Search term round-up

Aside from a brief Tamalanche early after installing Sitemeter, a normal day here has been ... slow. That's likely due to not updating daily. I do get a fairly regular stream of hits from google searches, though, and a la the Munchkin Wrangler, I'll post a few highlights.


small rifle primers

The little round thing in the back of a centerfire cartridge that's struck by the firing pin and ignites your gunpowder. There are at least eight different sizes - small and large rifle and pistol, and magnum/non-magnum variants of each. Small rifle primers are used, in particular, in .223Rem/5.56NATO, which is pretty rare these days. If you have primers, count yourself lucky. PowderValley claims they have backorders for 50,000,000 primers, and they're not the only ones.


kns hooded front sight match approved

I'd suggest checking the rules of the particular match you are entering, as NRA Highpower has different rules from Benchrest and Smallbore and so on.


a2 rear sight jpg 0-2

I don't have pictures of them, but try the Google image search. Or look at an AR - the flip-up rear aperture with the larger hole (0.200" diameter) is the 0-2, and is conveniently labeled as such. It's not a precision aperture, but is designed for limited visibility and moving targets. It also has a different zero from the small aperture.


wolf 223 stuck

A frequent issue, particularly with tight chambers. Older Wolf ammo, along with some of the various "Bear" ammo, is lacquer-coated. At higher rates of fire, the chamber gets hot enough to melt this lacquer and effectively glue a round in place. Clear your rifle, remove the bolt if possible, and CAREFULLY tap the round out with a brass rod from the muzzle end. Use acetone to clean your chamber and dissolve the lacquer, then a chamber brush and normal cleaning procedures... and then stop shooting crap ammo in a good rifle. Save the Wolf for the Mini14 and .223 AKs.


hooded cross hair front sight for 22 rifle

Swap your crap Ruger factory sights for a set of Tech-Sights, and the front sight tower accepts all standard AR front posts, including the KNS hooded crosshair.


walmart pistol primers

Walmart doesn't have store-branded gun anything. Not ammo, not primers, not nothing. Some Walmarts apparently do sell reloading components, but I've never seen it.


kns with rra 2 stage trigger

Well, KNS doesn't make lowers. If you mean KNS anti-rotational pins with a RRA trigger, it should work fine. The pins are standard diameter, as are the triggers. The pins just look fancy and mean you need one more tool in order to disassemble your rifle if something breaks.


5.56 a2 rifle insert notes lesson 6

I see you're in the UK. Naughty, naughty! I'm not sure where you're inserting that A2, or why you need notes, but apparently you've made it to lesson 6, and that takes some dedication. Keep practicing and you'll get there!


And that concludes the highlights of this set of search terms...

Book Bleg

I blame LawDog for this. I discovered the "Sten" series after he mentioned it in his blog, and began with book 1. Since then, most of the books have gone out of print.

I received book 2 (Wolf Worlds) for Christmas. I just ordered books 4 (Fleet of the Damned), 6 (Return of the Emperor), and 7 (Vortex) through Amazon. (Two used, one new.)

If anyone out there has books 3, 5, and 8 (Court of a Thousand Suns, Revenge of the Damned, Empire's End) and would be willing to part with them ... well, let me know. Please. :)

Great White Hunter

New York's spring turkey season runs for the month of May. The regs are pretty simple: shotgun only, birdshot only, bearded birds only, and must be out of the woods by noon (so the turkeys have some uninterrupted time to make little turkeys).

Turkey hunting, is, in fact, what brought me into the world of hunting and guns in a big way. I'll take this tangent and then get back to the original point of the post.

I grew up in a relatively gun-free household. Dad didn't own guns, but claims to be a pretty good shot. He grew up in Scouting (Eagle), was Scoutmaster for the base's troop while posted in Alaska for the Army, and shot "expert" during basic. He's certainly not anti-gun, they just weren't part of life as I grew up. I earned my "riflery" merit badge at scout camp when I was 13 or so, and finally convinced my parents to get me a BB gun. It arrived that Christmas - a Crosman Classic 2100 air rifle. I set up a "range" in the back acreage with a couple of straw bales. Tin cans, here I come... That pellet rifle and I tromped a lot of miles through our back woods and fields, plinked a lot of random targets, and may have been responsible for some minor property damage here and there.

