NAU Orientation

My daughter & I attended the NAU orientation sessions in May. I must say that this school has put quite a program together to attempt to prepare the incoming freshman and their parents. They work very hard to try to make life a little easier when classes start in the fall. There are multiple orientation sessions to break the class down into smaller groups to allow more personalized attention, which includes a one-on-one student/advisor session, to ensure that the class schedules are correct. Parents and students were separated for many sessions and together for a few so that each group could ask questions without the other listening in.

This is a far cry from my orientation session many decades ago. Mine consisted of handing out a campus map, pointing out the gymnasium where you would get your classes, and wishing you luck.

At NAU it is almost mandatory that freshman stay on campus. Most of the freshman dorms are a male/female segregated by floors or wings. “Guests” are allowed for up to three days depending upon what your roommate says.

I had commented to my daughter that I had heard many stupid questions from parents. We have all heard the phrase, “There is no such thing as a stupid question”. I am sorry to disagree but some questions are moronic. My daughter informed me that a lot of the students were also idiots. We figured that it is probably hereditary (JK) and that it would probably be fairly easy to match them up. We could make our own version of “Match the Morons” game show!

Quite a bit of time was spent with the parents concerning FERPA among many other topics. Many of the same questions were asked again and again even though they had been covered in a previous session. The school explains something and then you ask the same question again and again expecting a different answer. I do believe there is a classic definition for repeating the same action over and over and expecting a different result. I do not believe that the definition of this behavior is moronic but we can be somewhat gracious.

Parents’ stupid questions – Answers

• When can I call and find out my child’s grades? If your student is 18 then FERPA comes into play and we cannot release that information. We suggest that you talk to your student. This is followed by another review of FERPA.

• Is there a laundry service? No, nor is there any maid service allowed into the dorms. There are laundry rooms in every dorm. It is suggested that if your student does not know how to do laundry that you teach them this summer.

• When will you call us if my child is not attending classes? Never. You need to talk to your student. This is followed by another review of FERPA.

• How do you keep the children from having sex? College students are not actually considered children and must take responsibility for their actions.

• Is alcohol allowed in the dorm rooms? Alcohol can be possessed by a student who is 21 years old. Since this is a freshman dorm it is unlikely that anyone is 21.

• My child has always gotten good grades but there has been almost no homework his senior year. How are you going to make sure that he does his homework? We are not going to do that. The student must take responsibility for his/her own actions.

• Will you call us if my child is not doing his homework? No. This is followed by another review of FERPA.

• Do you assign homework like yours is the only class they are taking? Yes.

• Can the campus police arrest my child? Yes, they are a CALEA accredited agency that has authority on and off campus.

Students’ stupid questions – Answers

• Where are the best parties? - Parties.... just happen

• How can I score drugs? - Are you serious?

• If I get drunk will the campus police arrest me? - Hahahaha - yes!

• What if I don’t want to go to class? - You’re an adult now...it's your choice (under his breath: dumbass)

• If this school was founded in 1899 then how old is it? - Were you honestly admitted here?

• What is the name of Louie the Lumberjack? - Ummmm..... Louie

• What grade are you in? (Says one freshman to ANOTHER STUDENT at freshman orientation) - Blank stare and a walk away

• Where are you from? (We all have name tags with our names, place of residencies) - Points to the name tag on her chest and then says, "Stop looking at my breasts!"

• Who is your orientation leader? (Once again, see name tag places visible on my chest) – Points out leader on name tag and then says, "Stop looking at my breasts!"

• When is lights out? - No lights out. This is college, not day care.

• Are there private showers? - Yes at 5 AM when no one else is in there

These were just a sampling of questions asked. Keep in mind that the NAU website is extensive and covers all this along with handouts that have been sent previously. I should have taken further notes on this topic, as I am sure that I have missed a few good ones. I was busy paying attention to other items such as tuition due date, move-in day, etc.

It was great weather with a high of 69 degrees and a low of 48 in the morning. I could take that all year long but I do believe that it gets a little colder in the winter.

NRA Hunting Policy

I would like to thank Darren Lasorte, Manager of Hunting Policy NRAILA, for taking the time to meet with the 2ABlogBash group during the Phoenix convention. Anyone who is familiar with me knows that I like to hunt as well as the shooting sports. I am one of the crossover people. It is good to see that NRAILA is making the effort to reach out to the hunting community to get the hunters educated on why they should be a part of the NRA.

