June 2019 – Page 2 – Splendid Isolation

RFI: Bolt-Action .300 Win Mag Rifles

June 27, 2019 Kim du Toit The Gun Thing

Yesterday I mentioned seeing a lovely Browning A-Bolt rifle in .300 Win Mag for sale, and I think the reason I didn’t buy it on the spot was because I’m not really as knowledgeable about .300 WM rifles as I am, say, about WWII-era Mausers or WWI SMLEs. Having seen how effective the .300 WM cartridge is on small game, I’m thinking of getting myself a rifle thus chambered at some point in the future, but I confess to being somewhat clueless about the differences between the different brands when it comes to how they handle the powerful cartridge. I mean: is the A-Bolt as good as the X-Bolt, and how do they compare with the offerings from Ruger, Remington, Savage or Winchester, to name but some?

My budget will be modest (or else I’d just get a Mauser M12 for $$$$), and I can’t afford to buy twice, if you get my drift.

Hence this RFI. All experiences are welcome.

Back Home

June 26, 2019 Kim du Toit Travels

Back home from our trip to New England, and New Wife is absolutely sold on the place — not to live, but to spend the odd week Down East during the summer.

I’ve been to New England (both the coast and inland) on many occasions in the past; in fact, my very first trip to the U.S. back in Fall 1985 was to New Hampshire’s White Mountains and coastal Maine, and I’ve loved the area ever since — hence my desire to take New Wife there as part of my long-term plan to show her around the various parts of the U.S. that are not Texas.

The first couple days were cool and misty/rainy, e.g. this pic taken just outside Belfast, ME:

…and another of the Bass Harbor coastline:

…but the last three days were nothing but glorious. Here’s one taken from our rental cottage on the Damariscotta River:

And another couple from the bridge at Southport Island:

Right-click on any to embiggen (and feel free to copy and use as wallpaper etc.). Please forgive the pics’ imperfections: Idiot Kim forgot his trusty Nikon and had to rely on his phone instead. Ugh.

Finally: while we were there, several Readers wrote to me and invited us to join them at their houses, on their boats, or for a meal/drink. My sincere apologies for not replying to any of you: I didn’t check my email account until last night (my vacations are pretty much that — a getaway — and much of the time we had zero connectivity anyway). So please don’t think I was being rude. Rest assured, the next time we go Down East, we will meet up and socialize, if the invitations are still open. Invitations to go shooting will, as always, receive priority.

What a pleasure. The only regret is that we missed the arrival of the tall ships during Boothbay Harbor’s Windjammer Festival. (I think they’re scheduled to arrive there today, in fact.)

And en passant: at the KIttery Trading Post, I saw a second-hand Browning A-Bolt rifle in .300 Win Mag with a laminate (not the usual composite) stock for sale at a very reasonable price. I’m still kicking myself…

Been There, Done That

June 26, 2019 Kim du Toit The Gun Thing

From Knuckledragger comes this admission of low self-control:

“My local gunshop here advertised a [S&W] Model 66-1 for $585 just recently. If I didn’t already have a Model 65, I’d have jumped all over it. As it is, I’m afraid to go in there until I know they’ve sold it because I know I’ll get stupid and put it on layaway anyways.”

I must have done that myself about half a dozen times over the years. That said, I’ve done the other — bought the damn gun instead — probably about a dozen times.

Actually, I’ve done worse. I once bought two guns on the same day purely on impulse, but from two different gun stores. Which guns? These two:

1) Swedish Mauser M96 (6.5x55mm)(The Swede came with three battle-packs of the outstanding steel-core Hirtenberg mil-surp ammo, which pretty much sealed the deal.)

2) Inland M1 Carbine (.30 Carbine)

Yeah, like you wouldn’t have done it if you could…

Quote Of The Day

June 26, 2019 Kim du Toit QOTD

“Why does [US Rep. Ilhan Omar], who fled Somalia and came to the U.S. at the public expense because we’re a nation who is compassionate towards real refugees, then dedicate her life to attacking it?”

Answer: Africa Wins Again

More Of Those Things

June 25, 2019 Kim du Toit Drive Time, Technology

I know that “keyless entry” systems are all the thing with cars these days, but forgive me if I’m just a little skeptical about their security:

Some new cars on the market are vulnerable to keyless thefts, tests have revealed.
Latest security ratings for seven models you can buy in showrooms today have been released by Thatcham Research, an independent automotive research centre.
Of the seven vehicles reviewed, four were found to offer ‘poor’ resistance to relay crimes that have spiraled in the last few years.

Actually, most cars offering this feature are vulnerable to being hacked by relay devices (available on amazon.com, of course). And if you don’t know how a relay device works, you need to disable your keyless system and go back to using a car key.

I of course have no desire ever to activate any keyless system when I come to replace the Tiguan, so none of the above will apply to me. And should my choice of car not have deactivation as an option, that choice will shift to another which does, or doesn’t even have the infernal system in the first place.

I am all for progress, by the way, if it represents actual progress and not just a nod to “convenience” (i.e. laziness). For example, I have always applauded the shift from front-stuffing muzzle-loaders to the brass cartridge — but should some techo-genius come up with an “electronically-activated triggering mechanism” to replace it, I’ll probably shoot him.

With a bullet launched from a brass cartridge case, most likely one of these: