Category: The Gun Thing

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

Winning A Raffle

The Gun Thing

Many years ago, I was invited to a prairie-dog shoot out in West Texas.  The only problem was that at the time I didn’t have the right gun for the job, and couldn’t afford to buy one that would, at least, give me a chance at bagging a few of the little critters and not just waste ammo for two days.

So I had a raffle back at the old Nation Of Riflemen website, which worked as follows:

  • Tickets cost $20 each, limit one per Reader
  • The goal was to get a decent rifle and scope — the highest quality rig I could purchase with the ticket proceedings
  • After the shoot, a third party would draw a ticket number, and that lucky Reader would get a pretty serious varmint rig shipped to his FFL (at my expense), all for an outlay of $20
  • Which is what happened — I do not  remember the Reader’s name, only his Reader ID, and that he lived somewhere around Atlanta.

I don’t remember the actual gun we ended up with, but I think  it was a Cooper Arms Model 21 HB in .223 Rem, topped with a monster Leupold 24X scope:

 

Whatever, the rig was an absolute monster, and when sighting it in, I was getting .25″ groupings at 100 yards in windless conditions.

As it happened, the prairie dog shoot was called off, which meant that the winner got a gorgeous varmint rifle and scope with fewer than a dozen rounds through its barrel (sighting-in only — I never even got to practice with the damn thing).

For $20.

Here’s the actual announcement post from the time (scroll down to see the winner’s reaction):

 

We Have A Winner

October 15, 2007
6:46 AM CDT

Yes, we held the drawing for the Ultimate Varmint Rifle over the weekend, and we have a winner (and a runner-up, in case said winner doesn’t contact me in 30 days).

Full details will be posted anon, but unless both these conditions are both met, you are not a winner:

      • Name: John L. L.
      • Residence: Atlanta GA

I will be contacting Mr. L. by mail over the next day or so, but if you read this happy message, John, feel free to email me.

A full account (including pictures of the draw) will be posted as soon as I have all the details available.

Comments:

  • Aww, man.

    Well, congrats to John!

    Author ID: 142 | 10/15/2007 07:04 AM CDT

  • Dang it!! long face

    Congrats John, enjoy!!

    Author ID: 9172 | 10/15/2007 07:18 AM CDT

  • w00t! Congrats John!

    Author ID: 41 | 10/15/2007 07:20 AM CDT

  • Congrats John! Make damned sure you post pics of your first targets.

    Author ID: 112 | 10/15/2007 07:29 AM CDT

  • Kim, I changed my name to ‘Brutus.’  Please send everything to me at that address.  Much ‘bliged.

    Author ID: 10034 | 10/15/2007 07:37 AM CDT

  • Nicely done, congrats!

    Author ID: 2166 | 10/15/2007 08:48 AM CDT

  • who was the runner up? Gotta know!

    Author ID: 8372 | 10/15/2007 09:45 AM CDT

  • Congrats, JohnLL, I’m a little bit green with envy; and thanks for the fun contest Kim.

    BTW, when is the next contest? (Be sure to set some aside as a ‘gratuity’ for your work this time.)

    Author ID: 8969 | 10/15/2007 10:14 AM CDT

  • Carnaby,

    I’m not going to post the runner-up—that would be cruel. But I can say two things: a.) it’s not you and b.) he’s a (very) Long-Time Reader of this website.

    And don’t let’s have any LTRs pestering me either, because that’s the last word I have to say on the topic.

    Kim | 10/15/2007 11:20 AM CDT

  • I’m with Les on that ‘gratuity.’  I don’t know what an appropriate ‘Entrance Fee’ would look like but I plan on doing this next contest and a small entrance/processing fee would be acceptable for all your hard work and effort.  And as much as I am a hunter and enjoy scoped out long guns, I sure would like to see an M-14 as the prize!  Surely, you could break it in, too.  You wouldn’t want to send of a liability.

