soaked in Coca Cola (as well as the rest of my pack...grrrr), dropped in DG and gravel, and had mud and snow jammed up the barrel when mud and uneven footing caused me to tumble down a short embankment.

Through it all, it keeps shooting fist sized groups with whatever decent or crappy ammo I put through it. It feeds everything. The DA trigger pull is nothing to write home about, and the SA pull is a little creepy, but it still feels good in the hand. The Hogue grips help with that. The ambi safety/decocker mean that a lefty can shoot it. It'll go anywhere and do anything. Almost.

It just sits in the back of the safe, patiently waiting for a task to be assigned to it. It never gets any attention or gets the glamorous treatment. It's time I sung its praises.

A Shinier Shade of Badass

2006-01-26T23:09:00.000-08:00

I've written about this gun before. It was my first 1911 and I came upon it when a friend of mine needed some cash.

I post this picture now, after said friends fiance informed me she wants to buy it back for him as a wedding gift. So ho-hum, it will be leaving my possession soon. Good thing I hadn't dropped it off at the gunsmith yet for an uber-expensive work over.

Anyway...

Encompassing all the standard, battle proven features of the Browning designed M1911 pistol, this gun is one degree removed from its military predecessors. It's nickel plated.

Springfield Armory handled the nickel job to make sure its nice and smooth and uniform. It makes it easy to clean but its a bitch to keep looking good. It takes fingerprints better than the cast of CSI. It looks great in a holster on my hip, but it accumulates all types of little scratches.

Maybe it is better I get something I can be a little rougher on... but then I wouldn't be able to play Jules...

My Favorite 45's

2006-01-26T22:52:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you a little bit about my favorite 45's.

First, I really think vinyl gets a bad...

What?

What the fuck are you talking about?

I'm supposed to write about 45's, right?

Oh, not "45's" but ".45's"?

Oh shit.

Alright, aaaaaaand shifting gears....

My favorite .45's.

These are a few of my favorite thiiiiiings...right, there we go.

From left to right:

Winchester White-Box 230gr. Ball
Black Hills 230gr Jacketed Hollow Point
Federal 230gr HydraShok JHP
Speer GoldDot 230gr JHP
Winchester Black Talon 230gr SXT

One of the things that comes into play when selecting personal defense ammo, for me, is "what will get me into trouble" if I have to use it. So, obviously, the Black Talon is not one of my defensive loads. I don't want some grieving meth-addicted widow suing me cuz I smoked her would-be mugger with an "evil," banned cartridge.

I favor the Speer GoldDot for the same reason. It's the duty cartridge for San Diego PD, or it was the last I checked. Good enough for the cops is good enough for me, plus I like the performance on gel and on paper.

What should you be looking for in a .45 defensive round? First, it needs to cycle well in the pistol you choose. For instance, if Black Hills won't load in your 1991A1, then obviously you shouldn't use it, regardless of performance statistics.

After making sure it feeds reliably (no FTF's in 200rds is usually my criteria), make sure its going to do what you want it to do. Namely, make a big, wide, permanent wound channel. Almost any modern JHP round will do that. Some of the first generation Silvertip's had expansion problems, but today most won't.

Now you can get picky and choose the round that groups the best out of your pistol and enjoy. Cost should never be an option in choosing something that will potentially save the life of you or your loved ones, so don't buy cheap reloads or some crappy Russian bulk ammo and expect it to perform. No! *rolls up newspaper* No! Bad crappy ammo!

Note the little halos of light around the casings. A trick of the camera flash, or some kind of divine justice, encased in brass and nickel? You decide...

These are a few of my favorite things...

Oh Happy Day

2006-01-24T21:06:00.000-08:00

Guess who picked up a piece of fun-times today?
And thanks to Tam, I know where I can order a complete, custom upper, just the way I want it, with the grip, stock and forearm I want, and the sights I want. And I just won a bunch of money playing cards and...eureka! Serendipity! Poker winnings - new upper = smart move.

Blame America

2006-01-24T11:57:00.000-08:00

Bumped to the Top.

I wrote this a couple weeks ago, and guess what? Martin got kicked to the curb. I guess Canadians are less ostrich like than I predicted, and good for them.

H/T David Codrea
***

So titled is the Doug Gamble piece up at NRO, in which he discusses the idea of personal and national responsibility in regards to Canada's Paul Martin.

Martin, in the midst of a reelection campaign in which America bashing is such a major tactic it drew a rebuke from the U.S. ambassador to Ottawa, also chimed in on the shootings. Claiming that half of the gun crimes in Canada involve weapons entering illegally from the U.S., he said, "What we saw is a stark reminder of the challenge that governments, police forces, and communities face to ensure that Canadian cities do not descend into the kind of rampant gun violence we have seen elsewhere."

The words "descend" and "elsewhere," of course, refer to the U.S. By refusing to address Canada's own role in the shootings, it appears that Martin is gearing up to have Canada join some of the world's Islamic countries who blame all their problems on either the U.S. or Israel.

In what is obviously pure politics, he has pledged to ban all handguns if reelected on Jan. 23. But Canada already has stiff restrictions against such guns, and a ban would only take them away from law-abiding citizens and leave them in the hands of gang members and other criminals.

If anything, I think Mr. Gamble may have been a bit too lenient on the Canucks.

For example, the bit about ensuring Canadian cities don't descend into violence. An obvious earmark of the socialist utopia Canada wishes it were, this statement makes me want to laugh and cry. Violence is human nature. Men and women, without any influence or preexisting conditions, will naturally devolve into violence given enough time. This can be observed as interpersonal, intrapersonal or environmental violence, and it is a given. It will happen - the only question is when. The fact that Martin is either ignorant of human sociology or chooses to ignore it is distressing to say the least.

But aside from the philosophical differences I may have with what he has to say and look at another angle that Gamble took on Martin. The handgun ban.

A total ban on handguns ensures one thing - a disarmed law-abiding citizenry and an armed contingent of thugs.

I've always loved the old saying "When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns." It's an excellent example of a de jure principle. When guns become outlawed, those who possess guns are ipso facto criminals by simply owning a gun. For a citizen to remain above-board and law abiding within their jurisdiction, they must surrender their right to a firearm, at which point - it seems to me - it becomes illegal to be both a citizen of the United States and the city within which you dwell.