A variety of topics were covered that were quite interesting. Let's start off with one that can get some of the archery crowd listening (this includes me). There is a push by NRA Hunting for crossbows to be allowed during archery season. The reasoning is that it allows older and younger hunters that are not capable of handling the required poundage bow to participate in archery season. The rules in Arizona show that the crossbow is allowed during the general (center fire) hunting season for some large game such as elk, deer, and javelina. It is not shown as being allowed in bear and antelope season. It appears to be allowed for most small game. There is an easy to use chart in the AZ Game & Fish regulations for allowable weapons. I am not sure what I think about this one. I am looking at a new bow that has about an 80% letoff as it gets more difficult to participate as I get older. I like the idea from this standpoint. Archery deer is one of the few "over the counter" tags that can be purchased. I would expect that if there was a large surge in archery deer tags purchased that the hunts would become by drawing only the next year. This is already a topic now. I have always viewed the deer archery hunt as my last chance to go out as it is becoming harder to get drawn in general deer season. I expect that G&F would combine the general/archery draw at that time and make it about as likely as getting drawn for elk in this state. It is worth discussing but results will/should vary by state.

HSUS has managed to confuse many people as to what they really are. In my opinion, they are a political organization that is very anti-hunting and have nothing to do with the animal shelter down the street. There a many people who mistake this agency to the shelter down the street and make donations to it. The HSUS donation are way up and the actual Humane Society donation are way down much to the dismay of the local shelters. HSUS is as anti-hunting as they come. This is not my opinion as it is clearly stated on their policy page. Don't be fooled into donating to this group. I wonder how Rush Limbaugh is going to wiggle his way out of his endorsement. HSUS: Fools, and Limbaugh, rush in

Another interesting topic was the discussion of shotgun slug only deer hunting in certain areas. I know that the lower part of the lower peninsula of Michigan is this way in that center fire rifle is not allow due to population density. There is a concern that the rifle bullet will travel further than a shotgun slug. This is true if the weapon is fired in the air. I don't know about you but I haven't seen any deer flying by recently that would require this type of aerial shooting. If you claim to have seen such, I would suggest that you put the gun away and lay off the Christmas punch. Seriously, there have been tests done that indicate that when fired on the level or a slightly downward angle that the slug is more likely to ricochet and travel further than the rifle bullet which tends to fragment on impact. Interesting.

We spent some time discussing Right to Hunt State Amendments and reasons for their necessity. I think most can be explained better on the NRA site.
NRA-ILA Hunting Fact Card is worth taking a look at for a quick reference sheet.

NOT ONE RED CENT FOR RINO SELLOUTS!

"The NRSC sided with an establishment candidate, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, in a Senate primary against young conservative leader, former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio.

Republicans across the country were outraged by this action, which is only the latest betrayal of grassroots conservatives by the out-of-touch GOP elite in Washington."

I haven't donated to a political party in a long time as I feel that none of them represent my beliefs. Note the quote below the title bar. Good article, go read it.

Shooting gloves

I visited the GripSwell Ergonomic Shooting Gloves booth at the NRA Convention a couple of times. The first time I was just looking over the gloves with little hope that anything would fit. The XXL pair actually fit well. I went back Sunday morning to pick a pair of the GS-33 Pistol Palm Swell in natural white. I am really not fond of black gloves in the Tucson sun. The natural white in that size were gone so I ordered a set of these on the website.

The people at the NRA Convention booth were very friendly and helpful.

We will see how these perform in a match and with full tilt 44 Mag loads for a review post.

Bloggers I Met at the NRA Convention

I would like to thank all the bloggers at the NRA convention for a kind reception. It was nice to see everyone was very friendly to one of the new guys.

I believe that this is a fairly complete list of the bloggers I met. I did not do a perfect job of getting everyone's name but there is always another time.

• The AnarchAngel
• Another Gun Blog
• Atomic Nerds
• Ballistic Deanimation
• Bitchin’ in the Kitchen
• The Breda Fallacy
• Cowboy Blob’s Saloon and Shootin Gallery
• Days of our Trailers
• Exurban League
• Great Satan, Inc.
• Handgun Podcast
• Michael Bane Blog
• N.U.G.U.N. Blog
• One Sensible Progressive
• Found: One Troll
• Pennsylvania Firearms Owners Association
• SandCastle Scrolls
• The Smallest Minority
• SnarkyBytes
• Snowflakes in Hell
• The Ten Ring
• Traction Control
• The Unforgiving Minute
• Void Where Prohibited
• The Volokh Conspiracy

More NRA Convention

I only got one decent photo at the Friday night happy hour sponsored by Michael Bane. Kevin (Smallest Minority) was speaking with Michael long enough for me to fumble around and snap one off. Thanks to Michael for the happy hour.


The Sharps rifle is certainly a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. I would love to have one and I am not going buffalo hunting. I think that the only buffalo hunting now is on ranches. I have no desire to drive out in a vehicle with the rancher to have him pick the one I am supposed to shoot. This is not my cup of tea. Elk hunting would be more my style.



Is it really pretty in pink? I would say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. All these traditionally feminine colors really do appeal to my wife. I wonder if I should have her Colt Government 380 refinished. I wonder how pink grips (if you could find them), a nickel frame and pink slide would look. I do not seem to see anything colorful in the way of grips for this model. Maybe a pearl grip, black frame and purple slide would be best.


Another picture of Mr. Bane at a book signing (Trail Safe) in front of the Tactical Solutions booth.

Have Tactical set you up with a nice Raptor stock for your wife or daughter. I know - more purple.









The Bowtech display might seem unusual at a gun show but I find it more closely related than, shall we say, jewelry. I like to archery hunt so stopped and chatted. They actually have a bow that I am interested in as they are one of the few that make a 32" draw bow. With most manufacturers, you are lucky to get to a 31" draw. I need a 32" even with a release as I actually use 33" arrows. Keep in mind that I am 6'7" tall and actually do have need for the longer draw length. No, I am not going to use an overdraw for hunting. There is just something inherently wrong with having a broadhead behind the riser. Being primeval, I don't adapt well to new toys. It has only been a couple of years since I started using a release. Prior to that I was strickly a glove shooter.
Who can name all three singing pro-gun spoofs?








OK - who did we PO to end up at this table at the Banquet?








Crimson Trace gave us a presentation and then brought us to their booth prior to the floor opening up to the general public. There was a gift certificate donated that we had a drawing for a set of grips. Very generous of them. I was also impressed with their involvement in HAVA (Honored American Veterans Afield) .
"As the number of injured men and women returning from the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan grew, members of the firearms industry initiated a non-profit partnership called HAVA to aid disabled soldiers as they transition to their lives back in the United States. The ultimate goal is to increase their confidence and hope for the future by reconnecting with their love of the outdoors and the American traditions of hunting and firearms. Each HAVA veteran is a national hero that has earned our respect and support through valorous service in defense of our way of life.

Please join us in assisting the thousands of courageous soldiers that these photos represent in regaining their optimism for a promising tomorrow."
They deserve our support. Hat tip to Crimson Trace and the other manufacturers involved.

I was surprised to get to handle the TAPCO stock for the Yugo SKS. I had assumed (you know what that does) that the stock would be too short as every adjustable I had handled up to this point was way too short. Nice job. I think I found my next mod to the Yugo SKS. The only question now is whether to leave the grenade launcher on of replace with a muzzle brake. The launcher does have a certain attitude about it.

NRA Convention & Masonry - Not an Odd Couple

Wow - what a weekend. I had a very enjoyable 1st time experience with the convention, 2A Blog Bash, and meeting people. I think that most gun bloggers might be surprised at the percentage of Masons that are gun owners and 2nd Amendment supporters. The Masonic organizations are typically a conservative group highly opposed to tyranny of any sort. You will find quite a few law officers and military personnel involved in the organization. I was pleasantly surprised by people noticing the square and compasses belt buckle I was wearing and greeting me with the common phrase of, "Hello brother". I did not keep accurate track but I would venture about 7 or 8 people greeted me and struck up conversations. That would indicate that there many, many more in the crowds.

One young man manning the "sausage grinder" booth immediately stood up and introduced himself as a newly initiated Entered Apprentice. I took about five seconds to impart my knowledge on the topic - JK. We spoke at some length about Masonry in general. I apologize that I forgot the manufacturer's name of the equipment but did get literature and will correct the oversight later by posting up the name and link.
Correction - the company is Thunderbird who makes a fine line of food and bakery service machinery.

Now for some Masonic information:

From American Masonic History - What Are America's True Roots?

"Some of the greatest names of the American Revolution were Masons: Ethan Alien, Edmund Burke, John Claypoole, William Daws, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, John Paul Jones, Robert Livingston, Paul Revere, Colonel Benjamin Tupper, and George Washington. Of the 56 signers of The Declaration of Independence, eight were known Masons and seven others exhibited strong evidence of Masonic membership. Of the forty signers of the Constitution, nine were known Masons, 13 exhibited evidence of Masonic membership, and six more later became Masons.

