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Sunday, May 29, 2011

If you can, please help!

Some read my post about a woman that is going through some difficult times.  If you can I would love to meet you for this great event.

















And yeah it is my home range! If you can please come for this great cause! Link to the range is here.

School Daze... UPDATE!

So I left the Community College gig. The other shoe has dropped for better or worse. My former department head announced his retirement to his Adjunct Instructors last week via email. I hate it for him in one way as he really enjoyed teaching. Lets see how someone 30 miles away schedules all of the classes he was responsible for in the fall without knowing this list of Adjunct instructors. I wish him the best in retirement!  

.22 Challenge!

Well, I can say this. I am consistent across platforms! This has been great fun and my complements to our host. It has also been very humbling. So here the rubber meets the road:

























New Colt M4 in .22LR. red dot optic, no magnification.

Next up a OLD Ruger 10/22 Carbine with 2X mag red dot optic:























This was GREAT fun! Does anyone have any ideas for the next one?

Thats something you don't see every day!

It is the Goodyear blimp "Spirit of Innovation" departing Charlotte Monroe Executive Airport yesterday. It was headed to the Charlotte Motor Speedway for some type of motorsport activity that consists of going straight, turning left, and repeating as needed. 

Sorry about the quality of the Photo. I was moving and so was it.


Retro Sunday.. Steel Guitar!

I am sure I can find a 45 somewhere with this on it! Mad props for the impromptu steel guitar action on this one!

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Memorial Day

I cannot by my own talents compare with B.'s talent as well as others with the written word. I can however offer this. It brought me to tears. Remember always.

.22 Challenge!

Over at Random Acts of Patriotism we have a shooting competition going on. Updates here.

I started with this. Love the Rifle, but lets try something different. Tomorrow I am going to the range with these:

















Top: Colt M4 with Walther 1X red dot optic. 
Bottom: Ruger 10/22 Carbine with TruGlo2X red dot optic. 

Wish me luck!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Still Packing!!

So I have finally completed this task in preparation for my trip:


















1200 rounds of .45ACP. 4.2 grains of TiteGroup powder, CCI large pistol primers, 230 grain Montana Gold round nose bullets. 

Pay no attention to the Atwater Kent radio speaker in the upper right corner, a project for another day! 

This is ready to go as well:


















I don't know what "Near IR Compliant" means except that I am sure I paid for it! 


Remember.....

Many have posted about the import of Memorial Day. ASM has one. So does DirtCrashr. I am sure there will be more over the Weekend. Remember those that gave all and as ASM points out remember the ones they leave behind. 


Thursday, May 26, 2011

Monday, May 23, 2011

Packing for vacation

Instead of wondering if I have shorts and a swimsuit I am working on this:

























For here:


Saturday, May 21, 2011

Retro Sunday.. The Outer Limits

I watched this show in syndication late at night on a lawn chair that was my bed at an Uncle's house WAY back then. I also had to drive him home after spending some quality time at a "gas station". The gas station had a simple bar on one end. My Uncle would buy Miller High Life's and sprinkle salt on top of the beer. Pickled eggs and Primrose hot sausages were dinner. He did keep me in dimes to run the pinball machine and a really cool bowling game using a puck. 

The truck was a F-100 with "three on the tree". First time I drove an automobile.  It was a bit challenging! 

And so for my Uncle Andy for understanding so many things here is what I watched on a B&W TV so long ago. I also had the honor to perform the final duty for him, again so long ago. 

I cannot embed the video. I can link it though. http://youtu.be/8CtjhWhw2I8 



Armed Forces Day

Link to Operation Resolve and the Honor Flight. God bless them and all that serve this great country.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Retro Friday?

I am running out of time to prepare for vacation and participate in the virtual shooting contest. So here is this, offered for your entertainment. This was back when any alarm system could be overcome with a diagonal cutter and a screwdriver! Bear with the poster below. Every show had a unique opening based on what was to follow for that show. Someone spliced several shows intros together for this:

An NC Gun Blog: HB 650 - What does it do?

Over at NC Gun Blog we find this. Contact your Representatives! I favor this Bill. I have a lot of reasons, but I will let them slip for now. 

An NC Gun Blog: HB 650 - What does it do?: "House Bill 650, of the North Carolina 2011 legislative session is long and complicated. It will change a lot of firearm related laws. Rath..."

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Hey! .45ACP Reloaders!

I just ran into something here on the bench. You may have already run into it, but just in case, here is what I ran into tonight.




















One of these Blazer casings is not like the other. The large pistol primer that is crimped behind them tells part of the story. 

Lets see whats going on, shall we?


















Miked the primer pockets. This is the one that crimped the primer. Then to the other one:



















This is the other Blazer casing. It appears that some bean counting dweeb said "Hey, we could cut .002 cents cost out of each round if we went to small pistol primers!" 