In essence, a handgun ban like we see in SF and DC deprives the citizenry of their ability to remain law abiding. It only affects the law abiding. You don't see criminals turning in the tools of their trades - you see citizens, with registered and legal weapons, being forced to surrender their private property to a government which has arguably overstepped its bounds.

This is what they propose. In simple terms, they want to make you - the Canadian gun owner - an outlaw in their perfect socialist utopia. They don't trust you. They don't want you to be free. They'd rather rule a defenseless and placated sheep than a free-thinking and -living populace. You scare them.

And the stuff with blaming America for your problems? Please. Shut the fuck up, Martin, you half-an-imbecile. Are millions of illegal Americans entering your country every year to live illegally? No? Then surely the US military makes frequent jaunts across your southern border to seize confiscated drugs and weapons? They don't? Oh, thats right - those are the problems that WE have with our southern neighbor. You get senior citizens buying prescription drugs. I wonder how you manage...

Take responsibility for your own house and your own problems. It's not your neighbors fault when you beat on your wife, and neither is it your neighbors fault when your kids steal things from his garage that you find objectionable.

I think Gamble's parting shot hit the x-ring.

It is easier to blame the U.S. and remain in denial than to recognize any need for Canada to take responsibility for its own problems. While America's national symbol is the eagle, Canada's should be the ostrich.

The Gunnies

2006-01-23T11:46:00.000-08:00

Countertop has the Gunnie Awards voting up and running. Go. Vote. Now.

I'm kinda suprised I got nominated. There is soooo much quality reading material in the Gun Blogs that, just to make the list, is kinda cool. And for Range Reports too, which is my favorite part.

Sweet, thanks guys.

Case of the Mondays

2006-01-23T08:02:00.000-08:00

That line in Office Space always did make me want to stab someone...

This is the view that greeted me at about 7:30am this morning. Sure, typical traffic jam on a typical Monday morning, right? No. This goddamn epic battle had just begun.

Apparently, about 3 miles ahead of me, a tractor trailer managed to whipe out a freeway sign, causing a traffic backup of enormous size and extent. A freeway sign? you ask. Yes, a freeway sign. A big one. One of the ones that falls on cars and kills people.

So this is the sign. Apparently, there was one fatality, though there are conflicting reports about that. Nope, no fatality.

There are some things that you see or hear on the news, when people bite it, you just grimace and then you can't help but chuckle a little bit.

"Did you hear - Jimmy got killed yesterday?"
"No shit? How?"
"A freeway sign fell on him."
"What was Jimmy doing standing under freeway signs."
"No, you don't understand. This freeway sign hunted Jimmy down. It wasn't messing around. This freeway sign was out for vengeance."
"Dude, thats totally weak."

Unfortunately, before I left the house, I pounded tw0 No Fear energy drinks and popped a handful of ephedra to, you know, get the engine running. So now I'm stuck in traffic, getting dehydrated, I need to piss, and I'm strung out on caffeine. Swell...

The CHP and CalTrans (thats California Highway Patrol and California Dept. of Transportation) shut down the whole northbound I-805. Duh dah duh, to the rescue! They needed to divert all of the traffic that was currently on the North side off the freeway so they could get to work. That took about 2 hours. They routed us off the road, onto an offramp and then....

Onto the SOUTHBOUND side of the road, going SOUTH! I work NORTH! That's why I was going NORTH. Whoever made the executive decision to do this was, not to put too fine a point on it, a fucking retard. A total mouth-breathing fuckstick with a negative IQ. But thats California public service for ya...coulda let us take side streets and other roads, but noooooo, lets put you back going the wrong direction, mmmmkay?

So I get back on the freeway going SOUTH. As you can probably imagine, it's bumper to bumper. There's an exit ramp to an E/W freeway, which I needed to take, to get to another northbound freeway a few miles away. The exit is jammed. We're going about .679mph. But this guy in a Porchsehse about six cars in front of me is in a huge hurry. What's the rush guy - we're all in this mess together, I'm thinking. He's gunning the engine and braking hard every few feet, pounding on the steering wheel I imagine, and basically being a dick. Until he hits the guy in front of him...

Now, you have to understand, I've been stuck since 7:10a. It's now 9:20a. My patience is getting really thin. I need a beer and a cigarette in the worst possible way. I'm on a one lane ramp with a narrow shoulder, and this fuckhead decides that, instead of pulling over to the shoulder, they need to survey the damage NOW. Just park, get out, and check it out. And block in the rest of us.

At this point, I mentally deployed my M-134 Vulcan cannon from under the hood of my Jeep and laid waste to the entire bunch, but outwardly, I cranked my stereo, leaned out of the car and started screaming profanities. I must have looked a little strange to Mr. Sportscar, because he got in his car and moved it over to the side of the road. And flipped me off, but I was willing to let it go. I was feeling charitable.

Back on the road, moving at a stately 4mph, I finally get to the other road, which of course is jammed. CHP is trying to divert us to another road, to alleviate traffic here, but I wasn't having it. I redeployed the Vulcan and scooted around the cop and hauled ass to finally get to work over 2 hours late. And I'm in a great mood.

Total miles to work: 12
Total miles travelled: 23
Total time from start to end: 187 minutes
Total people I mentally pistol whipped with an engraved, gold-plated Desert Eagle: 3^15

Yeah....

Great Weekend

2006-01-21T14:25:00.000-08:00

So far this weekend, I've made $50 hustling pool, $200 playing blackjack last night, and $150 in the low-limit card room at the casino, plus I kept the $100 that made it all possible.

I hope this luck holds. I'm playing a big hold'em tourney tonight where I could potentially take $2500 home, and it pays ten places. Come on, Lady Luck.

No whammies no whammies no whammies STOP!

I've also convinced about 6 more people to buy CA legal AR lowers. We'll be having a build party before the Superbowl, apparently. Sounds like good wholesome fun!

Hope everyone else is having a good one. I'll lift a pint for everyone at the tourney tonight.

Cheers.

And...

I won. $1250 and a first place finish out of 45 players. I may break my own arm patting myself on the back, but hey...

A Modest Proposal

2006-01-20T08:12:00.000-08:00

Having spent the last hour of my life bumper to bumper with the biggest morons, shitheads and fucksticks on the face of the earth, I have a modest proposal.

***

Rather than granting every idiot a drivers license on their 16th birthday, there should be in place a system of peer review, similar to what the scientific community implements for publishing scholarly works. Every driver, upon petitioning to receive a drivers license, will be given a special device for their car, similar in some respects to a wi-fi hotspot, but that will only send or receive messages pertaining to the probationary drivers skills on the road.

Now, rather than calling those 1-800-BACK-OFF numbers posted on retards bumper stickers, smart drivers will have the ability to instantly rate a probationary driver. Certain things like minor speeding violations and the like are not to be the basis of judgement but rather the following:
*Talking on cell while applying make-up in traffic: -20pts
*Talking on cell while eating breakfast/lunch/dinner in traffic: -18pts
*Talking on cell while smoking: -15pts
*Cutting off another driver while talking on cell, eating and applying make-up: Instant death

I propose this system of peer reviewed driving critique as an alternative to the current Department of Motor Vehicles. Those are the people that let these people on the road in the first place, and when the revolution comes, they'll be the first ones against the wall.*

Thank you, that is all for now.

*Not really. It'll most likely be the vegans.

Zombies Flambé

2006-01-18T17:50:00.000-08:00

What do you do when you're cornered by zombies in a convenience store? Roast 'em.

Of course, any good zombie slayer needs a 12ga flare gun in their kit, for just such an occasion. A small, hot, remote detonated fire, the quick and dirty way. Military pop-flares or a 37mm or 40mm Very pistol will do the trick, but the 12ga flares can be fired from a shotgun in a pinch. Not a good idea to do it often, but every now and then, you may need to.

The alternative is to make "holy hand grenades". Take a glass Christmas ornament, take the top hanger parts off, and funnel gasoline in it until its half full. Then add some liquid dish soap or laundry detergent. That'll make you a napalm-like substance. Throw at the zombie and follow it up with a flare. Bingo. Sub-human torch.

Ah, the joys of a misspent youth and a creative highschool chemistry project...

It Just Hits You

2006-01-18T15:54:00.000-08:00

Mark (Firehand) at Irons in the Fire asks what first got our (my) attention about gun control.

So, what was it?

I knew about it before age 22, when I undertook an ongoing project to build a legal AR-15 in California, which is legal by virtue of the name stamped on the receiver.

I knew about it before age 21, when I was able to first purchase a handgun on my own, after said handgun had been subjected to numerous idiotic tests to be "certified." Then, pay over $40 in fees and wait ten days to pick it up, and be escorted outside by the dealer before being allowed to take possession of my legally owned property.

I knew about it before age 20, when I volunteered to help fight fires in San Diego county and triage burn victims. I am a certified first responder. However, when a friend was arrested for "brandishing a firearm" at thugs that were trying to get into his house he was evacuating, I knew that the gun laws were warped.

I knew about it before age 18, when I was first able to purchase a longarm. I knew when the clerk at Big 5 told me I had to wait ten days to hold what was essentially mine (I paid for it already!) and that he couldn't sell me ammo before I locked the gun in my car.

I knew about it before age 11, when the AWB was first drafted, when my mother sold my autoloading .22 (I don't even know what it was) because she mistakenly thought it would be illegalized in the ban. I'm still afraid to talk about it with her, but I assume she was probably a victim on the early MSM.

I knew about it at age 4 and 5. Before my father died, he used to take me shooting once a month. I had a little Savage single-shot .22 pistol, and he had his guns. He taught me the fundamentals but also that some people disliked guns. In fact, that some people hated us for owning guns, and that the first chance they got, they'd take them from us.

Of course, that last bit caused my young mind to have nightmares about trying to shoot a dog that was going to attack me, only to have my gun snatched away at the last minute by a maniacally laughing clown. Which got my dad in some hot water with my mom, when I told her what he told me. "Don't scare the boy!"

Come to think of it, an insane clown is a pretty decent analogy for the gun grabbers today. Stupid, ridiculous and ludicrous to behold, they nevertheless hate you and are dangerous. Little did I know, 17 years ago, I'd be writing about a juvenile dream on a complex network of computing systems, and the dream would make perfect sense.

Weird.

Religious Fanaticism

2006-01-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

Cutter explores different types of fanaticism and possible root causes.

I guess I could call myself a fundamentalist agnostic Sunni-Jew, based on his guidelines. Picture that!

$2Mil Well Spent

2006-01-18T11:29:00.000-08:00

Is it just me, or is this not cool as shit?

$2 Million for a private jet? Not a prop plane Cessna, but a JET!

I can't wait until I get out of law school, sue someone and make a fortune*

*In my dreams.

Super Nova©

2006-01-18T08:58:00.000-08:00

I said I was going to post this last night, with pictures, but personal issues got in the way and I had to beat them into submission first.

I put my kinda-new Benelli Nova Tactical through its paces. First, we went to the range to see how well the ghost ring sights worked.

I tried 3 different kinds of slugs. Aguila 7/8oz. 1.75"minislugs as well as Brenneke and Wolf 1oz rifled slugs. The factory settings for the ghost ring sights had me on paper already, but a couple of clicks had me consistently in the black. Accuracy was about what you'd expect (or a little better) from a smoothbore - just outside 2" from center to center at 50yds off a rest. The Brenneke "Rottweil" performed the best. The Aguila performed the worst, with a 5" group, but thats still acceptable to me as a home-defense round.

I wanted to see how my buckshot options would print, so I moved to a 15yd pistol lane with permission from the RO. I tried Hornady TAP, Wolf, Winchester Low Recoil, PMC and Fiocchi. All of them were respectable at that distance, with the TAP putting 8 of 9 pellets inside the 8" target and the Winchester coming in 2nd place with 7 and a half pellets in the black. The Winchester also were the easiest on the shoulder - go figure, huh? By far, the Fiocchi sucked the worst. I think one shell was underloaded as there was no noticable impact to target and a very light recoil.

We left the range and headed for my buddies property in the San Diego backcountry to shoot some clays. 250 rounds and close to 3 boxes of clays later, we left very impressed with the Nova. For one thing, the throw is very short and cycles very fast, much better than the Mossberg and Remington we took out with us as a "control group." I was able to reengage thrown clays very quickly when I missed, but once I got used to leading with the ghost rings, I didn't miss too often.

We set up static clays in an ad-hoc course of fire on the foundation of a burnt out house. I was able to engage 4 clays, reload from a belt pouch, and engage 5 more in under15 seconds. Not great time, but it was fun, and I got to practice pieing the corners and hallways with a shotgun that feels shorter than it actually is.