    I have to confess, too, that I was only pulling your leg: John L. from Atlanta didn’t change his name to Brutus.  Sorry, John, that was rather dishonest of me and congratulations.

    Author ID: 10034 | 10/15/2007 11:23 AM CDT

  • Congratulations to JohnLL.

    Didn’t want a .223 boltie anyway, mumble mumble mumble…  wink

    Author ID: 1448 | 10/15/2007 12:08 PM CDT

  • Congratulations, John!

    Author ID: 503 | 10/15/2007 02:53 PM CDT

  • Just so it’s not my brother-in-law John…

    If so, John… <suggestion to let his first target be his face deleted in the interest of good taste.>

    Author ID: 8950 | 10/15/2007 05:54 PM CDT

  • Aww, darn it!  Well, enjoy yourself, sir!  And may this be the 1st of MANY that Kim does!

    Author ID: 9123 | 10/15/2007 06:40 PM CDT

  • Kim,
    You’ve mis-spelled my name. It should read E*** J****. I forgive you for the error, please feel free to ship to my FFL at your earliest convenience. grin

    Author ID: 6138 | 10/15/2007 06:40 PM CDT

  • Well, at least my homeboy got it. Maybe I can talk him into a day at the range just to fondle…er, test-fire it a few times.

    Author ID: 8681 | 10/15/2007 07:22 PM CDT

  • John, congratulations!

    Kim, I still hope you got to break it in after all.

    Rich

    Author ID: 359 | 10/15/2007 07:48 PM CDT

  • Hey, Kim…when you post the follow-up, be sure to re-post the photo of the rifle…my keyboard doesn’t have enough drool in it yet.

    Author ID: 7656 | 10/16/2007 02:46 AM CDT

  • HOLY )$#@($#* , I actually won something!!!!!  *does the happy dance*  Either that or there’s another John L. L. who also lives in Atlanta who just happened to enter this raffle.  Sorry guys, but I’m making sure my claim is staked on this. wink

    Author ID: 7371 | 10/16/2007 05:23 AM CDT

  • Reader JohnLL is indeed the lucky winner. Congratulations.

    Kim | 10/16/2007 06:34 AM CDT

Anyway, that’s what happened.  Tomorrow I’ll post the details of a new drawing, this time for the Ultimate Long-Distance Rifle — to be used at Boomershoot 2020 in May this year.

Boomershoot 2020

The Gun Thing

Yup, it’s that time again.  (“That time” being wherein I discover, and not for the first time, that I am totally crap at long-range shooting.)

I just registered for Boomershoot 2020, so I’ll be up in central Idaho on May 1-3, driving all the way up from Texas for the three days prior, and all the way back down for the three days thereafter.  (I drive because of all the gear one needs to make Boomershoot feel less like the Somme circa  1916 only without being machine-gunned by Huns.)  I have not been to Boomershoot for fifteen years, and I very much doubt whether my skills have improved over the intermission.

So why am I going?  Well, I missed Mr. Free Market’s last trip to Scotland for the annual deer stalk in appalling weather conditions, so I need to punish myself — it’s the gunny equivalent of a hairshirt, to quell any feelings of pride and/or adequacy I may feel in my shooting skills, such as they are, and to remind me that shooting generally doesn’t take place in an air-conditioned indoor range, nor even in clement weather.

Organizer Joe Huffman, national treasure that he may be, is not responsible for the drenching rainstorms which sweep the area periodically, nor for the scorching sunshine when it’s not raining.  Nor is he responsible for the variable 20+ mph winds which sweep across the field, and which make shooting at inch-sized targets (at 400 yards) such an  ummm interesting  test of one’s ability to judge the likely fall of shot at the target.