It does not stop here, apparently at the last bean counter convention the Blazer people told Fiocchi USA and Federal about the amazing cost savings!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

I Made a Difference Today....

Saturday, May 14, 2011


I Made a Difference Today....



That was profound in another persons life. A Woman about my age shows up for a 4 hour basic pistol (new shooter class) with someone I think is the Husband or boyfriend. She asked every question. She wanted to do all the administrative drills (loading and unloading both revolvers and semi automatics), and seemed to be "on point" all afternoon.  Wanted to do the dryfire in class with the laser as well.

Ok, I get that. The back story came on the break with what was not her partner, but her Brother. She divorced her Husband some time ago and fell in with another man. The situation escalated to the point she got a domestic restraining order on him. He had a Concealed Carry Handgun permit at the time. When the order was granted, the CCH permit and the handguns LEO knew about were confiscated from him, as it should be.

But as it goes, a piece of paper will not stop someone right here, right now, with intent to cause you harm. I applaud her understanding of this fact and that she spent the time and money today to learn. I am very humbled. I have a lifetime of shooting. What gives me the right to tell anyone about my experiences? She is in fear of this man. At least I can tell her how they work.

After 4 hours in the classroom we go live fire. First for her a Taurus .22 revolver. Then a Taurus .38 revolver. Then a Glock 9 semi. It all became demystified for her today.

She became empowered. She knew. She understands how these tools work. I saw her stand up a bit straighter. She actually laughed and made jokes after the live fire exercise. She will be back for the CCH class. I also told her when she left the class if the situation warranted she could leave here and go to Wally world and buy a Mossburg 500. I also told her if she did to give me a call to learn how that works.

I am truly humbled. I am making a difference in peoples lives. Right here, right now. Things I could not perceive in my life are happening to others.

For the decades of running a firearm, I again thank my Father. I also think that he is proud for the gift he gave me so long ago.

 





















Gotta go, CCH class tomorrow! I again am truly overwhelmed at the fact that what I am teaching to me is so pedestrian yet carries great import to others!
0 comments

Whew!

Sorry about my absence! Been really busy here! Private instruction Friday night, Basic Pistol Class yesterday and CCH class today.  Congratulations are in order for my 5 new shooters yesterday and my 5 CCH students today! One of the pleasures of doing this is to extend the legacy of family heirlooms. A family showed up yesterday for Basic Pistol. Father, Mother, and Son. The Father pulls a Colt Gold Cup .45 out of a large worn out sock! Looked to be a late 60's early 70's model. Grade one gun! He says it was his Fathers that passed away the first of the year. He knew nothing about the handgun. In fact he knew nothing about Handguns at all. 

At the end of class the entire Family shot this wonderful Handgun. Bonus for me I got to shoot it! Very, very, nice! Told him how to take care of it and told him that it was a Handgun worth keeping regardless of its provenance. I also told him to get a different gun for home defense! 

Today, I had a really, really, observant student for CCH. I show the "I love me slide" on power point listing the qualifications I hold in this discipline. After a couple of hours I have whipped out a Colt Combat Commander, Colt Detective Special, Kel-Tec P3-AT, Beretta 92FS, and a S&W Bodyguard .380. Observant student asks why he has not observed a Glock since on the "I love me slide" I list that I am a Glock Certified Armorer. I think about it and say that I do not own a Glock. Then I know what is coming up in the class. I tell him that I was wrong, I DO own a Glock! I whip this out of the bag:
























He was not impressed! 

Have a great week! Stay safe!

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

De sighing....

So the "Brown Truck of Happiness" brought this today. A new chronograph from a different manufacturer and a 100 bucks cheaper to boot!
















So, I tested it here before going to the range using sophisticated calibrated instruments to insure I would have accurate readings at the range:




A rubber band clocked in at 83 feet per second! Good to go!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

School Daze...

Tonight I completed my final class for the Spring semester as an Adjunct Instructor for a local community College. I have also completed an eleven year stint as one. I will not return in the Fall.

Why? There are many cumulative things adding up to reach this decision:

The "real job" is requiring some mobility now. I could not do that teaching 2 -3 nights a week.

I have "burned out" in this environment. If I don't want to be there it is a disservice to the students.

The School let the Security coordinators that managed security for Campuses go at the first of the year. They were all employees of the College (most retired LEO) and managed the off duty LEO officers that actually ran security. Security was farmed out to a third party private firm. I have not observed an armed guard this year. I cannot carry there. Incidents of violence are now on the increase at all Campuses. Go figure. I routinely observed at least two armed LEO officers before this, and they wanted to know you and where you were! I do not feel safe if someone in a smokey bear hat yet unarmed that dresses out at 275 is responsible for my safety and this is the norm now!

