Tag: Guns and such

My favorite toy

Kick Them All Out

Legal Stuff

Honestly, I just don’t have time for this kind of bullshit anymore:

The NRA filed suit Monday against the NRA Foundation, alleging rogue leadership at the foundation misused about $160 million dollars.

FOX News reported that the NRA “alleged the foundation used its trademarks without authorization and diverted donations intended for NRA charitable programs.”

The lawsuit claims that the foundation is run by a group of former NRA board members who lost control of the NRA board and are now bitter. Reuters pointed out that the lawsuit describes the former board members as Wayne LaPierre “allies.”

NRA attorneys wrote, “The Foundation has been seized by a disgruntled faction of former NRA directors who lost control of the NRA’s Board following revelations of financial improprieties, mismanagement, and breaches of fiduciary duty and member trust.”

Disband the lot:  the NRA, the NRA Foundation, and any of the rent-seekers on the periphery:  the fund-raisers, the pimps who push “NRA-approved” life insurance policies, and whoever else I’ve missed.

Keep, but rename the youth- and training programs, because that’s all the NRA is good for.

Feel free to take me to task for all the great things the NRA is supposed to have done for gun owners over the years, because in the immortal words of someone talking about something else, taken all together it doesn’t amount to a bucket of cold spit.  And that includes the NRA-ILA, which has a woeful track record in its stated purpose.

Forget about this lobbying group, and if you’re going to give money to the Cause, direct it towards the Second Amendment Foundation*, which does stuff like file successful lawsuits against the gun-grabbers — you know, things that actually work.

But the NRA?  Drop them all down a nearby well, them and their fucking “Foundation”.

*full disclosure:  I have nothing to do with the SAF and never have.  I have over the years, had plenty to do with the NRA, and the experience has left me mostly underwhelmed and unimpressed.

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Rossi Circuit Judge Rifle (.45 Colt/.410ga)

Gratuitous Gun Pics

Okay, at first glance this is a weird one:

Now before everyone starts falling about with laughter, let’s just look at what this piece brings to the party.

One of the problems with the similarly-chambered Taurus “Judge” revolver is its size:

I mean, that lo-o-o-o-ng cylinder makes it a monster, which makes it problematic in terms of its utility.  You can’t carry it comfortably and frankly, the shorty barrel makes it unpleasant to shoot.  (Ask me how I know this.)

While the little .410 shotgun shell is a weeny compared to its larger cousins in 12-, 16-, 20- or even 28ga, it still announces its ignition with a very meaty slam into your wrist if chambered in a handgun.  (I once owned a Bond Arms Derringer in .45 LC/.410ga, and shooting it was an ummm interesting experience.)

Frankly, therefore, a handgun chambered in .410ga is not really a viable or even pleasant proposition.

Now let’s look at that Rossi Circuit Judge again.

In a stroke, it does away with all the disadvantages of the .45/.410 revolver by adding a longer barrel (helps with recoil and ballistics) and the shoulder stock turns it into a handy little carbine.

Ignoring the .45 Colt part for a moment — because we all know and love the old cartridge for its deadliness — what this Circuit Judge brings you is a tiny and manageable .410 shotgun, with six rounds capacity.  Find me another .410 shotgun that compares.

Would I want a Circuit Judge for myself?  No, because I have no real need for it.  But if I lived in an area where potting crows and rabbits and such is part of an early evening’s entertainment with friends while sitting around a fire pit with a glass or two of single malt at the elbow, such as at Free Market Towers in Hardy Country…

…I’d buy one in a heartbeat.

Random Thoughts Of A Shooty Nature

The Gun Thing

Went to the range on Christmas Eve, just to play around with a few guns, no big deal, just keeping the old eye in.  The 1911 set was especially pleasing:


(All shots are what I call “aimed rapid”, wherein I empty an 8-round mag at the target inside 10 seconds.  The exception is the head shot string at 75 feet — 25 yards — where I have to take my time because I can barely see the damn thing.)

Anyway, there was also some revolver fun, but I was trying all sorts of ammo for recoil and accuracy, and I wasn’t really trying for very tight groups.

Among those was a little time shooting .357 Mag out of the Smith Mod 65, and I didn’t really enjoy it that much because even with lighter 140gr Silvertips, the recoil got a little much after a while and I had to end the session because #OwieWrist.