I went to college and the air rifle stayed home, falling into disuse and neglect. After being out of school for a bit, I finally decided to buy a rifle. A .22 seemed like a good bet... so I went to my local Kmart (hush, I didn't know better) and picked up a Remington 597. A friend at work offered the use of some undeveloped land he owned as a makeshift range, and again, I was death upon tin cans and paper... but mostly in a trigger-happy sort of way. Brick after brick of Thunderbolt .22 disappeared down the bore of that rifle.

A friend invited me to a shoot at some point, and I went (of course). I can't remember everything I tried at that shoot, but my world was suddenly expanded from .22s. (Short list of highlights: M1 Garand, Glock 9mm, .44Mag revolver.) ... but I didn't buy anything new, not having a place to shoot or many friends into the shooting sports.

Fast forward a couple years. I joined the local volunteer fire department and slowly got to know folks there. One of them, at some point, mentioned turkey hunting that weekend. I nabbed him a bit later and said, "Gee ... um ... I've never hunted before, but I've always wanted to. Could I go with you sometime?" He took me turkey hunting the next morning, and while we didn't take any birds that day, I was hooked. I picked up a Remington 870 that summer, took my hunter safety class in early fall, and killed my first deer on my birthday that year.

Since then, my collection of guns has grown considerably, my interests in the shooting sports have widened and deepened, and I still cherish every moment in the woods.

(Hiatus for dinner. Story TBC.)

...Continued...

Dinner was good. Met parents at greasy spoon.

On to the hunt!

I've been out in the woods less this turkey season than ever before - my work schedule has made the 4am alarm clock a near-impossibility if I expect to be functional at all for job. Still, I've been out a half-dozen times. Talked to my hunting buddy last night and confirmed for today. He says arrive at 4:45. OK. Got up, dressed, headed out the door with a pistol on my hip and a shotgun over my shoulder. Two miles short of his place, the skies opened. Half a mile from his place, my cell rings. "Where are ya?" "Pulling in your driveway in about thirty seconds." "Oh ... ok."

We discussed after I arrived, and decided to sit tight for fifteen minutes and see if the rain would let up. It did. Picked a spot, headed out. Set up decoys, called, heard and saw nothing for an hour. Decided to walk and call - which the DEC hunter safety class says isn't safe, but we do anyway because there shouldn't be anyone else in these woods. Nothing, after picking our way through brush and the Fire Swamp. Poked our heads into a field... and there, across the way, was a flock of eight turkeys. At least two in strut, a hen or two, and several jakes.

We quick sat down and started calling. I was out front as the "shooter" and could see the birds - and they weren't moving. Just puttering around in the grass, picking bugs and worms and strutting. After fifteen minutes of this, we decided to get aggressive. We backed out into the next field and scooted down the hedgerow between. I picked a promising spot and snuck through, and found I was still sixty yards too far up the hedge. Backed out, moved a bit further down, and crawled through again. Better spot. Set up my little seat and started calling - and realized quickly that these birds were fat and happy and henned up, and weren't going to go looking for what they already had in front of them... so I got more aggressive. There was a gopher mound fifty yards into the field, directly between me and the birds. I quietly shucked off my turkey vest, keys, phone, assorted pocket junk, calls, and pistol... and started belly-crawling towards the mound.

Now, keep in mind that this hayfield had been cut and baled in the past couple days... but it had just poured an hour ago. I was damp as soon as I laid down, and soaked to the skin within ten feet. I kept crawling and peeking up occasionally. I finally made it to this mound and started making gentle purrs. Pretty quick, a hen separated from the group and made a beeline for me. I was hoping the toms would follow ... but no such luck. This damn hen walked right up to the mound, within fifteen feet of my muzzle, walked back and forth a few times, and then went back to the flock saying, "purt purt purt"...

I waited. One of the jakes stuck his head up and started walking towards me, then made a u-turn and the group started moving towards the woods. Hell, it's now or never! I raised my barrel, placed the bead on the big tom, clicked off the safety ... squeeeeeeze the trigger... BOOM ... and they all ran off. Hell, it was a hail-mary long shot anyways, probably 55-60 yards, but today was my last day for turkey season.

I stood up, walked back to the hedge, collected my things, and went in for coffee.


In other news, after dinner, I decided to take time to swing through WallyWorld and check on .22. Ammo cabinet was looking as bare as usual ... but wait... what's that? In the shadows? There was no one around, so I walked behind the counter to look closer. Not one, not two or three ... but SIX BOXES of Winchester HV bulk!

I nearly began gibbering there and then. I found someone to open the cabinet, bought all six boxes, and celebrated in my success. He mentioned they'd gotten a case or two of the Federal, but it had already sold out. So be it. I'll take what I can get right now.