So I’ll be acquiring at some point a new rain/sun shelter and a new shooting bench (the old ones having disappeared without trace into the mists of time during my fifteen years’ absence):

Not quite sure at this point what rifles I’ll be taking up.  The Son&Heir may be accompanying me (his work schedule permitting) in which case the Swedish Mauser will be putting in a repeat appearance*.  I hope he does make it:  he’s as good a spotter as he is a shooter — and at BS, a spotter is mandatory (unless you just want to shoot hundreds of rounds into the ground around the target).

But the rifles… previous experience at BS has shown me that hunting rifles (even ones as good as my Mauser M12) just don’t cut it.  You need a heavy rifle and a heavy barrel (the latter to handle the high rate of fire), and most hunting rifles’ barrels just overheat and the lightweight stocks don’t give you a steady shooting platform.  Here’s a pic of what I mean:

The guy on the left (in blue) wasn’t shooting but spotting for his buddy, who was an ungodly shot:  13 shots, 12 boomers at 800 yards.  The cartridge was .30-378 Weatherby, as I recall.

I don’t have anything like that, nor do I want to shoot a heavy bullet, despite the advantages that would bring in a stiff breeze.

I’ll be thinking about the problem over the next couple of weeks, but I’m leaning towards 7.62mm NATO / .308 Win in addition to the 6.5x55mm Swede I’ll be bringing already.  Here’s an idea of what I’m talking about:

All suggestions (especially from Boomershoot veterans) are most welcome.

*A brief word of explanation:  the S&H doesn’t enjoy shooting through a scope because, and I quote, “there’s no artistry  involved, Dad” and thus prefers to use iron sights at 400 yards.  Last time, he hit six boomers out of fifteen shots fired — in other words, as the 400-yard boomers are 4″ square, shooting MOA with iron sights, the bloody showoff.  Even the Fort Lewis Army snipers were impressed.  We’ll see if his 30-year-old eyes are up to what his 15-year-old eyes managed.

Cluebat Needed

Modernism, The Gun Thing

Some people just have no fucking clue.  Example #1:

I know that this may be seen as hateful / rayyciss / [insert epithet of choice]  to some — but what the complainers fail to realize is that handing out LGBTOSTFU flags to children is just as offensive to some people as waving the Confederate flag is to others.  If you allow the one, you have to allow the other.  The good news in this case is the sub-heading.

Example #2:

Nobody wants gun battles in churches.  However, if the choice is between “gun battle”  and “mass slaughter of innocent unarmed victims”, let’s just insist that “gun battle”  is the better option.  Not only that, but in even considering the slaughter as preferable, we can also say with certainty that people who are prepared to see mass slaughters of innocent unarmed victims just so that their anti-gun mantra is satisfied, are very bad people.

Glaring Omissions

Bad News, The Gun Thing

I note with displeasure the recent rise of attacks on Jews, and see that a couple experts have weighed in on why Jews should be armed.  (I would have thought that the events that led to the sentiment of “Never Again!” would have been reason enough, but anyway.)

In response, the article suggested six guns for Jews to carry:

  • Sig Sauer P365
  • Glock 17
  • Glock 19
  • Glock 43
  • Smith and Wesson M&P
  • Springfield XD

All good guns, and ones I would carry without a qualm myself (okay, maybe not the Glocks, because reasons).  However, considering that one of the above guns is German, and three others Austrian… I mean, I know  that Jews must have short memories because they appear to have forgotten all about the Holocaust (see above), but sheesh…

If I were a member of the Tribe, I would not only arm myself, I’d make a symbolic gesture by carrying one of these two excellent guns, from Israel’s own eeevil Zionist gunmaker, IWI:

The Jericho is a lovely piece (I’ve fired it many times myself) and the FS and RS variants are available in all three varieties:  9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP (and no prizes for guessing which caliber I’d choose, especially when the .45 ACP was built for a gun designed by a man whose middle name was “Moses”).  The bigger mil-spec Masada (which I haven’t yet had a chance to fire, damn it) looks like a decent piece too, but is only available in 9mm.