"There were many other Masonic influences in early American history: (1) Lafayette, the French liaison to the Colonies, without whose aid the war could not have been won, was a Freemason; (2) the majority of the commanders of the Continental Army were Freemasons and members of "Army Lodges"; (3) most of George Washington's generals were Freemasons; the Boston Tea Party was planned at the Green Dragon Tavern, also known as the "Freemasons' Arms" and "the Headquarters of the Revolution"; (4) George Washington was sworn in as the first President of the United States by Robert Livingston, Grand Master of New York's Masonic lodge, and the Bible on which he took his oath was from his own Masonic lodge; and (5) the Cornerstone of the Capital Building was laid by the Grand Lodge of Maryland." (2)

There are quite a few book on the founders and Freemasonry. You might even find some of them an interesting read.

NRA Convention

Woohoo! Made it to the convention this afternoon. I am having a great time meeting bloggers and roaming the display floor. Hat tip to Bitter for getting this setup so we have media passes. We had happy hour at Majerle's Sports Grill hosted by Michael Bane (Down Range). Thank you Mr. Bane. Also present were Insight and Tactical Solutions handing out t-shirts and ball caps. Very nice. NRA Media Relations popped in and I am sure that I have missed some other manufacturers. What a great bunch of people. I will post up everyone I met later as it is past my bedtime and I am fading fast.



The Bison Bull is my kind of revolver, large caliber and large.














I need to show my wife the purple (her favorite color) finish on some of the pistols but I need to be prepared to purchase it on the spot.

President's "Adopt a Detainee" Program

I know this old (2002) but I need to put it up as it is still a current events topic today.

President's "Adopt a Detainee" Program...

Thank you for your recent whiney-assed letter criticizing the treatment of the Taliban and El Quieda detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay. As part of the Administration's Liberal Retraining Program, you'll be pleased to learn that the Administration has decided to place one detainee under your exclusive care. Your detainee is scheduled to be delivered to your personal residence on Monday. The detainee is to be cared for pursuant to the standards you strongly recommended in your letter of admonishment.

It will be necessary that you hire your own caretakers. We will also conduct weekly inspections, of course, to assure that your detainee is actually being cared for in the manner you personally prescribed.

His meal requirements are simple, but we strongly suggest using menus that do not require utensils. While he does bite, the rabies test was negative, although he does have a bad case of body lice that we haven't completely remedied.

Although he is sociopathic and very psychotic, we do welcome your promised efforts to overcome that "attitudinal problem" with your promised counseling and home schooling.

He's extremely proficient in hand-to-hand combat and can extinguish human life with such simple items as a pencil or light bulb. We do not suggest that you ask him to demonstrate these proficiencies at your next bridge party. He also has the ability to make a variety of lethal bombs from common household products, so you may wish to keep those items locked up, notwithstanding that it may conflict with your moral values or disrupt your maid's daily routine.

Please heed the large orange notice attached to your detainee's cage. "Does not play well with others.

Your detainee generally bathes quarterly, with the change of seasons, assuming that it rains, and washes his clothes simultaneously. That should help with your water bill.

Be assured, your detainee absolutely loves pets of all kinds, but is especially fond of cats and dogs. He prefers them roasted.

You take good care of our detainee now.

25-year police veteran to Toledo residents: "Buy guns. Invest in precious metals: lead, gun power and brass."

"For the past several weeks, the Toledo Blade has been reporting on a severe budget short-fall that the City of Toledo has spent itself into.

After weeks of back-and-forth debate between Mayor Carty Finkbeiner, Toledo city council, and unions representing police and firefighters' unions, the Finkbeiner administration has announced plans to issue layoff notices to as many as 350 city employees. While not yet being specific as to who will be laid off, Councilman Frank ­Szollosi has introduced legislation that would eliminating the jobs of 151 police officers, 100 firefighters, and 90 nonsafety personnel."

I post this one up as Toledo is close to my birth town. I am sure that this comment went over like a lead balloon with some of the anti-gun bunch there.

When I was a wee lad, we would go to the big town for items that could not be purchased locally. We thought that Toledo was huge! Temperance, at that time, had one gas station, a drug store, a small general store with a fountain, post office, small grocery, and three churches. No alcohol was sold and there were no bars.