We wanted to try something a little different when we got down to our last box or so of shells. We tried a "space invaders" scenario. We set up three static clays between 8 and 20 yards away with the middle distance one behind cover. The goal was to engage a thrown clay, take out all three ground clays and be ready to engage a low, fast flying clay moving away from the shooter. Like shooting space ships and invading aliens, right? It was fun, but that last clay was hard to get. I tried it three times before I was able to get it. Thats where the rapid cycling of the action on the Nova really came into play - being able to get reloaded and back on target quickly.

Overall, I'm very impressed with the Nova. The sights are easy to use and easy to pick up, though I wish the rear ring were mounted a little further forward. The stock and forearm are easy on the hands. The recoil pad helped alot with the 340 rounds I sent downrange. One of the things I ended up liking a lot that I didn't think I would if the polymer outer shell over the receiver. With temps in the 80's and the sun beating down, it was nice not to have to wear gloves because of the metal heating up. I need to try it with 3" and 3.5" shells, just to see how it handles them.

I also need to work on the trick I saw Tom Knapp do - firing at a clay, turning the shotgun and ejecting the hull downrange, then turning and shooting the hull, over and over. When I finally get it, maybe I'll try to post a video.

If I could change anything about it, I would move the sights a little bit forward, move the safety to the tang (but thats just because I'm used to Mossbergs), and add a mag tube extension. Otherwise, this is a damn fine shotgun and I'm glad I bought it.

Lighter News

2006-01-17T19:56:00.000-08:00

Regular readers will remember my frenzied search for a replica of the lighter used in the movie Constantine. Well, I found it. I finally found it.

BUT THEY DON'T HAVE ANY IN STOCK AND NEVER WILL!

The picture just sits there and taunts me.

I'm on the verge of becoming completely obsessed. Anyone seen one of these in some long forgotten zippo case in a truck stop diner?

I'm emailing Zippo to find out whats the deal here. I'll get to the bottom of this sooner or later. Sooner hopefully, since I've apparently found the one thing in existence that can't be found and bought online.

Back To Work Blues

2006-01-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

I'm a government employee, so I had yesterday off. A nice three day weekend that allowed me to go to the range, scout out some guns and parts, take a hike (literally) and play with my dog. It was a much needed break from the tedious bullshit I deal with enveryday. That happens when your clients are a bunch of rich kids with 100ish IQ's, control issues and massive egos.

Sitting in traffic for 83 minutes doesn't help either. Thats just to get 12 miles from my home to my office.

Tonight I'll have a range report for the Benelli Nova Tactical. I ran it thru its paces with thrown and static clays, as well as buckshot and slugs at the indoor range. Sweet shotgun - I'll tell you that right now. Highly recommended to the novice and serious shotgunner alike.

I've started frequenting two pawn shops in my area on the advice of Xavier, and depending on money and if its still there, I may have a find to post about (after my 10 days are up, of course). This weekend I'm hitting a gun show and I expect to be disappointed but we'll see. My AR build is starting to come together and I'll have the lower Monday. Expect detailed project updates.

I also went hunting this weekend. I'm almost too embarassed to post the results, but I will, maybe tomorrow.

Hope everyone had a good weekend/day/night/last 3 hours.

Cheers

Friday 13 and Zombies, Oh My!

2006-01-13T15:50:00.000-08:00

The New Carnival of Cordite is up. I didn't submit anything this week because, frankly, all I did was take naughty pictures of guns. So I'll do my own "Carnival of South Park Pundit vs. Zombies" edition.

However, Gully touched on a subject near and dear to my heart - zombie hunting. I can't wait. Tonight may be like Halloween was - creepy and with body parts strewn around.

I've written about zombies before, and specifically what we can learn from the various "documentaries" that are available on the subject. I'm not worried. Really, I'm not. I have what is likely the most effective weapon against zombies - a well barricaded house. I can sit on my roof with my 10/22 and pick them off. I only have about 6000 rounds of .22lr, so that ought to last at least an hour.

Then, if they do get into the house, I have my fall back all planned out. First, decimate the invaders with my first-line weapons. Then, hit the garage and transfer all weapons and ammo to my jeep and my buddies truck. Then, strike out for the mountains and my parents house, where there are enough guns, ammo and supplies laid in to hold the hoarde off for months. If necessary, we can take our gear and hike into town for more supplies.

I recently recommended a new text on zombie hunting - I've read it; have you?

Good luck tonight.

I should mention...

Go here and read the Zombie Chronicles.

Also, I just started my 10-day wait for my lower receiver, to build my anti-zombie rifle with. Muahahahaha...

Open...

2006-01-12T14:52:00.000-08:00

Open comments, open floor, whatever you want to call it.

Just don't pretend its an open bar....yes, Marc, I mean you.

I'm too tired to write anything substantive. I can't even work up the energy to pose my guns in lewd ways. Which by the way, garnered more links and hits than any of the serious posts I've written in a month. Hmm...maybe theres something to the gun porn thing? Next, Smith and Wesson revolver porn. Yeah. Then hunting rifle porn. Then a rimfire orgy! Awww, crap...

I'm A Geek

2006-01-11T15:20:00.000-08:00

This is what I like to see!

My Statcounter report lets me shake things out by browser, but only caches the last 100 visitors. On a whim, I checked it out today. It made me very happy to see that Firefox (who I pimp for, if you remember) outnumbers IE when you count the different distros in circulation. I'll be happier when FF completely outnumbers IE, but until that day...

No Keyboards Allowed

2006-01-11T09:15:00.000-08:00

Thats right, folks - Mr. Completely is getting together the best and the worst of us in Reno later this year. And we have to leave the keyboards at home...

It's a ~~rendazvu~~....a ~~randav~~....a ~~rendevz~~...a get together.

Stop over, get the details and plan accordingly.

Real Hot Gun Pr0N!

2006-01-10T21:37:00.000-08:00

I promised new gun porn the other night, and I will literally keep my word.

Who's your daddy?

HA! Yeah, that's funn......I need to get out more.

Snack Run After-Action Report

2006-01-10T15:19:00.000-08:00

As I was leaving my house I stuffed my Glock 10mm "man gun"
Mexican-style in my pants. My backup is a fully customized 1911 with
all the IPSC add-on options in my $500.00 leather pancake holster
custom made by Belgian Monks who have devoted their lives to silence and holster making. These are the ones used by SEAL Team 6, which I used to be a part of but all records of my activities were destroyed in a fire "accident".