So it came home with me ... oh yes, it did...


And a box of CB Shorts, just to try out.

An Appleseed Weekend

As I mentioned in Friday's post, we were doing the Appleseed thing this weekend. We made it out the door roughly on schedule and had things set up in good time when we arrived. The range was already set up and ready to go, so we simply popped up the canopy near the firing line and then set our tent up near our host's house. Other instructors were arriving at the same time along with a couple shooters, so there was chatter and some planning, and just good times.

Sleeping in a tent puts you back in touch with the world. I tend to forget how insulated we are living in a house. We fell asleep to the sound of peepers, bullfrogs, and the occasional quiet moo from the pasture across the road.

We woke up at early-dark-thirty to the distinctive screaming whine of a pack of rice rockets tearing up the highway nearby. In a valley, so the noise started early and lasted a long time. Rolled over and went back to sleep...

... and woke up around 6:30 as it really got light out. Rolled out, dressed, joined our hosts and other instructors for breakfast and coffee, then moved up the hill to the range to greet the shooters and get things rolling. A good mix of new and repeat Appleseeders, along with at least a few very new shooters. (One step past, "Wait, which end goes bang?") Nice mix of equipment as well; mostly 10/22s of various flavors, a few ARs, and one fellow (a repeat from last year) shooting a Remington 700 in .270.

Saturday, all work was at 25m, and we ground the basics into our shooters. Six steps, NPOA, getting sights and scopes zeroed, and a good dose of history from 4/19/1775. Managed to squeeze in a couple AQTs before the end of the day, and punched out two Riflemen with them. Weather was perfect all day even though storms had been forecast - and just as we closed things down, the skies darkened, the wind picked up, and it started to sprinkle on and off. A pretty good storm moved down the valley with some impressive fireworks as the instructors enjoyed dinner courtesy of our host (an instructor) and his wife. MrsZ and I moved out to the tent around 9:30 or 10:00 and listened to the rain patter gently and watched the sky flash as the valley rumbled. Something about storms in a tent...

Woke up Sunday around 5 for natural reasons. Took care of that and noted that the entire valley was in thick fog. Went back to sleep for another hour and a half, and when I woke up, it was still a soft gray world of ghostly shapes. Our tent was perhaps 200yd from the firing line and canopies - and those were invisible. An apple tree 100yd up the field from us was a mere suggestion of shape. Not ideal shooting weather... but we went in for breakfast and coffee, and ignored the weather.

It cleared as we ate, and ended up being another beautiful sunny day. Fewer shooters, but all motivated, and cranked out three more Riflemen. Following that, we went to full-distance shooting. Stretched out the .22 shooters to 100yd, and the centerfires to 200, 275, and 500yd. The .22 shooters were turning in respectable groups on the 100m target, scaled equivalent to shooting 400m. A few were making good shots on the (scaled) 800m and 1200m targets. Impressive, to say the least.

Centerfires were playing with a 6" popper at 200yd, a full-size Army "D" target at 275, and a steel copy of an IDPA silhouette at 500yd. I watched one of our IITs, an outstanding young man at 14yo, get prone behind his father's CMP Garand and start making solid hits - consistently - on the 500yd target. Prone, unsupported, iron sights, with surplus ball ammo. The M1 Garand: The finest battle implement ever devised. (Gen. George Patton) MrsZ slung up with my AR and got it dialed in for the 275yd D-target and made some good hits; a few other shooters ran a half-mag through and did OK with it.

We made the official end of the day at that point, but there was more fun to be had... two folks had brought out .50BMG single-shots, and there was a small supply of Tannerite. The Tannerite was mixed and put out at about 100yd in three .5L water bottles. The centerfire shooters were split into three fire teams and given one minute to hit their assigned bottle. I claimed privilege on this and jumped on a fire team instead of watching. Slung up sitting so I could see over the grass, loaded a mag, and the third shot connected perfectly. Yeah, that was cool... the sound effect was *crack* pause *crack* pause *craBOOM!* "BOOOYAHHHHH!" (with fist-pump for effect)

After we finished the Tannerite, the .50s came into play. The owners did a simultaneous volley on the 500yd target (with two good hits), then let those who wanted to have a go at it. I had shot one last year so declined - they're cool but I don't want to burn someone else's money and generosity for no reason. MrsZ took a turn at one though - and the look on her face after was freaking priceless.

