Tag: Guns and such

My favorite toy

Short-Range Zero

Advice, The Gun Thing

Ron Spomer tells you how to sight in your scoped rifle when you don’t have access to a long range.  (You may sometimes need a buddy to help you, I think — Ron does.)  And I have to tell you

Here’s my take on this.

A vast preponderance of shots are made at what I’d call short range:  less than 150 yards.  And if you do most of your hunting in any kind of woodland, it’s likely to be less than that — think 50 yards.  So if you’re doing this kind of shooting, then a 30- or 50-yard zero makes a lot more sense.  (Frankly, if you’re shooting at about 50 yards or less, I seriously question whether you need a scope at all.)

I think the longest shot I ever took back in South Africa was a measured (by pacing off) 325 yards, and I have to tell you, had I been more experienced a hunter back then, I probably would have backed off and not taken it.

Now?  If I were to go hunting at all (which is highly unlikely), I’d set my limit at 100 yards, and probably less than that.  I’d use a low-power scope (maximum 5x) if indeed I used a scope at all — and I’m pretty sure a red-dot scope would do the trick, instead of a crosshair or mil-dot reticle.

Remember that most of the time, you’re shooting at a side plate-sized target, and as such, a 3-MOA sighting group would be more than adequate.

Leave the sub-1″ stuff to the target professionals, and let’s not even begin to talk about the ultra-long distance 1,000 yard shooting.  That’s sniper-grade accuracy, and 99% of all riflemen aren’t snipers or even close to being snipers.  Hell, at my very best I wasn’t a sniper, mostly because of my crappy eyes.  But I was quite a competent hunter.

Know your limitations.

Last Call

The Gun Thing

Yes, it’s time for me to end the suspense and announce the winner of the Parker-Hale / Widow Irish thing.

I’m going to be pulling the winning ticket from the hat* over the weekend, witnessed for its veracity by New Wife and anyone else who happens to be in the house at the time.

So if you haven’t got yourself a ticket but still want the chance, get it done by Saturday midnight (03/07/2026) so that you can be included in Sunday’s drawing.

One quick favor:  a number of you did not include your email addy with your entry, and I may have missed a couple as well;  so please could all participants send those to kim – at – kimdutoit.com, along with your full name so I can link the names/emails with the tickets.  It’ll just make notification all the easier for me.  (Yeah I know, I’m an idiot;  but it’s been a long time since I last did something like this #OldFartMemoryIssues.)

Good luck, everyone.

*that’s not quite true, there’s no hat involved:  each ticket entry is given a number, and then I run an @RAND(x,y) function on the spreadsheet to pick the winner.

Guns I’d Love To Own, But Never Will

The Gun Thing

I was inspired to write this post by watching Brandon Herrera’s love song to the Sturmgewehr (StG)44, and when I’d finished wiping the drool from my chin, I thought:  “Man, I would love love love to own one of those”, which was quickly followed by “Who are you kidding?  You wouldn’t be able to find the gun, couldn’t afford it even if you did, and FFS think of the cost of the Unobtanium ammo, dude!”

…which led to the thought:  “How many other guns fall into that category, more or less?”

And here we are.

First off, I think the aforesaid StG-44 would head up the list.

Looks cool, reduced recoil (reduced-power 8x43mm vs. 8x57mm ammo), semi-auto/full auto, designed by Hugo Schmeisser… the list goes on and on.  WANT.  But even the newly-made semi-auto-only PTR-44 sells for close to $8,000 (instead of $30,000+ for the real thing).  STILL WANT.

Next, the FG-42 as used by German paratroopers:

Okay, this one uses the full-strength 8x57mm ammo, but it was and remains one of the best gun designs not done by John Moses Browning.  And it’s super-rare so forget all ideas about affordability, plus it’s full-auto all the time.  So no, I can’t have one. Don’t care.  WANT.

Next comes the Ljungman AG m/42B:

Lessee:  light recoil, wonderfully reliable, semi-auto (so no gummint paperwork/NFA nonsense) fires my favorite rifle cartridge (6.5x55mm Swede)… what really scrapes my scabs is that I actually used to own one very much like it:  the Egyptian Hakim chambered in 8x57mm;  but I think I’d prefer the original Ljungman because of the chambering.  WANT, very much, all the more because it’s far more available than the two Kraut rifles above.  But $2,000-odd?  Not gonna happen.

Finally, the M3 Grease Gun:

‘Nuff said.  I’ve shot it before, loved it, was cheap to make, works well, shoots a manly cartridge (instead of some wussy Europellet)… and costs too much (now), plus all that gummint paperwork.  So I’m never going to own one, but still WANT.

That’s all.  Maybe I’ll think of more later, but these three came to mind immediately, which just proves how much I want them.

Never Mind The Suits

Good Stuff, The Gun Thing

As Combat Controller put it when he sent me this link, “While the NRA buys Wayne LaPierre’s suits and luxury junkets, the GOA does what they were supposed to be doing.”

Gun Owners of America (GOA) is proud to support the introduction of GOA-drafted legislation in West Virginia by Senators Chris Rose and Z. Maynard that would authorize the creation of a state entity to purchase and transfer machine guns to qualified law-abiding citizens pursuant to existing federal law. 

The legislation utilizes a clear statutory exception contained in 18 U.S.C. § 922(o), commonly known as the Hughes Amendment. While that provision generally restricts civilian possession of post-1986 machine guns, it expressly states that the prohibition “does not apply with respect to … a transfer to or by, or possession by or under the authority of” a State or any department or political subdivision thereof. 

Under the bill introduced in West Virginia, the State would establish state-run distribution centers authorized to acquire machine guns and conduct transfers “by” the State to qualified members of the general public. By structuring transactions within the text of the federal exemption, the legislation seeks to restore access to constitutionally protected arms while adhering to existing federal law. 

My only question then and now is:  when will Texas follow suit?

Here’s the thing:  I have no interest, zero, in owning a full-auto firearm for myself.  (Okay, I could make a exception for the wonderful WWII-era M2 Subbie*, but they just cost too damn much, as would the ammo I’d be blasting away at whatever the $$$$ price of .45 ACP is these days.)

But I do support the idea of anyone who does want to own one being allowed to do so.  (My old line:  “AK-47s in Aisle 14” applies here.)

*Yes, I’ve fired one, on several occasions, and I frigging loved it.