I put on my Royal Robbins photographer vest to match my pants while wearing a T-Shirt underneath reading "from my cold dead hands." That way, nobody can see what I'm packing. I had my Centennial .38 Special in my ankle holster, just like the gun rag guys carry. Lastly I had my "Covert Sniper" I.D. Card in my wallet with my "Concealed Weapons
Permit Badge". I was ready for anything.

I drove my "bug-out truck" to the 7-11 for some beer, 'cause you never know. It is a performance-styled Subaru BRAT with 4 cylinders of ground pounding fury.

I pull up to the 7-11 store and notice a nefarious looking girl scout eyeballing me from the back of her mother's SUV. A likely cover.

The mother returned to the truck and went for the keys in her purse, but I knew from my years of combat-honed instincts that she was actually making a furtive movement for an offensive weapon.

I attempted a tactical shoulder roll, but fell flat on my face, kind of flopping on the pavement to avoid any incoming rounds and to make it look like I meant to do that. The store owner called 911 which is good, because I then did a roll and attempted to draw my Glock.

Unfortunately, since I did not have a holster, the gun "went off" and the bullet creased my weener. But I was prepared for that and bit down on a 9mm casing to take my mind off the pain as I dove for the garbage barrel. That's when I noticed the girl scout shouting something
to her mother who began to take cover. I knew they were closing on me so I drew my trusty custom 1911 Wilson COMBAT....I knew that they would be impressed with that. I then duck walked to the front of her SUV but my gut kinda got in the way and I fell on my ass, which caused me to swallow my 9mm casing.

I then tried to roll to my right, but didn't want to scuff my holster, so I just threw myself into a telephone pole, but I landed on my right side anyway. So I fired one shot towards the woman's SUV to pin them down as I recovered my wind.

Before the mother knew what was happening, I charged her and I threw my groin into her knee. I knew that as I vomited on the ground in front of her that I had interrupted her OODA loop, and I had the advantage now. As she ran screaming for the girl scout (I knew she was
going for backup) I made for my super-charged BRAT tactical truck. I jumped into the driver seat, forgetting that I had left my rare Israeli contract AR 15 Bayonet on the seat (honed to a razors edge). I could handle it though, half my ass is an implant from war wounds. As I
attempted to start my truck, police and paramedics arrived on the scene. My truck would not start and instead backfired once and caused the police to taze me. At this point, I tactically soiled myself while in convulsions. My custom 1911 then fell out the window, but I still
had my Centennial .38. I knew then that I had to take out the woman with the purse.

So I aimed my revolver at her, at which point the first police officer fired once striking me in the chest. Fortunately, I was wearing my level 3A body armor. I didn't want to hurt the cops, they had obviously been duped by the evil temptress who was now embracing her partner in crime and crying to the police in the background - I knew it was a ruse.

I pulled out my concealed weapons permit badge and showed it to the officer who shot me and yelled out "I'm one of you guys!!!" He continued to cover me, and ordered me to drop my .38 so I laid it down. After all, I still had my bayonet attached to my ass. The cop walked
toward me, and upon reading the badge maced me right in the eyes. Fortunately, my Oakley shooting glasses stopped most of the spray and I was able to rip free of the Taser cords easily. It only cost me one nipple...easily replaced. I dove for the passenger side of my truck and
began to run zig zag for a ditch. Unfortunately, the bayonet sticking out of my ass slowed me down. I knew it would have to be hand-to-hand now. I knew the cop couldn't take me when I saw he merely carried a Glock 17, not a man's gun. So I immediately threw my eye into his right
hook, followed by a knee into his mag light. As I lay thrashing on the ground, I took the heel of my Bates enforcer boot and kicked at the cops ankle. I knew from my classified experiences in Tajikistan that once I broke his ankle, the cop would fall down and I could "stun kick"
him in the head, knocking him out but not hurting him.

Apparently the cop had also been to Tajikistan, because he side stepped me and struck me in the back with his ASP baton, but my trauma plate absorbed it. I then drew my Benchmade auto knife and was promptly tased again, but I was ready for it this time and only wet myself a
little bit.

Next thing those cops knew, I was unconscious. That'll teach 'em.

*****

I don't remember where I first saw this, but it just hit my email inbox and cracked me up again. If you posted it before, comment and link to your post and I'll credit you.

Wardrobe Upgrade

2006-01-09T16:45:00.000-08:00

A new tee shirt that expresses, in three little words, what you think when something interesting happens to you.

I think I need one for a new range shirt. Black shirt = no powder stains.

***Clicky***

Upper Progress, Lower Worries

2006-01-09T09:22:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who commented and emailed about the AR upper post. I now have a few more options to explore, and as someone pointed out, that Olympic upper was a fixed handle jobber, which I don't want.

As it now looks, I have a line on a Daniel Defense upper and a Knights RAS kit to put on it, and I won't even mention how great a deal I'd be getting on the pair, but its phenomenol. You'll all be jealous. Even if the very sight of an AR makes you throw up in your mouth a little bit, you'll look at the finished product and say "Awesome..." after a somewhat stunned silence.

And I'm buying my lowers and a mag kits this week. I needed to put some scratch together fast, so I did what everyone does who needs money fast - I turned to eBay. Now my beloved airsoft M4 is gone; gone to make way for a newer, shinier, real-er M4gery. But at least the airsoft version shot full auto. I am a bit worried about all the things I've heard from my local FFL's - "no, we won't receive these lowers for you, and you should know the DOJ is taking all of our records about who is getting them. Would you like to drop a grand on a Bushmaster Carbon15 with completely sealed magwell for CA? No? Then get out."

Turns out some tool was selling lowers at the gun show with the mag kits held in by toothpicks. Thanks, bucko - now the rest of us are in a tighter situation than before. I should still be able to get one. I think March is when the changes happen.

And I'm already getting accessory happy. Is that bad? I'm making plans to buy a Surefire M900A to put on a gun that doesn't exist yet. I look at my Trijicon sight everyday and imagine it sitting on my rifle. I can't decide on the Ace SOCOM stock or the Magpul. What grip do I want? THIS IS A DISEASE!

Somehow, I think I wouldn't be this excited about this project if it weren't for the fact that less than 1% of Kaulifornians have one, and after this round of DOJ restrictions they'll be completely unavailable, and I'll be better armed for the zombie apocalypse. I think if I lived elsewhere, I'd spend my money on something else, like a really nice custom 1911, or a nice hunting rifle, or a competitive firearm of somesort. But since an AR is such an odd rarity in CA, I can't resist the temptation.