Which brought a random shooty thought to mind as I was driving home.

I like shooting .357 Mag, but I really prefer to use a 6″ barrel (which makes the recoil much more tolerable).  But I don’t have a 6″ .357 revolver, just a couple in .38 Special.

So:  is anyone open to a trade?  I’ll keep the gun I’m thinking of trading a secret (for obvious reasons), but the value of the piece would be more or less the same as a Ruger GP100:

…or even a S&W 586 or 686.  I’m indifferent about color — blue or stainless, whatever — but of course the 6″ barrel is a prerequisite.

Of course, I’d love to have a 6″ Colt Python:

…but I’m not going to trade three guns #PythonsAreOverpriced so that’s probably out of the question.

If you have a spare one of any of the above, or one you don’t shoot anymore that’s in decent condition, email me if you’re interested (use “Trade Idea” in the subject line so it gets past the spam filter), and I’ll let you know what I’m thinking of trading for yours.

So head off to your gun safe(s) and see what’s there.

Unassuming Company

The Gun Thing

I’ve always wondered why the excellent Aguirre y Aranzabal (AyA) gunmakers get no love from American shotgunners — love that would be richly deserved, I think.  And here, Jonny Carter talks about them with a boffin from Holts.  As one commenter notes, it’s always a pleasure to listen to knowledgeable people talk about guns.

Take 20 minutes out of your day, and enjoy.

I would own an AyA shotgun any day of the week.  Take some time now and browse their offerings at their website.

That may take you longer than 20 minutes, though.

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Boss 12ga

Gratuitous Gun Pics

Whilst idly browsing the shotguns at Collectors, I happened upon this wonderful piece:

Now, one might balk at paying $27,500 for a gun made in 1907, but one would run the risk of being called ignorant of Boss & Co.’s storied heritage.  And unlike some other marquee shotgun brands (Purdey coff coff ) who are part of the Beretta conglomerate, Boss is independently owned.  And as Boss has been in existence since 1812, one might assume that the London-based gun company is well-known to many discerning gun owners because of the excellence (“Best”) of their products.  And one’s assumption would be correct:

It should be remembered, by the way, that it was Boss & Co. who designed and made the very first over-and-under shotgun, back in 1909 (okay, I’ll forgive them this heresy) so in this, at least, John Moses Browning was a copier and not an originator.

And Boss haven’t made only long guns, either:

Boss & Co. are unashamedly devoted to making a premium product, and only a premium product — hence the term “Best Only”.  And yes, that premium comes at a steep price;  but to own a Boss shotgun is to own a work of art and a piece of history and heritage like few others.

And that’s the reason why I think that the old 1907 shotgun at Collectors is an absolute bargain.

Bondi Reflections

Anarchist thugs, Muzzies, Psychos, Resistance

Right up front, I’m going to say that I hope I’m never in a situation like one of the several mass shootings we’ve just seen.  I’m no hero, I’m too old for that kind of thing, and there are too many bad outcomes (for me) should I get involved with — i.e. by shooting back at — asshole gunmen on a spree.

That said, I also hope that if the situation is inescapable that I will have the gumption to perform my civic duty, i.e. by not running away and hoping that law enforcement will take care of everything, and doing my level best to end the threat.

I also hope I don’t get shot by the frigging cops, which is what seems to have happened in Sydney because to the untrained and panicked eye, the target becomes any guy holding a gun (or, in the case of the OzCops) and even standing next to the gun he just used, with his hands in the air.

What a shit show.

For those who think that I’m being silly to imagine such things happening, living as I do in north Texas:   let me remind everyone that there was just such a mass shooting at an outdoor mall in Allen, just up the road from my house, only a couple years ago.  (What makes it all the more chilling was that both New Wife and Mrs. Doc Russia had gone out shopping in Allen, and might well have ended up at the mall in so doing.)

So no:  if we’ve learned one thing from all this, it’s that this shit can happen anywhere.  And we would do well to be prepared to deal with it.

Once again, I’m absolutely not hoping that I get involved in some of this mayhem;  but at the same time, I will admit to doing some mental role-playing in my head, dredging up all the old “Coinops” (counter-insurgency operations) drills I learned back in those far-off days when we all carried muskets and bayonets.

One thing is for sure, though:  I will not be a helpless victim.