I can’t think of a better outcome than for a Jew to shoot a violent anti-Semite in the face with an Israeli gun.

Virginia Flashpoint #4

Marxists, Politics, The Gun Thing

If there’s any silver lining to the dire situation that ordinary Virginians are finding themselves (being at the mercy of a Democrat-dominated legislature and executive, that is), it’s that the latter bastards are showing the rest of us Americans exactly what they would do if they held the keys to the national  levers of power.

By now, we’re all familiar with the gun banning / confiscation / criminalization intent of Virginia’s state government — even to the extent of Head Bastard Gov. Northam having a tidy little budget set aside for prosecution and incarceration of law-abiding criminalized gun owners.  How nice.

But it doesn’t end there.  These fucking Commies are going after suburbanites, too [emphasis added]:

Democrats in Virginia may override local zoning to bring high-density housing, including public housing, to every neighborhood statewide — whether residents want it or not.
The measure could quickly transform the suburban lifestyle enjoyed by millions, permitting duplexes to be built on suburban lots in neighborhoods previously consisting of quiet streets and open green spaces. Proponents of “upzoning” say the changes are necessary because suburbs are bastions of segregation and elitism, as well as bad for the environment.

Of course, the environment just has  to be dragged in to support their weak-assed argument.  Although if anyone wants to see a truly  ravaged environment, I invite them to visit a low-income neighborhood, anywhere in the world.  Middle-class suburbs, likewise anywhere in the world, are paradise by comparison — until “affordable” housing is brought in, that is.  And right on cue:

The move, which aims to provide “affordable housing,” might be fiercely opposed by local officials throughout the state, who have deliberately created and preserved neighborhoods with particular character — some dense and walkable, others semi-rural and private — to accommodate people’s various preferences.

But Democrats tout a state-level law’s ability to replace “not in my backyard” with “yes, in your backyard.”

And if you think that this blight would not be inflicted on the rest of us with a Democrat-controlled U.S. House, Senate and Presidency, I have a New York bridge to sell you.

No doubt, as time goes by the Virginia pols are going to find more and more bastardy to inflict on their hapless citizenry.

I don’t think that this was quite what the Founders intended with the “laboratory of the states”;  but then they could never have conceived  of a socio-political statist condition such as “Marxism”.  Thank goodness, however, that in their wisdom they gave us the means to resist such iniquity, if conditions were to become intolerable.

Which is why the Marxists are so set on disarming us.

And here we are.  So what are we to do?  Well, duh:

And if we’re talking rooftops, then:

 

And if you think these fuckers won’t classify your beloved hunting rifles as “sniper” rifles, there’s another bridge in the New York area going cheap.  We won’t even talk about the “serious” rooftop option:

They’re already  going after these — no doubt because so many are used in drive-by shootings, of course. [eyecross]

Virginians, take note.  Ditto the rest of us.  Because the Communists will not stop until everyone is completely disarmed.

If you want more details about this bastardy, see Don Surber’s take, which is like mine only without the guns.

Virginia Flashpoint #3

Legal Stuff, Politics, The Gun Thing

According to Virginia’s Attorney-General, Second Amendment “sanctuary” cities [and counties] have no force in law.

“Neither local governments nor local constitutional officers have the authority to declare state statutes unconstitutional or decline to follow them on that basis,” Herring wrote in the opinion. “Neither the Federal Constitution nor Virginia law recognizes any ‘anti-commandeering’ principle that allows localities or local constitutional officers to refuse to participate in the enforcement of state law.”

Really?  So you’re insisting that police department have to enforce blatantly un-Constitutional laws, despite their oaths to the contrary?  So if, say, under an overwhelmingly Republican-controlled  legislature and ditto governor a state law was passed which forbade the practice of Islam in Virginia, that would be all tickety-boo and Virginian police departments could start arresting Muslims outside mosques, while halaal  butcheries and restaurants would be declared illegal and shut down?

Asking for a friend.