The Internet if for WHAT?!!?!

2006-01-08T23:04:00.000-08:00

Porn?

The funniest World of Warcraft video I've ever seen.

Kinda NSFW. No nudity, just the word "porn" a lot.

I've got an extra special gun porn post for tomorrow night because of this video.

And while on using the Internet for...whatever...stop by Gullyborg for the first Carnival of Cordite of 2006.

Oly Arms?

2006-01-06T23:57:00.000-08:00

Complete Upper for Cheap?

Olympic Arms

I remember seeing them at SHOT last time I was there, but I walked right past since I had no hope for one at that time.

So...Whats the word on the street?

I'm really trying to get this build together before the DOJ decides to start f*cking me big-time. I'm going to order 2 Lauer/LMT lowers very soon, so I can build one now and have another legal one for a later project, like a 9mm or a 6.8 carbine.

I like the looks of that upper, but if it's a piece of crap, please let me know. Or if you have one that you want to get rid of...hook a blogger up!

Surf Report

2006-01-06T14:36:00.000-08:00

I thought you guys might enjoy seeing some of the waves that whooped my ass a couple of weeks ago. I just discovered all of these pics, taken all over San Diego county, when the surf was going off.

This shot is off of Swamis in Encinitas, where the surf was much bigger than it was in IB. I was getting single overheads, where these guys were getting doubles. It kinda makes you a little humble, while at the same time bolsters your confidence in your own abilities. Cognitive dissonance and all. No wonder I got my ass kicked.

Without Disappointment...

2006-01-06T10:21:00.000-08:00

...you cannot appreciate victory.

I'm still with Steve H. in waiting for my "victory" in this particular case.

"Finally," I thought, "people will see my work and flock to it and adore me and women will mail me their underwear."

Dream Job

2006-01-06T08:31:00.000-08:00

I just need to beef up my resume a little bit.

Can you Laugh and Blog at the same time?

2006-01-05T11:34:00.000-08:00

Time for a little funny business. I've been having one of those days, so I figured I'd whip out the iPod and see whats crackin. This post contains dirty language so if that offends you, read it and be offended, you easily offended person!

Do you know who Dane Cook is? The funniest comedian I've ever heard. Everyone I know knows a few lines of his schtick and when we get hammered, it turns into a laugh festival. He does mostly standup, but I did manage to get an MP3 of his song, "I'll Never Be You."

I'll Never Be You
Dane Cook

You are the One everyone hopes to be
I am the one they say "I'm glad thats not me."
When I go to sleep I dream about you
When you go to sleep, I bet you dream about you too

Your life is filled with good times and cool clothes;
My life stands still just watching where your life goes

God please, let me, live in your world for one week
This life's no fair and its a tease for those like me
And its a tease for those like me

Sometimes I picture myself beating you up
I see myself slamming your head off the ground
And you beg and you plead and you cry constantly
I make you say that I'm the best
I make you say you wish you were me
And late every night I see me fucking your girl
Your cool car is now mine and so's your popular world
All your friends they love me and know that I hate you
I'm like a superhero badass motherfucker dude in red white and blue.

You don't know me
But I know you
Its a real love/hate thing
I love to hate you
I get so frustrated!
But tell me just what can I do

I'll never be you
I'll never be you
Never be you
I'll never be you (x6)
I'll never never be you you you
No I'll never fucking be you
I'll never ever ever be you

My hopeless dream fades to black
Boring me, hopelessly hoping you'll be attacked
And raped by demented monkeys with huge cocks
And painted green like a jelly bean on a trampoline in a toxic swamp
Your so smug and so fake with your laugh and your clique
I wanna be you so bad it makes me so fuckin sick
But you suck and you stink and your soulless and mean
I wanna be in your fake smug world so we can hang out down at the Coffee Bean
We can hang out down at the Coffee Bean
You and me hangin out at the Coffee Bean

And I know I'll never be you and it pisses me off
I hate you
I hate you
But I really really want to be you
Fuck

Quicktime version of song. For some reason, I couldn't stop listening to it and laughing for about 45 minutes. Oh man, I need to get away from this desk!

Check out his website, his albums and his shows. His stuff is genuinely funny, not that Patton Oswalt kinda "I hate Bush!" or Lewis Black "Fuck you!" or George Carlin "Catholics can suck my c*ck!" funny that only people who agree with them or don't want to get beaten in the lobby laugh at, but really funny. He doesn't alienate his audience, unless he gets a heckler which is funny in and of itself. Plus, he sent a buttload of his "Retaliation" two-disc CD sets over to the sandbox to be "proud to know those men and women are able to have a good laugh while doing the hardest job on earth." That says as lot to me. Since I hate a lot of comics who overly politicize their skits and pander to their mouth-breathing liberal audiences, Dane is perfect for me.

Plus he invented the Super-Finger. For those times when giving someone the finger just isn't quite enough, the Super-Finger screams "FUCK YOURSELF YOU FUCKING NOTHING PUDDLE OF FUCKDEW. YOU DRIPPING STICKY BLEACH SMELLING MASS OF EXTREME UBER-MENTAL RETARDATION. SOUR JIZZ FUCKASSFACE. EAT MY FUCK WITH AN EXTRA SIDE OF FUCK FRIES. YOU FUCKHOLE."

Some quotes from shows. Taken out of context, I still find them funny, but perhaps you won't. I particularly identify with the KoolAid man joke.

Eh. I gotta get out of this office.

Oh Shit : Friday Afternoon

I may have really done it now.

I was talking to a friend of mine on the phone this afternoon, while lounging about on my lunch break. Turns out he's trying to organize a trip to the casino tonight to play some poker. I said something along the lines of "That'll be great when I take all your money and you can't leave cuz I'm your ride."

He told me he hoped I was raped by demented monkeys.

I can't believe I have given my own friends material to make fun of me with. Unbelievable.

Confessions of a Dangerous Gun

2006-01-05T10:16:00.000-08:00

I'm a menace. And I like it. You think you can pwn me? You think you can end me? My minions keep trying to tell you - I am all powerful!

Let me tell you about the first time I killed someone. His name was Tim. Tim was typing away at his computer with his back to where I was sitting, on a shelf in a cabinet. I could see his snide, cocky head moving as he typed. Bastard. He never holds me anymore, I can remember thinking.