I remember going to downtown Toledo around Christmas time to go to Tiedtke's Department Store as they had everything anyone could ever want. It seemed that way anyways. We couldn't afford much but window shopping was an event in itself. The toy department went on forever - couldn't afford that either. Have you ever stood in front of a window watching a chicken grilling on the spit? We thought it was a good time just to watch it turn but if you wanted chicken you could just wait until you got home and go catch the one pointed out to you.

Going back today to Toledo is a bit different. Tiedtke's is long gone and downtown is really nasty. You can't roam the streets anymore. The decrease of police officers is really going to be bad news in this town.

Governor Brian Schweitzer (D), signs revolutionary new gun law in Montana

I would say that Montana has thrown down the gauntlet. What this boils down to is:

• Guns andammo made, sold and used in Montana does not require any federal forms.
• Silencers made in Montana and sold in Montana would be fully legal and not registered.
• There would be no firearm registration, serial numbers, criminal records check, waiting periods or paperwork required.

Moving to Montana soon.
(wasn't that a song?)

City Council Proposed Tax Increases Get Blasted

"The Tucson City Council proposed a myriad of tax increases, including a 2% tax on renters, increased utility, garbage, and water fees, a doubling of the hotel bed tax, and others.

The first of three public hearings on the issue was held on April 28 at 5:30 p.m. at the Tucson Convention Center with May 5 and June 2 being the next hearings.

The Tucson Tea Party, Arizona Multi-Housing Association, as well as the Tucson Realtors’ Association encouraged their members to attend a rally beginning at 4:30 p.m. and wear red to protest the City Council’s proposed tax increases.

More than 1000 people turned out for the rally, with at least 2/3 of them wearing red, and 120 turned in cards to speak to the council. "

The Tucson Tea Party site may be worth keeping an eye on as they seem to be very active in tracking local government actions.

Arizona bill would bar gun bans for parked vehicles

"A Democratic leader opposing the bill said overturning employers' weapons bans could set the stage for deadly workplace violence."

Same old hue and cry with no facts to back it up. I wonder which Democratic leader uttered nonsense this time.

The one's that go "postal" don't worry about these little technicalities anyways.

Busy Weekend

The Scottish Rite Reunion was held on Friday and Saturday. This is when the degrees for the new people are put on. I work in the Property Department which means that I move stage and floor furniture/props around for a couple days. Fun but tiring.

So to rest up......I went to the York Rite installation of officers on Sunday.
I am the tall, handsome guy on the end. Well...one out two isn't bad! I like being involved in the Masonic organizations. My wife seems tolerate my activities pretty well and even seems to enjoy herself at many of the functions. Bless her soul. I am involved in the Blue Lodge (Sr. Deacon), Chapter (EHP), Council (PIM & Steward), Commandery (Generalissamo), Scottish Rite (32 Deg KCCH), and last but not least I joined the Shrine. I do not think that there is much in the way of further light in Masonry in the Shrine but there is fun and one can help raise money for the children's hospitals. Thank heavens that most of the organizations only meet once a month with a few events in between. Otherwise it would be difficult for other important things like family, shooting, hunting, fishing, shooting, archery, and blogging about stuff! did I say shooting twice? Good, I like shooting.

See all you folks at the 2A Bash!

Minuteman Co-Founder Announces Run Against McCain for Senate

Chris Simcox, founder of the Minutemen Civil Defense Corps, announced on Wednesday that he's running against John McCain in next year's Republican primary for U.S. Senate. "We're not at all satisfied with the representation that we have in Washington, DC, especially with our senior Senator. Unfortunately, the time has come for someone to challenge him,"

I am glad to see McCain have primary opposition. The standard joke around here has been that McCain was going to switch parties and become a Republican. I have not been a fan of his since McCain/Feingold shut down grass roots free speech. It is still amazing to me that the SCOTUS didn't find this unconstitutional. The first amendment is all about political discourse.

He then jumped on the amnesty for illegals bandwagon until it became a political hot potato. So much for being a "maverick". That feisty determination disappeared with the polls. It is still baffling that he could not see that coming like a freight train in a tunnel.

We will have to wait to see if Chris Simcox can truly make this more than a one issue campaign. I am not a fan of Democrats or Republicans (see top line quote) and look forward to any new blood that did not vote for the slimulus package.

I will support any person who believes the Constitution of the United States actually means what the founders intended it to be - especially those pesky amendments.

Space Aliens Are Real

We have known this for a long time. Heck, those little UFO's make great targets.

