Unlike the late John Lennon, I’m not a jealous guy. But I have to admit that I do occasionally feel a little envious that ol’ Leo DiCaprio gets to plunge into prime pieces like this one, seemingly at will:
I mean, really?
Month: September 2023
My Five
The headline was interesting: Five Rifles You Should Shoot Before You Die, but as it’s behind a paywall, I couldn’t get to read it.
However, seeing as opinions are ubiquitous (like paywalls, it seems nowadays), here are Kim’s 5 Rifles You Should Shoot Before You Die. I’ve stuck to centerfire cartridge rifles for the purposes of brevity.
1.) 1885 Browning / Winchester High Wall (preferably in a “buffalo” cartridge chambering e.g. .50-70, .45-110 or .45-70 Govt)
Some might argue that the Sharps would be a better choice, but there is no feeling in gundom quite like closing John Browning’s “bank vault” action. Unless it’s working the bolt of the
2.) Short Magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) in .303 Enfield
Once again, many could argue that the Krag-Jorgensen (.30-40 Krag) is an equal thrill — and I won’t refute that, because it’s fine too — but the SMLE’s action is wondrous.
3.) Schmidt-Rubin K.11 / K.31 (7.5x55mm Swiss)
It is scarcely an exaggeration to say that the venerable Schmidt-Rubin rifles are better made than 90% of any rifles ever made; it’s a marriage of Swiss watchmaking precision with a straight-pull bolt action, and it’s a feeling like few other.
4.) Winchester 1894 (.30-30 / .30 WCF)
The Marlin’s action is similar, but the Winchester is the preferred choice. In the hands of a practiced shooter, the lever action can be worked with such speed as to make it sound like a semi-auto. And speaking of semi-auto rifles, here’s my last choice:
5.) M1 Garand (.30-06 Springfield)
The Garand tames the recoil of the powerful .30-06 like no other rifle, and not only is it a pleasure to shoot, but it gives you a lovely little sonic ting! to tell you that your ammo is all gone.
Honorable mentions:
Ljungman AG-42 (6.5x55mm)
The Scandi equivalent of the Garand, and it’s amazing. Like the Schmidt-Rubin, its quality of workmanship is astounding, and the gentler-recoiling (but no less effective) 6.5x55mm Swede cartridge makes the Ljungman very close to the Garand in the pleasure of its shooting.
Mauser 1898 (G.98, K98, K98k) in 8x57mm
Of course, one could argue for the inclusion of many of the 98’s clones (e.g. the Springfield ’06) on this list, but the fact that Mauser still makes the 98 action today, unchanged, says it all. Like the 1885 High Wall above, the closing of the Mauser’s action is a bank vault sound, and it makes you confident that no matter what, that bullet is going to leave the rifle when you squeeze the trigger. (For those who are leery of the recoil of the 8x57mm, you can substitute the smaller 7x57mm Mauser — in, say, a Venezuelan mil-surp Mauser — and still get the same feeling.)
Now some may say, “But Kim, what about modern rifles? Aren’t they as good, or even better than the old ones you’ve listed?”
Here’s my response.
One of the joys of shooting old rifles is not just the act of shooting, but the fact that when one does so, there is a feeling that one is touching a piece of history. In one swoop, one is experiencing our shooting heritage and firing a beautiful rifle, It is a feeling like no other.
Of course, I like shooting new rifles just fine. The CZ 550, (pre-’64) Winchester Model 70, Sako 85, Remington 700… I’ve shot them all, enjoyed them all, and would take any of them into the bush with me with complete confidence.
But everyone should shoot one of my Top 5 rifles before they die. If you haven’t already done so, it’s a bucket list to be pursued, I promise you.
And I have no idea how this list compares to the linked paywall list (perhaps someone could tell me, in Comments), but I’ll stand by my choices, regardless.
Slow Posting
Sorry about the paucity of posts. New Wife had to get away from work for a while, so we spent the long weekend at Horseshoe Bay:
More posts to appear throughout the day.
News Roundup
The above is actually a personal endorsement. I had lunch there on one pf my road trips a while ago, and the food was outstanding. Can’t remember where it was, though: just outside one of those redneck speedways in the South (Bristol? Martinsville? Darlington? whatever).
...next: suing cutlery makers for making knives so easy to stab with.
...so that’s why they’re not going to build any more nuke power stations, then?
...sounds presidential. As opposed to:
...seems like the hurricane hit the wrong part of Florida.
...in which we play the “Guess The Race” game once again.
From the Department of Education:
...keyword: Canada.
In the battle of Global Warming Climate Cooling Change©:
...keyword: again, Canada.
...keyword: Australia (lol you thought I was going to say “Canada” again, dint ya?)
...it didn’t really matter who had deckchair rearrangement duty on the Titanic, either.
...even more shocking: she wasn’t their schoolteacher.
...if only he hadn’t picked the farmer’s favorite.
And talking about cow-shaggers and dead-horse floggers:
…
...for three days a year.
...I’m just amazed they had the staff left over to do some actual policing, what with all the parent harassment, Internet snooping and crazed gunman avoidance.
And in (guaranteed link-free) INSIGNIFICA:
…dunno why she was worried: she’s always had far better tits than the skinny and bulemic Lady Di.
No Accounting
It’s interesting how different nations will take the same ingredients, eat them a certain way, and strange looks (or sometimes, gagging noises) will ensue from others who can’t see it being eaten that way.
Take for example Britishland’s favorite, the prawn sandwich:
Most Murkins, at this point, are going “Say what?” while the Frogs are going “Quoi?” (with added lip curl).
Of course, New Englanders eat lobster on bread rolls, so we’re not that far apart — but Old Englanders would look askance at that because for them, lobster is strictly a main course, e.g. the Thermidor:
Back onto the prawn thing, though: even I, a committed Anglophile, have to admit to a little puzzlement at prawn sarnies, accustomed as I am — as are most other Murkins — to seeing shrimp (or prawns, for that matter), in a cocktail or as an appetizer:
All that said, I could see myself eating shrimp on, say, a croissant:
…because a croissant is more like pastry than a prosaic slice of Wonderbread.
Okay, is anyone else starting to feel hungry? For a chip butty (UK’s #2), maybe?
(a.k.a. carbs squared)
Two nations, divided by a common food. [sigh]
It’s enough to put a man off his breakfast gin. (Or is that just my favorite?)
Oh Boo Hoo
Once again, we have handwringing when some young asshole, as the saying goes, “fucks around and gets found out”. In this particular case, we’re supposed to get upset when a drunken college kid gets shot because he thought he was trying to get into his own home at 2am, but it wasn’t; and the actual homeowner shot and killed him.
That’s how the media paints it, of course, but that’s not actually how it panned out:
Nicholas Anthony Donofrio, 20, died early Saturday after knocking, banging, and kicking on the front door of the man who shot him when he broke the glass window and tried to manipulate the doorknob.
Frankly, I’d have done precisely the same thing under the circumstances — and I bet there are more than a few of my Readers nodding in agreement.
Anyway, sanity has prevailed:
A police news release added that the investigation determined the shooter – who legally owned the firearm – was covered by South Carolina’s so-called ‘Stand Your Ground’ law and no charges will be filed.
I don’t know what this “legally owned the firearm” business is, unless that’s some South Carolina thing I’m unaware of.
Whatever, it’s a tragedy; but when you’re an underage drunk trying to bust into a house, there might well be a shooting. The kid thought he was trying to get into his own house, but that’s not how it appeared to the actual homeowner.
And if the kid’s family wants to sue someone, they should start with the booze company (just kidding, they shouldn’t be thinking of suing anybody).