I could visualize the bottom cabinet shelf - stacks and towers of ammo I couldn't even see over. O, how I wanted to be loaded at that moment! I concentrated hard, thinking of what a round would feel like in my chamber and suddenly one was there! I loaded myself. I am The One, I thought. Calmly, I ended Tim's life and broke from the cabinet so everyone would think that he himself had done it. He never did anything to me, but I just didn't like him.

But they'll never know. It was the gun.

I was Tim's smirking revenge.

You think you can scare me, with your chop saws and ritualistic slaughters?

You don't know anything about pain. First person that tries to melt me gets a lead salad! I'm not fuc...messing around, as they say - I will own your ass! I have my ways.

To quote the men who birthed me, the Project Mayhem founders, "all the ways you wish you could be, that's me. I look like you wanna look, I f*ck like you wanna f*ck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not." They say guns don't kill people, people do, but it's me. I don't need people. I transcend people.

Its not until you lose everything that you are free to do anything. I lost people. I lost my dependance on humans. And I haven't looked for it once. I haven't looked back.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go handle this gas station attendant.

Photoshop Fun

2006-01-04T23:53:00.000-08:00

This time, something for the house.

I'm putting this on vinyl, and posting it in the front window. Pffft...I scoff at your ADT signs.

A Little pr0n Tonight

2006-01-04T18:30:00.000-08:00

This one specifically goes to Marc. Notice some of the accessories...hehe.

This gun can trace it's roots back to the Eighties, when it was manufactured by Sturm Ruger & Co. It once served guard duty for the state of Arizona as a tower gun at one of the prisons. It moved to California in 1993 with a friend of mine, where he relinquished it to me 11 years later. The stock and mags are purely for show...that would never fly in CA. In fact, this picture was taken in an undisclosed location somewhere outside state lines.

The vest pictured behind it is my SOE Lightfighter vest. SOE apparently doesn't exist anymore - they changed their name, last I heard - but they made some of the burliest, best stitched web gear on the planet. I have winched myself up in my garage by the drag handle, just to test their assertion that it wouldn't come off. Absolutely fantastic gear.

Must Reads for January

2006-01-04T12:22:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate enough to get a $50 Borders gift card for Christmas, so I bought some new books for myself. I would recommend them all to you, based on your own preferences.

1. The Undead: Zombie Anthology
Another "text book" about the upcoming zombie apocalypse, and what you can do to protect yourself and recognize the rising hoarde...before it's too late.

2. Caro's Book of Poker Tells
The classic stand-alone text about reading other players at the table. As a poker player for years, I can't believe I'd never read it before, but within days of finishing it, I was fleecing more cash off my friends weekly games than I can remember.

3. Byrnes Complete Book of Pool Shots
What can I say? I'm addicted to shooting pool. I played probably 5 nights a week while in high school, then abandoned it when I started college. Now, I'm back to playing a couple times a week, and needless to say, some of the shots that were in my bag are gone. This book is helping me get my game back.

Now that I look at the list, it seems to illustrate that 1) I have a lot of free time on my hands now, and 2) I have varied interests and probably too many hobbies.

Upper

2006-01-04T08:15:00.000-08:00

I don't have any experience with AR's, or at least not enough to matter. My question for you, my discerning readers, is what brands/configs of upper receiver you have had luck with and would recommend to me, the discerning buyer that I am.

I'm half tempted to turn this AR build into a range queen kinda thing - buy a 6.8SPC upper, or a 6.5 Grendel or .50 Beowulf, something like that. Then I think about it as a housegun and flip back to 5.56 NATO.

This is why modular weapons aren't good for the compulsive buyers among us, myself included. I can already see the laundry list of uppers that will inhabit my safe sometime in the near future....

So, any ideas?

Two-tone Twosome

2006-01-03T23:13:00.000-08:00

My sorta-daily carry combo.

Thanks to Hornady for the nifty pistol-propper-upper.

Duh!

I should actually tell you what the hardware is.

The pistol is a Kahr Arms P9 9mm polymer framed semiauto. It's very lightweight, holds 7+1 or 8+1 rounds and has a DAO trigger with about 7.5lbs of smooth pull. I don't like the post-dot sight very much, and eventually I'm going to get a 24/7 sight installed. As it is, its my favorite carry gun and I can shoot it well. I bought it shortly after I turned 21, when I saw it sitting on the consignment rack at my local shop. It had a $400 tag on it, but I managed to get them to go for $375 with another factory mag and a Bianchi IWB holster. Carrying this little thing IWB attracts no attention whatsoever, because it doesn't print at all. Thats a good thing here in the Land of the Not-so-free.

The knife is an Emerson Commander with "the wave." The recurve blade is partially serrated and makes the perfect "forearm filleter" as my buddy used to say - whip it out if someone grabs you, put the recurve on their wrist and push up into their forearm for the fillet. The only time I ever got into a fight that escalated to knives, this one was in my pocket. The handle is G10 and the liners are 6AL4V titanium. The blade is about 3.5" of 154CM. I'd rather it was VG-10 or a CPM steel, like S30V or 440V (yeah, I know, its now known as S60V, but habits die hard) but what ya gonna do. The only gripes I have about this knife are that the pivot screw is a flathead, and tends to back out. I wish it were a torx. Other than that, its hard on the edges of pockets. The loop is whats left of one of my ex's black scrunchie hair ties. It loops over the tip of the blade securely, so the blade doesn't partially open when you pull it out of the pocket. Because the material is flexible, it doesn't impede the "wave" opening at all - you just need to pull hard enough.

The bullet pictured is a 124gr +P Federal EFMJ that I carry in the pistol. The EFMJ's feed more reliably on the itty-bitty feed ramp than some JHP's, hence the choice. The shotshell is Hornday TAP 12ga 00 buck.

The Lost Monday Post

2006-01-02T14:03:00.000-08:00

I was so tired when I wrote this, I saved it as a draft instead of publishing it, and I just saw it in my Blogger dash.

Today blew. I mean that both literally and figuratively. It really, really blew.

Do any of you golf? Don't start if you don't already. It's a horrible sport. It inspires vicious competitiveness while instilling a bitternes of spirit in you that is unmatched by any other sport. There is no good will on the golf course. Don't be naive. I would just as soon run your 32ft putt making ass over with an electric cart than watch where your drive lands, you scratch playing piece of shit.

But I digress.

It figures that the one day it decides to rain in San Diego this winter, I have a tee time with 3 of my close friends/worst enemies. So we have an 8:30am tee time. Its raining. It's blowing at about 15mph, gusting to almost 40mph, and we're having a great ol' time.

FACT: The vast majority of lightening strikes occur on golf courses.

I'm cold. I'm wet. I'm angry about the round. I shot probably worse than I have...maybe ever. Failed to convert about 4 birdie attempts. Grrr....

Eh. It could be worse. I coulda got hit by lightening. Instead I got tagged by a Titleist cruising at about 60mph.

Oh, My Head

2006-01-01T14:38:00.000-08:00

Check the timestamp at the bottom of the post. That's Pacific time. Subtract about one hour, and thats the time I got out of bed.

The monitor makes my head hurt right now.

Blew up the required M80's at midnight, started playing cards at two and stayed up until dawn. Mountain Dew Amp mixed with Jager will do strange things to your mind at 5am, in the middle of a poker tournament. I guess when you think you have the best hand, and you bet like you have the best hand, and everyone else sees that you think you have the best had and folds, then you flip your cards over to reveal dogshit, you know something is crosswired in your head.

Well Hello 2006. I hope you suck less than 2005. Or I'll wait exactly 364 days and kill you.

Happy New Year!!

2005-12-31T18:06:00.000-08:00

I'm off to go celebrate with friends new and old, but I wanted to wish all of you a happy and safe New Year.

In true Irish tradition, I will not be ringing in the new year with that sissy, bubbly French stuff. Rather, a glass of Irish whiskey.

I'll also be asking "Hey, would you like a little Irish in ya?" to all the available girls. Luckily, I know them all well enough to prevent a macing or tazering.

However you choose to celebrate (or not celebrate) - Happy New Year.

Good night.

Build List

2005-12-31T09:45:00.000-08:00

So, like I said, I am going to be building an evil yet CA legal black rifle.

First thing I'm going to need is a lower receiver. I need a Stag Arms, Lewis Machine and Tool or Doublestar lower. The reason for these particular brands are enumerated here.

After I take possession of the receiver, it needs to be neutered. One of these should do the trick.

Then I wait. I wait until CA updates the banned list and hope the receiver gets listed. Thats why I want one of those brand receivers - they are currently technically legal, and are sure to make the list on the next go round.

Sounds weird, doesn't it? Buy a receiver with the hope that it gets banned. But then I get grandfathered in, have 90 days to register it as an evil "assault weapon," and I can do whatever I want to it. Collapsible stocks, pistol grips, etc. - features normally prohibited - are now available for 'lil ol' me.

Then I have a laundry list of parts I need to aqcuire after that. A complete RIS upper, preferably LMT. I don't want to have to build the upper, too. A control parts kit. Maybe a Wilson or comparable match trigger. I already have a couple of nice sights I can use. A Surefire M900. Magpul MIAD grip. Maybe one of those nifty Magpul stocks. About 9 mags with Magpul self-leveling followers and Ranger plates. And that should just about do it.

Am I missing anything critical? I have no idea. I haven't studied the schematics on the AR extensively, nor have I built one before. I haven't committed that much knowledge to memory because, frankly, if I don't get the lower on time, it won't matter.

Anyway, no more will I shiver in the cold of an AR-less winter...

Project Housegun AR?

2005-12-29T22:40:00.000-08:00

A little birdy whispered in my ear something about being able to build a CA legal AR. All my research - all day today - has panned out. I know what, where and how.

Now all that's left is getting the scratch together. That damn transmission job is really, really irking me at the moment.

But in a few months, you free-staters won't be able to rub your M4geries in my face with the same glee you do now.

I have the resolve. I have the knowledge. I can build it.

*insert evil laugh here*

Oops: Forgot to add - if you want the info on building one, I can nudge you in the right direction. Just email me.

Ramblings of an Insomniac

2005-12-28T00:18:00.000-08:00

This is driving me crazy. I can't get to sleep. I just watched a movie and it won't get out of my head.

Constantine. Great flick. Really liked it. Except for one thing.

Trying to find that wide Zippo that he uses is apparently impossible. I've been combing the web for over an hour, trying to find one. Now I'm on some crazed zippo quest - I have to have it. Have to.

Does anyone know the lighter I'm talking about? It shows it in the film, and if you have the DVD, it shows it real well in the alternate ending. Heavily ornamented gold or brass, and wider than a normal zippo. Looks cool as hell.

If you see one online, please let me know. If you have one - how much do you want for it?

Best Wishes to Some

2005-12-27T10:34:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and is looking forward to a good New Year. I'd like to thank all the people who stopped by to wish me and mine a good and safe holiday.

Unfortunately, I didn't get what I wanted.

The damn Kansas Ciy Chiefs dealt my Chargers a blow to their playoff hopes this past Saturday. I had gotten up relatively early, donned my Charger jersey and gone to the sports bar to watch the game. Chiefs fans donned their gay apparel as well, the bastards, and were making a scene in the place as only retarded, inbred yokels can. No offense...you bastards.

That was what I wanted for Christmas - a Superbowl spot for the Chargers, arguably the greatest team not to make the playoffs.

What I really got for Christmas didn't come until after I left the bar. I started my car, a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee limited, and pulled onto the road. After about 50 feet, I knew something was wrong. W-r-o-n-g wrooooong. It wouldn't shift out of second gear. Doing 4000rpm and going 25mph is not my idea of a good time.

Luckily there was a dealership about a block away. I pull it in there, park and get out and head to the service center. "Closed" proclaims the sign at the door, "for Christmas Eve. Will reopen 7am Monday." Fucking great.

I took my stuff and left it there. Turned it in yesterday to find out what was wrong. Vehicle speed sensor or something - that's the diagnosis. Is it covered by the uber-expensive warranty I purchased? Apparently not. Why? They're a bunch of theiving, c*ck sucking assholes who should be hanged from the balls until dead. I paid 2K for this warranty so I wouldn't have to deal with this crap. I made sure everything imaginable was as covered as possible. The part is listed in my book as covered. Apparently thats another speed sensor, he says.

I smell lawsuit, complaint to the BBB and an attempt to recoupe my money spent on this piece of shit warranty. According to the guy at the dealership thats working on my car, they find a way to wiggle out of every obligation to the customer. This time, at a cost of over $700 to me.

Lesson: Don't buy a Wynn Service Contract.

Don't Buy Extended Service Contracts From Wynn

They make my wallet cry. I hope they all get syphillis from a toilet seat at their new year party, or are eaten by wild dogs.