There was a reorg eliminating local campus department chairs in favor of all of it reverting to central campus. My department chair has served 47 YEARS here. He was informed of the reorg the same as I. An e-mail. I have worked for him for 10+ years at this campus. He is now an "Instructor". He has such a passion for the job and he was my superior and is my friend. He should have at least gotten a phone call before the e-mail came out.

There used to be a premium pay grade for IT instructors. That went away this year as well. Not really a big deal, but as I say, part of the cumulative effect.

This became a zero-sum game to me. To go there within the past 5 years or so and look back, spend the time, energy, and expense to be an Instructor really came home. As I viewed students on Federal or State assistance (I don't count Veterans in this) it became clear that I was paying for them to be there. Most wanted to know how many days they could miss and what had to be done to get a minimum passing grade. Paperwork increased exponentially for these students. They only way to win this game is not to play.  I was paying for people to give me grief!

Sorry. I will get off the soap box. This has been a long time coming. On the plus side I learned a lot about the art and science of teaching. I met some really incredible students that kept me sharp. I have been able to play with software and hardware I could break without consequence. I took all of my classroom management skills and ported them to a different class room with a different subject. This is my greatest gift from this experience. 

So for now, I hang up the IT instructor hat. Perhaps again later.






  

Monday, May 9, 2011

Sigh.....

Hey. I'm an electronics kind of person. I make a living out of making things that run process equipment among other things. I even have some degrees attesting to that on the "I love me" wall in the home office. So I am truly disappointed when things like this happen:















See the gismo above? It is a PACT Pro chronograph. "Gee Mr. Wizard what does it do?" I will tell you Tommy. It is supposed to report bullet velocity when you fire a bullet through a trap. I was expecting something like Feet per Second or some such out of the thing. It seems to use a super esoteric measurement system unknown to me. Every bullet fired reported a result of "No Start signal detected". At least my hand loads are consistent according to this thing! So after calling the factory I decided that no, I do not want to draw a pentagram on the floor of the range and sacrifice a live goat to this thing. How hard can a light curtain be? I used them all the time for safety controls on 4 axis robots. This thing goes back to whence it came, never to darken my doorstep again.

See this thing?














This is an Insight Laser. It came with this:






















Insights slogan on the Outdoor Channel commercials is "Insight tech gear, dominate the darkness." Well you better, because heaven help you if you want the laser to uh, you know EMIT LASER RADIATION!  It may have deactivated because I took the stupid "don't look at laser with remaining good eye" warning sticker off of the gun. I mean seriously. If you are being exposed to laser from this thing, a little eye damage would be a good thing if that is all you get from it yes?

OTOH, I may have picked up a case of the outhouse touch. Similar to Midas except for gold you touch it and it turns to s**t. I did go to work today. I just did not touch anything! 

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Practice!

In a previous post I thought about which rifle to run to participate in a Blogger shooting match . Mr. Skinner said run all three. Good advise and today I got some time in on a rifle I have had for over 35 years (thanks Pop)!

The Winchester Model 9422.



















So we get to it and I admit I have not had a lot of time with this rifle in a LOOONG time. So offhand at 25 yards we get this for 50 rounds:























Clearly there is some work to be done! Finally got dialed in to the upper left. Everyone else that shot it was to the left too. I might tweak the sights and try again, or go to the next rifle up, the Ruger 10/22.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

.22 Challenge!

This looks interesting, I'm in! Link here. I will even let my fellow competitors and Blog followers pick my rifle.

First, the venerable Ruger 10/22. Plain Jane, nothing fancy here:


















Next the Winchester Model 9422in .22WMR:

















An old friend from my youth. Again, no mods.

Next the brand spanking new Colt M-4 .22LR:









Less than 500 rounds through it. It has been equipped with a Walther red dot sight.

Let me know which one and I will try to get some lead down range this weekend!

Cats....

Brooke over at PaleoCon Command Center has a great video of Cat control. I also like her thinking on the matter!

Monday, May 2, 2011

The End of the Spear....

Looked really sharp yesterday! Well done from me to all that went in harms way.

Oh by the way. If the LA times put this out, are people getting a clue? Link

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Retro Sunday.. The automobile license plate!

Ok, not a riviting topic, but lets take a look at my fair state DMV efforts.

















Pretty straight forward right? No stickers or other accoutrements. 1966 Looks Ok.

Here is a 1971 Plate:

















Much the same.

Then we get into the period when everyone had to come up with a slogan for them.

















We did "First in Freedom" first. I guess the prisoners incarcerated at Central Prison really got bent stamping that out every day and we end up with "First in Flight". Ok; just because the Wright Brothers needed specific conditions for testing we get this.

I can legally run the year of manufacture plates on the rear of the Mustangs. I must have the current plate with me. I choose to bolt them to the front.