Category: The Gun Thing

Not just the guns, but all the stuff that goes with them

Shooting Bags & Contents

Shooting Sports, The Gun Thing

Via Insty, I saw this article (What to Bring to the Gun Range) and was immediately drawn to read it because guns.

Sheesh.  What a disappointment.  Hearing protection, eye protection and a couple other okay but sometimes silly suggestions.  In other words, duh.

So as it was time to tidy out my own range bag, I thought I’d share what it carries, more or less permanently (with some other stuff that I’ll get into in a moment).

Here’s the bag:

Alert Readers will spot that it’s not yer typical 5.11 tacticool range bag, but a humble tool bag available from any hardware store.  Reasons:  I want tough, and tool bags are tougher than they need to be;  and cheap:  this one cost about $15, compared to the typical range bag’s $50 (or more).  You can use a cheaper tote bag (I have), but they wear out pretty quickly.  Also, the Husky bags come in all sizes.  This one is a medium — I could have gone smaller, but I’ll give the reasons for that decision anon.  Also, note that little outside pocket, because its contents come next.

Now for the permanent contents.  In that outside pocket:

1 – Band-Aids, 2 – blood coagulant, 3 – eye drops, 4 – lens wipes, 5 – spare batteries for scopes, 6 – pen and marker, 7 – ear plugs, 8 – aspirin (for minor pains or those sudden heart issues), and 9 – Swiss Army Champ.

It’s by no means a comprehensive collection, but anything requiring more than that means a different set of circumstances.  (The coagulant, by the way, is for minor scrapes and scratches, because nothing screws up good bluing like blood.  Ask me how I know this.)

Now for the main body of the bag — and let me remind you that these are just the permanent contents:

1 – tape (for targets); 2 – Wheeler gunsmith’s screwdrivers, 3 – ratcheting screwdriver set, 4 – borelight tube, 5 – Loc-Tite, 6 – adhesive targets (familiar to those who’ve seen my ammo/accuracy tests), 7 – spare .45 ACP ammo, 8 – eye pro which fits over my glasses, 9 – hearing pro with volume control, 10 – cleaning rags, 11 – shooting gloves.

Okay, a few explanations:  the .45 ammo is in case the other guns I’m taking that day have a problem, in which case I can always just pull out the 1911 (which as you all know never leaves my side).  I generally don’t use the shooting gloves unless I’m doing shotguns and need a little heat insulation.  Finally, I don’t take any cleaning gear to the range because I do my cleaning at home.

All that, however, could fit into a smaller range bag.  Now here’s the reason why I got the bigger one:  regardless of what guns I’ll be shooting that day, I like to take a .22 (pistol or revolver) plus a bag of ammo with me every time I go, so I’ll just drop those in the bag.  That’s just in case I have something go badly wrong with the other guns, I’ll always have something else to shoot.  Obviously, those other guns will have their own case, and if for example I’m playing with the Frankenpoodleshooter, I’ll drop the spare mags into the Husky.  Also, I always add a can of Ballistol to the bag (it wasn’t pictured because I’d just finished cleaning my guns when I wrote this).

By the time I get to the range, that Husky is plenty full, as you can imagine.

Anyway, that’s my range bag.  Feel free to comment and add criticism or suggestions, as always.

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Walther-Hammerli 1911 (.22 LR)

Gratuitous Gun Pics

Okay, so you’d like to shoot your 1911 Government, but the cost of the manly .45 ACP ammo is eating into your Booze Fund.  What to do, what to do…

Well, in the past you could always just buy one of those ACE conversion kits, but they were spendy and anyway, you were too lazy to do all the mechanical work involved in stripping and reassembling.  So you just never bothered.  Far easier, therefore, just to buy a .22 pistol like a Ruger or Browning. (This paragraph, by the way, describes me perfectly.)

But in fact there are now a couple of alternatives that enable you to shoot cheaply and keep your eye in with your Colt 1911.  Here’s one:  the Walther-Hammerli 1911:

…or, if you want to take away that long 5″ barrel for a lighter gun, you could go for the Combat Commander-style shortie:

Finally, of course, if that modern “cheese grater” look grates on you [sic], you could always just go for the Walther-Hammerli “Made under Colt license” 1911 model:

And the best part?  The above two retail (ATOW) for about $350, and the licensed model costs only forty-odd bucks more.

No need to wait for those winning lottery tickets, in other words.

That matchless Colt 1911 trigger in an affordable .22 LR package:  irresistible.

Note:  just as a point of interest, Hammerli’s own .22 pistol (called by the romantic name of “X-Esse”) costs well over a grand.  Yes, it has a 6″ barrel:

But in the dictionary under “Tack Driver” you’ll find this pic.

Here it is, in its competitive “Sport” iteration:

Tempting Offer

Shooting Sports, The Gun Thing

Ooooh, something from my local range, Texas Legends of Allen:

If anyone’s interested in joining me, send an email with your preferred date(s).  It’s been a long time since I did anything like this, and it’s about time I did.   Now, if I can just drag the Son&Heir away from his treadmill at GlobalMegaBank Inc…

Different Take

The Gun Thing, Traditions

Well, here we go again:

Rhode Island Democrat House members are pushing legislation to require Rhode Islanders to obtain a “Firearm Safety Training Certificate” prior to purchasing a gun.

The text of H 7755 requires the would-be buyer of a handgun to “Present to the person selling the firearm a valid firearm safety training certificate issued by the office of the attorney general.”

The text further states: “The firearm safety training certificate shall certify that the purchaser has completed and passed an approved basic firearm safety training course within the previous five (5) years.”

Of course, your initial reaction to this is going to be a snort of fury and the ensuing Red Curtain Of Blood coming impeding your vision — as was my initial reaction.

But then I started thinking.

Somebody remind me:  what does that Constitution thing say about guns?  Oh yeah (sing along with me):

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

…and a damn fine piece of writing it is, too.

Now, for the benefit of the hoplophobes, let’s just get a few definitions out of the way.

“Regulated”, when it was written, did not mean “subject to laws and regulations” (as it might mean today).  Back then, “regulated” meant “trained”, as exemplified  by how several states used to mandate some kind of monthly military training (marching in step, learning to obey military commands, and so on).  That regulation also required learning proficiency in the use of firearms (and other military equipment, such as cannon).  We’ll get back to this in a moment.

“Militia”, also when it was written, did not mean the National Guard or anything like that, simply because the Guard hadn’t been invented yet.  A militia meant armed citizenry — and the United States Code goes on to define who constituted the armed citizenry as “every able-bodied man of at least 17 and under 45 years of age” (Teh Wimmens were added later, by the way).  And just so we’re all clear on the concept:  membership of the militia was compulsory.

So let’s take this proposal of the legislators of Rhode Island (lest we forget, one of the first states in the union) and make it comply with the spirit of the Constitution (because otherwise? it’s un-Constitutional).

  • Install mandatory firearms training in the operation, safety and handling for all high school seniors. The only exclusions are students who have a conviction for a violent crime resulting in a juvenile criminal record.
  • Certification must come from designated, qualified volunteer instructors (probably the sole reason for the NRA’s continued existence) who perform the function as a civic (i.e. unpaid) duty.
  • A passing grade — 90% or better, because this is serious business (as opposed to English Lit., which isn’t) — will entitle the student to a state-certified proficiency license which will guarantee the holder the right to purchase any firearm, most definitely including “military” ones, after their eighteenth birthday.
  • Re-certification must take place every five years until age 30 — once again, said service to be provided by volunteer agency and not the state — and after then at age 45 (kinda like how driver’s licenses require re-testing), whereupon the re-certification requirement ends.
  • The proficiency certificate can be withdrawn only in the event the holder is convicted of a violent crime (any, not just firearms-related).

So, Rhode Island legislators (and others of the same ilk):  how about it?

And by the way:  this is an either/or choice:  either institute mandatory firearms training in high schools, or drop your current idea in the trash because it’s un-Constitutional.

Oh, and fuck you, all of you.

Unwelcome Newcomers

Corporate Fuckery, The Gun Thing

At first, I didn’t think too much about this development:

America’s largest gunmaker, Sturm Ruger & Co., accused the parent company of Italian arms firm Beretta of trying to stealthily seize control of the Connecticut-based business through “self-serving demands” such as cut-price stock buys and veto-like board power.

The Todd W. Seyfert-led giant hit back on Monday at the historic firm’s proxy fight, which was first reported by The Post on Feb. 25, that branded the move as a thinly-veiled threat to launch “a war” and complete a full takeover.

Ruger claimed Beretta quietly built a large stake, refused to halt purchases during negotiations and sought perks that could break US antitrust laws that prevent companies from unfairly dominating markets.

“At that meeting, Beretta’s chair indicated a long-term plan to combine Ruger with Beretta but made no formal proposal,” Ruger said in a statement issued via a spokesperson.

“Beretta’s chair also indicated that he had no interest in the status quo and that he would find a way to increase his position if Ruger remained resistant,” the company added.

Looks like the usual corporate dogfight, dunnit?

Then I looked at some of the small print:

Beretta announced plans two weeks ago to nominate four new members to sit on Ruger’s nine-member board after the publication of The Post’s exclusive story.

The names are William Franklin Detwiler of Fernbrook Capital, Mark DeYoung, the ex-Vista Outdoor CEO, Frederick Disanto of Ancora Holdings and Michael Christodolou of Inwood Capital.

Oh, how nice.

And what do capital funds typically do?  Under the guise of “giving more value to shareholders”, these fucking vultures systematically strip and sell assets from companies they come to control.  And having four out of nine directors means they can pretty much do whatever they want — unless of course, the other five directors can hold the line and kick back against them, with shareholder support.

Sounds good, but that’s not the way to bet.

So what can we do, as ordinary folks?  Not a whole bunch, except make Ruger a priority or a first choice on our next gun purchase.  I wish there was more we could do, but there it is.

I have a bad taste in my mouth and a bad feeling in my gut…