UPDATE! Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more...

First congratulations to my newly minted students is in order! Thanks so much for being truly engaging throughout the day! I really get tired of saying "is this thing on?" or "hey people this is not television, talk to me!" during my 11+ years of being a IT instructor. I never had to invoke those words today! Motivated people that want to know subject matter and ask engaging questions is the best teaching environment EVER for an instructor!

The small down side is the subject matter and tools at hand are a bit more dangerous than an Excel spreadsheet (Well unless you are ENRON or something)! I am responsible for their safety as well as mine and anybody else roaming around. I must say that although an old saw is "those that can't, teach" is equally rebuked by the old saw "You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother."

I have not carried a briefcase in years, but today I did and the contents along with the "other bag" are much more entertaining than any quarterly report most carry:

I am truly humbled by two mothers that drove 4 hours round trip and a small business owner that left his trade in the hands of others to make the effort to hear what I had to say today. I hope they found it worth the effort.

Again, congratulations to my students today! You comported yourselves well on all three areas of testing, I hope you continue this! You know this is only the beginning! The true journey begins now.   

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more...

New shooter on the line! I truly love this task. More than the monetary compensation. I am truly passionate about getting new shooters trained. So once again an old friend has been called unto the breech once more (incidentally with a equally storied human friend I have not seen since this gun was made almost). I have used it to teach several first time shooters. I love this little handgun!

This is a Smith and Wesson Model 34-1 .22/.32 kit gun revolver chambered for .22LR. According to Mr. Roy Jinks, Historian for S&W, this model and variants began in 1911. This handgun was shipped from the factory in the early '80's. Big hair and leg warmers optional! A really nice gun to shoot and a perfect one to learn with.

The Other Arizona Law....

That went into effect (Senate Bill 1108) allows citizens to carry a handgun concealed without a permit. Link here.

h/t to S. Phillips

Bowling Pin Match Videos

One of the sponsors of the match threw up some youtube videos from yesterday.

First a young lady with a .45 puts them down nicely!



I am in the left foreground entering the times on a laptop.

Then we have someone clear the table in 3 seconds flat!


The match was a blast and I look forward to the next!

Retro Sunday-- The Bowling Pin!

Due to this important tactical training today Retro Sunday will return next week! Man its hot! Oh, I did not totally suck, but it appears that more training is required and the suggested tool kit worked great! Love running a Colt through its paces!

Gadget!

From "Are we Lumberjacks" comes this little gadget. Luckily I don't need one!

Perhaps it is too late.....

"Government big enough to supply everything you need is big enough to take everything you have. The course of history shows us that as a government grows, liberty decreases."
— Thomas Jefferson

The Troopers Gal has this episode of total disregard for the Fourth Amendment linked on her blog. I am appalled and shocked. She however is much more blunt and I think rightly so in expressing her feelings on this matter.

Is the Bill of Rights in the dumpster behind the Capitol building or something?  

Navy Laser to help CIWS?

Raytheon showed a video of the U.S. Navy shooting down a drone with a solid state laser. Link to article in the Scientific American.

It is unclear at present if the laser can be shark mounted or if it can make popcorn!  

Scotty...What's left!

Just the batteries Sir! Ah the joy of the late night thunderstorm! I really wish that UPS and alarm makers would not beep everything if it's on battery power. I have that figured out by observing that it is dark!

Retro Sunday! The Nixie Tube

Off to assist teaching a concealed carry class tomorrow so Retro Sunday is here a bit early! 

Way back when before seven segment LED displays, Vacuum Florescent Displays, LCD's, etc. digital displays were a bit difficult electronically. Mechanical methods were available but were bulky and may not respond fast enough for the application. Enter the Nixie Tube, an offshoot of mature tube technology.

"The glass tube contains a wire-mesh anode and multiple cathodes. In most tubes, the cathodes are shaped like numerals. Applying power to one cathode surrounds it with an orange glow discharge. The tube is filled with a gas at low pressure, usually mostly neon and often a little mercury and/or argon, in a Penning mixture."

I actually had a test fixture at Western Electric that had them. In 1984! So I had to have a remnant of that era. Here is the Nixie tube clock:

Here it is running:

I do not run it often due to the limited life of the tubes, but sometimes I do enjoy the soft orange glow from another time!

I hope everyone has a great week!

Competition Shooting!

I was totally unaware of the coming hoard of zombie bowling pins.

I have been enlightened now. It seems that true believers hone defensive skills against this coming menace by conducting tactical training known as "Bowling pin matches". Now that I know that this training may save my life, I have entered one. If you wish to join me information is here.

Seriously, anyone have any practical advice for someone doing competition shooting for the first time? What caliber to use? Where to hit the thing? I understand it must fall off of the table, not simply knocked down.

When I heard that it must clear the table, my first thought was this for the toolkit (Click to enbiggen):

 Other than that, any recommended loads? Wal-Mart round ball stuff, hollow points, custom loads? I have the dies and Hornady XTP 185 grain hollow points and Montana gold SWC bullets, plenty of brass and Winchester primers. Oh and Tite Group powder.

Any help? As someone else today said: "this is a pulsating ball of suck and fail". I do not want to meet that definition!

The Knack!

From Supi comes this. This explains much!

Glock Armorer Class Review

First, tune out the fact that 30 other people have a pistol dry firing in close proximity to you. That drove me nuts at the NRA convention too.

Then start with this:

And make it look like this (minus the sights):

Then make it look like this:

Wash, Rinse, Repeat!

Put a NY trigger spring in, take it out. Put it back together without the trigger spring. Put the trigger spring back in, etc.

If you attend one of these classes, I suggest wearing your safety glasses ALL THE TIME! You may be done but the person next to you may not be. I will say that Glock springs and attached hardware have amazing speed and distance figures if they get away from someone!

Best one liner from the class: "Safeties can't fix stupid"! 

Actually I enjoyed the class and found out that Glock will begin full manufacturing operations in GA. So you think you will be able to buy a USA made Glock? WRONG! These are being built for export to countries that will not import from Austria.

The Showboat is Here!

The "Showboat" painting is here. Pictures do not do it justice! It is beautiful! So now we get to play the where to hang it game. My first choice right now is:

First thing you see when you open the front door! I will get it framed and get a light for it. Any home decorators that want to pull an AIRPLANE! Johnny on me and start up with the "Sheesh those drapes and that chair are hidious" stuff are also welcome to post!













The artist is a joy to work with and she really researches her subjects! DD-724 is next!

Retro Sunday OBE!

For some reason, many friends wandered by today to see what was going on at stately manor. Never fear, there is a wealth of retro stuff here but taking care of friends takes precedence!

My very first Glock!

I am so excited!

A young man and his Grandfathers gun!

So today I met a Father and his son to shoot the handgun presented to the grandson by the 90 year old Grandfather. The Grandfather is wise, his grandson had to show that he has been trained in the proper use of a firearm. It is a rite of passage sadly fading now. I meet them at a restaurant for lunch and head to the range. The son proudly and correctly presents the single action handgun to the range personnel for inspection. In the original box is a small bottle of "J.C. Higgins gun oil" (courtesy of Sears, Roebuck and Company), one round of .22 short and a really neat leather holster for the handgun.

So we get to it on the range. 12 rounds go perfect by the young man and then the pistol decides to throw the ejector housing and all it holds down range. Everyone looks at me like I just strangled a golden retriever or something. Call clear range and get the pieces. Thankfully I found the screw that hold this to the pistol.

Short intermission and back at it! I finally ask if I can shoot it and he approves my request. Neat little single action! Tight action, cylinder is tighter than on many S&W or Colt's I have shot. This gun has not been fired a lot! Sight picture is different but it seems that the gun will put the bullet where you point! 

This gun appears to have been made from 1968 to 1973 based on the grips. It is a Ruger Bearcat and after getting it back here I am stunned at the detail for this little gun:

Look at the cylinder!

Wow! I am impressed! And it seems that this gun shares many things with this one!


A good day and a young man with his Grandfathers pistol! Brought them back to stately manor and he was instructed how to disassemble and clean it. My good deed done for the day!

Hope everyone is having a great Saturday night! I know this young man and his father had a great afternoon!

A Music Video I Like!

h/t to Old Nfo for this one. I have not watched a music video in a long time, but I like this one!

Oh and here is the passage from the flash card from the video: 2 CHR 7:14. I know how to decode that, many years in private school payed off I suppose!

2 Chronicles 7:14 (New International Version)

¹⁴ if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Love it! Subtle thing that would not get caught by many!

Technology Gone Mad!!!

Although Tactical Bacon is cool, I fear this is not:

Go ahead pull the other one, there's a bell on it!

But Then Again....I do have this visitor!

Maybe they canceled each other out?

Well well well....

Had a visitor to the blog today, I apparently did not interest them too much:

I'm thinking that Handgun Control is not interested in the finer techniques of slide lock mechanisms, layering the thumbs properly, or such considering the D.C. address!  

h/t to the blog referring and you have been added to my reading list! Thanks for posting about the blunderbuss as well!

Who are these people? Google search for handgun control did not pop a Web site out.

Tamlanche!

Can anyone deduce from the following graphic what day Tamera cross linked to a post in my blog?

Thanks Tam! Got some good and entertaining information!

Oh Wow!

Here is this post and I am moved at the power of the Internet and the connections it brings. The painting of the USS North Carolina was commissioned by a blog connection and now I have a personal story about the "Showboat".

How cool is that?

I can stand on her deck and understand what many went through, sadly many do not.

Good help with appliances!

I hate appliances. They break and then suck the soul out of me. They will also cut you better than replacing a window track in a 1966 Mustang. There is a place however that provides hope. This person has a great Web site that can walk you through just about anything that has gone wrong with an appliance.

If you have something going wrong with a household appliance and can run a voltmeter and screwdriver you might want to check this out.

Retro Sunday- USS North Carolina

No not the sub, the battleship! A perfect subject for July the Fourth! My birthday gift to me, a commissioned oil painting of her. Sonia really researches her subjects and had many great ideas for the painting. You can check it out here