Month: March 2020

Compensation

Friends and Family, Travels

Being inhabitants of an island or two, the Brits have always been very much a nation of travelers, but even I have to admit some surprise at the extent of it:

Up to a million Britons are STILL stranded abroad scrambling to return home after countries closed their borders

Indeed, even my Longtime Friends the Sorensons were until recently stranded while out of the country, and only just made it onto the last flight back to Britishland.

Now of course, the country they were stranded in was the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius, which admittedly does take some of the sting out of it (pics taken by Mrs. Sor):

(There were more pics, but they’re somewhat personal nay even indelicate, with half-naked Sorensons all over the place, so I’m not publishing them here…)

Here’s the beach near their hotel, lest anyone still needs proof of their dire predicament:

I suspect that Mr. Sor’s deepening panic came not from being unable to get back to Blighty but from the prospect of the hotel running out of gin — entirely understandable, of course, as the thought of being marooned Robinson Crusoe-like on an island with no gin… well, I don’t think I need say any more.

But they’re back home, self-isolating in their historic urban residence, and despite a ready supply of gin they’re not at all happy about being there, for some reason:

Note the “social distancing” of their neighbors…

Response

Two-Minute Hate

Seen at Insty a while back:

Well, my initial reaction was:

“And I hope you fall overboard and get devoured by sharks.”

But I’ve had some time to think about it, and I’ve adopted a gentler, more measured response.

Now I just hope he falls overboard and drowns.

Did I ever mention before just how much I hate the recording industry?

One Forward, Three Back

Gun/Ammo Tests, The Gun Thing

Sometimes I wonder why they bother.  In an article which reviews Ruger’s new mini-wonder pistol, the field-stripping process is described thus:

Field stripping is easily accomplished by following the directions in the instruction manual. That’s the usual gunwriter verbiage, but it isn’t quite what I experienced with the 57. Following the direction to ensure the pistol is unloaded, the slide is first locked to the rear.
Opposite the takedown lever is a pin that takes a bit of effort to depress. Ruger recommends using the base pad of one of the magazines; I ended up using a punch. Once the takedown lever is protruding from the frame, it can be rotated down. Next, rather than the conventional method of running the slide forward off the frame (I warned you to read the directions) the slide is moved forward about a quarter inch, then lifted straight up.
The recoil spring and barrel can then be removed from the slide in the usual manner. Ruger has designed this pistol to be taken apart without the need to press the trigger, a feature I heartily applaud.
Reassembly is quite easy if one follows the instructions, but entirely impossible if, somehow while messing around with it, the takedown lever is allowed to snap back into the frame. (Ask me how I know.) Anyway, it really is quite easy, but I enjoin you, make sure the takedown lever is still out (or in the disassembly position) should you wish to avoid a couple of frustrating hours mucking about.

OR: 

Ruger could just have made their new wunder-pistole come apart like their own Mk IV .22 pistol, namely:

  1. Remove all boolets (and the mag) from the gun.
  2. Cock the piece and click the safety catch up into SAFE.
  3. Press the little button under the slide tabs at the back.
  4. Lift the slide assembly off the frame.

And that’s it: no special tools, no screwdrivers, no coins, nothing. The firing pin assembly is loose in the slide, and just drops out into your hand for cleaning. Here’s a pic-by-pic:

And now for the best part: the reassembly.

  1. Slip the firing pin assembly back into the slide (it can only go one way).
  2. Place the slide’s hinge hook back into the front of the frame.
  3. Drop the slide back onto the frame, and push it closed until you hear the click.
  4. You’re ready to start shooting.

Best part:  I never had to consult the manual.

Did Ruger do that?  No.  Instead, they made the new 57’s field-stripping procedure more akin to the older Mk I/II/III pistols:  a study in frustration.

I don’t know the answer to this (but I’m willing to learn):  how difficult would it have been just to stretch out the Mk. IV’s frame and breech to accommodate the longer 5.7x28mm cartridge?  Or, for that matter, the .22 Win Mag?

Oh, wait, I forgot:  that wouldn’t engender the same increase in sales (and all the concomitant gun-magazine hype) that a new pistol  would.

Instead, Ruger seems to have made a “new” pistol which hearkens back to the past.

Not interested.

Now if I were seriously interested in the 5.7x28mm ratshooter cartridge (a BIG if), I’d be far more likely to look at the PS90 mini-carbine:

I shot Doc Russia’s daughter’s PS90 a couple weeks back, and it was a sweetheart (albeit as ugly as Rosie O’Donnell).  But that gun’s way too spendy (over a grand and a half), so:  no.

I just can’t get excited about a new cartridge which is simply a very hot .22 Win Mag and which would cost an arm and a leg to get into, what with all the new guns etc.

I have enough calibers in Ye Olde Gunne Sayfe, so:  no.

What I may look at, if ever the funds become available, is the Kel-Tec PMR-30 in .22 Win Mag (of which I may already have one or two rounds in Ye Olde Ammoe Locquer)…

…and it’s all Ruger’s fault.

Or am I missing something, and is the 5.7x28mm the absolute bee’s knees?  Chuck Hawks doesn’t seem to think so.

News Roundup

Bad News

From (linked) pic to comment in one easy step:


…finally, some good Chinkvirus news.


…I’ve always liked Kirstie, and this just confirms it.  (no link because Piers Morgan)


…and he was released…why, again?  Remind me why capital punishment is a bad thing, or why the parole board who signed off on his release should not be imprisoned.


…#BelieveAllWomen is how this goes, right?


Worldwide shortage of condoms predicted.
…serves us right for outsourcing all our condom production to Assholia.


…ya thank?  Nawlins as always been in the top 5 of pox paradises, and now is no exception.


…if the little prick had done that to me, 65, lead poisoning and not coronavirus would have been his cause of death.  Ditto this asshole, who should have been “shot while attempting to escape”.


…“None” would have got my vote, but that’s just me.

Quote Of The Day

QOTD

From this guy:

“[Preppers] are not the ones who are causing shortages of anything. It’s the mental midgets and digital deadbeats who have been face-down in social media slop – buried in political bullshit and being led around by their clickmasters – instead of learning to look at life realistically, assessing options for an uncertain future and then pre-planning accordingly, that are to blame.”

Without sounding like a closeted Lefty:  I don’t know a single person who has been panic-buying and rushing from store to store like a maniac, looking for toilet paper.

Let me rephrase that.  Everyone I know has had pretty much all they need to survive a couple-three weeks of enforced isolation without having to buy anything more than a few products, none in “bulk”.

Long, long ago I made the following statement:

“I don’t just want gun rights.  I want everything that goes along with it:  individual liberty, a culture of self-reliance, self-restraint and civic responsibility… I want the whole bloody thing.”

Nowadays, the “self-reliance” part of that statement is more relevant than ever, and if I’ve done even a little to foster that, then it’s job done.