Took down the range, packed the truck, and headed home - sore, sunburned, dehydrated, hoarse, and happy. This morning we slept in a little bit, then after showers we got around to cleaning rifles. Her 10/22 was desperate for it, and now MrsZ knows how to strip and clean her rifle. We did this outside because it was nice out. I cleaned my AR at the same time. While cleaning the barrel and chamber, I had set the BCG on a towel on the sidewalk. In the sun. After cleaning the barrel/chamber/receiver to my minimum standard, I picked up the BCG to start cleaning that... and promptly burned my finger. Not much, just enough to turn red and hurt a little. I don't know how our men and women in the sandbox deal with that - I presume they must wear gloves.

I've been spending the morning getting ready for an Appleseed shoot. Along with chasing down other errands.

Rifles are cased and ready to go. (10/22, MkII, AR15.) Range bag has been dumped and partially reconstructed. Ammo is packed (2k .22, 1k .223). Toolkit is partly ready - one rod needs to be put back in, along with the allen wrenches. Need to swap holsters on my BDUs from the .44 wheelgun to the 1911. (I prefer to camp with the 1911 over the .44; no good ballistic reason, just personal preference.)

Need to load the truck, fill the cooler, ice the cooler, and fill the water tank. A quick last shower and boogie on out. Hoping to be in VE by 7:30 so we can set up the tent while it's still light and have some time for BSing with the other instructors and whatever shooters have arrived.

Need to cram some more history, too...

Range results

Took the AR (I need to name this rifle) to the range today. My range is a friend's cornfield and open whenever I feel like shooting. No fancy berms, benches, target stands or hangers... just a nice hillside.

I hung a bullseye at a roughly paced 25m (see above range notes), put out my mat, slung up and got prone. Checked NPOA and felt good, moved the rear aperture to 8/3+1, and squeezed off five rounds.

The result is this:


I marked the shots, although it's somewhat washed out. The far right shot was a called flier, the other four were pretty much spot on, but a touch high. I turned the front sight up two clicks and tried again, but didn't take the time to check NPOA. See the results? Yuck.

Shot a couple Appleseed Redcoat and Classification AQT targets... I cleaned the 100, 200, and 300m targets comfortably. The 400 ... ain't there. It just doesn't appear for me through the aperture, because it's green on beige and I'm partly colorblind to greens. Too much is obscured even by that .010" crosshair front aperture for me to find the right blur.

(All shots were Federal XM193BK 55gr FMJ.)

I've a feeling I'd actually do better with a full-distance 400m target... but we shall see next month when I go to New Breman (Bremen).

50-ish rounds and zero ammo-related failures; a couple magazine problems prevented the first round from feeding properly. I'm hoping they break in better. (C-Products aluminum 10-round.)

A slow build-up

After the disaster with the Wolf ammo in my new AR, I started the search for brass .223 at a (relatively) decent price. I picked up some PMC and UMC locally as mentioned before, but kept looking.

Finally, I found a store online (LTDammo.com) that had stock of Federal XM193BK. $400/1000. I checked one other place (PalmettoStateArmory.com) who also had stock of the XM193 ($380/1000) and of PMC Bronze ($77/200). I did some waffling and debating, and finally asked the wife if she would have a cow if I spent a chunk on ammo right before we apply for a mortgage. She sighed and told me to go ahead - and to use her credit card to do it! *boggle*

By the time I placed the order, PSA had sold out of the XM193 and PMC. I sighed and coughed up the extra twenty bucks for it from LTD. Order placed and confirmed the afternoon of 5/11. Shipped 5/13. Arrived (as usual) fifteen minutes after I left for work on Saturday (FedEx Home Delivery works on Saturdays but not Mondays).

XM193BK is bulk-packed XM193. Loose packed. Arfcom has had some reports of damaged cartridges in the bulk pack. I made a quick sample check when I got home and found no more than a few minor dings in a couple cartridges, certainly nothing I'd worry about chambering and firing.

Yesterday a range trip was not an option. Today the weather looks good (albeit slightly chilly) and I may head out to check function and zero with the XM193...

Toy Store Score, Part II

Some inquiries with other reloaders found me a potential source for small rifle primers. Said source is willing to trade their small rifle primers for either large rifle or large pistol primers.

I called my pusher last night and had him set aside a couple boxes of large rifle primers. Went down this morning and picked those up. While I was there, I noticed that he still had a set of RCBS .223Rem dies on the shelf ... so those came home with me. Midway pushed back the backorder date on the dies I had ordered, so I'll cancel those. I also found a second reloading tray so I can work on 100 rounds at a whack instead of 50. And, last but not least ... he had bulk packs of CCI Blazer .22. $20/per, but "a little more expensive" beats the hell out of Walmart's "empty shelf". Three of those came home with me.

Dear Wife and I shoot Appleseed several times per year - we're currently scheduled to instruct two more (this month and next), plus Dear Wife is doing an all-women Appleseed in Iowa at the end of this month. I expect we'll add more as the year goes on and our time-off schedule is sorted out. In any case, instructing at an Appleseed means having an extra brick or two of .22 for the shooters who run out (for sale, not donation), and shooting an Appleseed weekend means just shy of three bricks for the two of us.

I also managed to score yesterday - one of several places I'd been keeping an eye on for ammo had cases of Federal XM193 for $399. I grabbed one. It sold out between my order and six hours later. No shock.

Confirmed that my pusher has ready availability of the powder I will be loading .223 with. I have brass. I have about 600 bullets. Have one pound of powder for working up loads and will buy a keg when that's running low. I need to order some heavier bullets if I can find them in stock - 55gr is a fine plinking round, but out beyond 300m or so it's not going to shoot so well. Midway had stock on Barnes TripleShock 72gr, which will be fine for nuisance deer hunting, but I'd really like to find some 62gr BTHP at a reasonable price. I may grab a box or two of the 75gr and 80gr match bullets to see how far I can really stretch this AR...

Toy Store Score!

Dear Wife had errands for me to run today. I took advantage of the trip downtown to check Walmart and one of my pushers for available options.

Walmart turned up Remington UMC .223 55gr FMJ for $9.47; five boxes came home with me.

Pusher turned up PMC Bronze .223 55gr FMJ for $8.49 - another five boxes came with me. It would have been more, but he also had primers and powder ... so I grabbed two boxes of large pistol primers, a pound of Ramshot TAC, and a pound of Ramshot True Blue. I haven't loaded with these powders, but they have been getting excellent reviews. And they were available. I left a couple trays of large pistol primers on the shelf, along with about five boxes worth of large rifle primers. (I have about 500 of those on hand, and the only large rifle I load is .270 - I don't foresee needing more than a couple hundred in the course of my lifetime. Just don't shoot it much.) He had no small pistol or small rifle primers... but I promised I'd be calling every week or two to check.

Almost picked up a set of RCBS .223 dies - but held off because (A) they were pricey, and (B) I have a set of Lee dies on order with Midway - and without primers, dies are pointless.

When I have a workshop (goes with a house), I'll start exploring casting my own boolits. I already shoot quite a bit of lead in my pistols.





Edit: I read the "15-minute AR trigger job" found elsewhere online. I didn't particularly care for the idea of clipping spring legs. I don't mind polishing. I had picked up some rouge at Home Depot earlier. Put that on a felt wheel for my Dremel and had at the sear surfaces... light oil, reassembled, function checked ... a hair lighter, a little smoother, but still not as crisp as I wanted.

Disassembled again, and this time used my Lansky 600-grit stone on the sear surfaces. Only a few strokes on the hammer and the trigger - I don't want to make the trigger unsafe, only clean it up. Light oil, reassemble, dry fire ... it's not quite the proverbial "glass rod", but it's a hell of a lot cleaner than it was yesterday. For a $50 lower parts kit of unknown heritage (I don't know where M-A gets their stuff), I'll take it. An upgrade may happen down the line, but not anytime in the immediate future.

Gun Porn and A Range Report

I replaced the sight pin on the AR today. Took out the default .0-whatever square post and replaced it with a KNS Hooded Duplex Reticle. Wow... a .010" crosshair with rifle sight radius? Freakin' amazing. Appleseed teaches "focus your eye on the front sight" - well, it's almost impossible not to with this bad boy. It's just ... there. And given the human nature of centering circle-in-circle, it just lines right up.

That done, I snapped a few pictures, and headed off to the range to function check and zero.

Function check: load one round in a magazine, insert in rifle, work charging handle, chamber round, safety on, pull trigger - nothing. Safety off, pull trigger - BANG, and bolt locks back. Good. Drop mag, load two rounds in magazine, insert, charge, pull trigger and hold - BANG ... Good. Release trigger, feel sear reset, pull trigger - BANG. Bolt locks back. Good.

Stapled up a sighter target at 25m, loaded five rounds, got slung up (note to self: order a Turner Sling!), get prone, check NPOA, focus ... squeeze ... BANG. Breathe. Hold. BANG. Breath. Hold. BANG. Etc.

Check group. About 1.5" excluding a called flier. Four inches low and two right. Adjust front sight for elevation, rear for windage, load five, repeat.

Elevation is spot on, windage still a hair right. Adjust windage, load five, repeat...

Prone. NPOA. Breathe. Focus. Squeeze. BANG. Breathe. Focus. Squeeze. CLICK. *BWAH?*

Work charging handle. Nothing comes out. Hm. Misfeed? Look. Spent round in chamber, rim ripped off by extractor. Sonofa ... No DammitStick in my truck or range bag, either. *swear some more* Remove upper, try to remove round with Leatherman tool and harsh words. No joy. *swear some more*

Packed up, headed home, stuck a brass rod down, and stuck case was removed in about thirty seconds. I will now have a brass rod in my truck at all times.

Lessons learned:
- This rifle is quite accurate. I expect when I have a dialed-in sight and hand loads with a proper sling, I will turn in pretty respectable scores.
- A DammitStick MUST be in my range bag from now on. This is the first stuck casing I've had in ANY of my firearms. EVER.
- Wolf .223 with a steel case really should not go in my AR, since that (steel casing) seems to be the reason the rim tore off. I have dies on order, have brass and bullets, need primers (HA!) and powder (double HA!).
- Wolf works fine in a Mini-14. It can stay there. I now have a near-lifetime supply of ammo for my Mini-14, since it is no match gun and will be relegated to utility work.

And now, on with the gun porn!
(Click to embiggen.)










Specs and particulars:
Lower: Territorial Gunsmith Limited Edition 2nd Amendment lower. #215 of 232. (Wife has 216.)
Lower Parts: M-A Parts. (Trigger is lousy. Considering upgrade.)
Grip: ERGO SureGrip right-hand.
Stock: Spec A2, rifle buffer.
Upper: DPMS DCM post-ban, 20" 1:8 stainless bull barrel, .223Rem, NM rear sight. Replaced front post with KNS reticle as mentioned above.
Magazine: PRE-BAN (it's dated 6/91) 30rd GI. I'll be ordering a pile of 10-round mags soon.

Engraving on the lower was part of the 2A edition. Color fill on roll marks is mine.

Match Blaster o' Doom

I ordered an AR upper from Model1 back in mid-February (had to wait for tax refund). They told me 16-18 weeks delivery time, which I accepted. 16" carbine, etc - very nice setup.

Last week a fellow on one of the gun forums I frequent put up a complete Panther Arms DCM match upper. 20" stainless 1:8 HBAR, float tube under standard handguards, sling swivel, A2 match sights, etc. Very reasonable price and available now. I jumped at it. The seller also included an M&D forearm weight - a bit more than 3lb of lead formed to fit inside the handguard.

It arrived today - however, the Brown Truck of Joy hates me, and consistently arrives around 2:30, just before I go to work.

Yep, same story today. I unboxed, gave it a quick once-over, threw the new grip on my lower, cursed because the screw didn't fit right, made some quick adjustments, and put it back on. There's a hair of play between upper and lower, which is no big deal, but the upper ... oh, it's pretty. Heavy, too. I can't wait to get this baby to the range! I'll try to get some pictures tonight or tomorrow and they'll be up then.

Quick dry-fire reveals that the trigger I have now ... sucks. I'll be polishing that and trying to improve the pull and break.

Now ... I need to find some more brass ammo, and a handful of post-ban 10rd mags.

I have decided to resume some blogging here. Not much; certainly not the volume I used to post in LiveJournal. As the title indicates, if you know your latin, this is about entertainment, and to me, entertainment is the shooting sports. Of all kinds. Hunting. IDPA. Trap/skeet. Target. Plinking. Appleseed. Working on guns, shooting guns, cleaning guns, reloading ammo for guns, etc.

So what's my background? I don't have one, really. First air rifle when I was about 12, a Crosman 760. Around age 21 I bought a Remington 597 .22, and it's been downhill ever since. I've shot handguns, rifles, and shotguns. Bolt-action, pump-action, revolvers, semi-autos, and single-shots. From the diminutive .17HMR up the massive .50BMG.

I don't have a particular preference in guns - I like most of them. The mechanical intricacies fascinate me. The elegant lines of an Italian double are as attractive to me as the blocky functionality of an AK. Admittedly, I have a penchant for older guns... but many do.

I'll start you off with one photo, and I expect there will be more as time goes on.


(Smith&Wesson 28-2 "Highway Patrolman" .357)