The border for dummies

"Can someone please tell us how U. S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano got her job? She appears to be about as knowledgeable about border issues as a late-night radio call-in yahoo."

Way to go and PO the Canadians, eh? Another group to add to the vets, conservatives, and anti-illegal immigration crowd.

The question we always asked in AZ is why does she get elected? This type of deep thought prior to answering questions is no big surprise to us.

Americans Largely Silent as Their Nation is Systematically Destroyed

" After trillions in taxpayer debt has been foolishly poured into the bottomless black hole of leftist wealth redistribution programs, under the guise of economic “stimulus” or “stabilization” legislation, the new “ONE World” government running Washington DC announces; Geithner, Bernanke Call for New Wind-Down Powers After AIG… and the people still sit silent as they watch Obamanation grow in unbridled power. "

Another good article by JB Williams in the Canada Free Press. Yes - I did say the Canada Free Press. Click the title link and enjoy the whole thing.

B.A.G. Day Addition

Time to post a few pictures for the BAG Day addition.













The baby Single Six joins his bigger but newer big brother.

Add the Hogue grip to try to make it fit a little better. One size fits most!

New Shooter!

A co-worker who had never shot was becoming interested as he listened to some of us talk about Steel Challenge shoots etc. I offered to take KT to the Pima Pistol range to try out a weapon or two. That offer was accepted and I picked KT up at 7:30AM yesterday morning. We reviewed some basics (TAB+1) and range rules on the way there. We set up at the pistol range for a morning of target shooting.
I set him up at 7 yards to start. We started with a Rossi 22 pump just to get used to the idea of sighting and range noise. He proceeded to shoot a Walther P22, Ruger Old Model Single Six, EAA Witness Match Elite 9mm, Commander 45acp, and a Ruger Super Blackhawk. The target was moved out to 15 yards during the 9mm session as it was obvious that he really did not need to shoot at 7 yards. I have some plinker load for the 44mag (900 fps) that are easy to shoot. KT shot some of these and then a few factory few tilt loads to end the session. Good job KT! I had fun, he had fun, and all range rules were followed.
Favorite gun? Commander.
Slap my hand as I forgot to take a camera. This can be rectified as he wants to go again and we shall remind each other about taking the camera.

Old Model Single Six

I just bought the Old Model from Tiny, a friend of mine from Blue Lodge, which I actually did not want. I previously owned a New Model in stainless and traded it off as it was very inaccurate with the 22 mags. The New Model had been purchased to go chase some jack rabbits using the 22M, so I really didn't care how it shot the 22LR. I wasn't impressed with the trigger either.

I went to the range yesterday morning (see New Shooter post) and I LIKE this Old Model. The trigger is great and it shoots the mags better than the long rifles. This was exactly what I wanted out of that other one I had.

When Those Who Don’t Pay Taxes Run the Nation

Very accurate article out of the ?Canadian Free Press? Why don't we see this out of our own press? That's a rethorical question. Read the entire column as it is quite good.


"According to the IRS, as of the 2006 federal tax reports, 97.01% of all federal taxes collected are paid by the top 50% of income earners in the nation. The bottom 50% of income earners pay only 2.99% of the federal tax haul, most paying nothing at all or getting “tax refunds” for taxes they never paid to begin with.
The break point is only $32,000 annual income. Below this income you are considered too poor to pay taxes, and above this income, you are one of “the rich” who is expected to pick up the tab for the half of the country that do not pay taxes.
Half of the nation (the greedy), pay for the other half of the nation, (the cheated.)
This item alone is what divides America today and it is the only significant difference between the political right which represents the taxpayers, and the political left which panders only to those who have come to believe that they are entitled to the earnings and private property of others. "

"If you remove all of the voting blocs that are attempting to vote themselves gifts from the public trough, Democrats couldn’t garner more than 20% public support in any national election today. But add all of those groups together and offer to buy their loyalty with the property of others and you have yourself a political juggernaut that will win political power for the next generation or two. "

March 7 & 8 Gunshow

Crossroads of the West is one of the gun show sponsors in this area. I have never been to a gun show that was this busy!

We went Saturday morning as I was interested in getting some primers for reloading. I had thought that I would get there at opening time (9 AM) and all would be well. It became obvious that many people had gotten there well before the opening bell. There had to be a couple hundred people in line to get tickets for entrance. The line progressed nicely but we were about halfway there at 9:10 and people were leaving with their two-wheeled dollies loaded with ammo.

Once inside, we worked our way over to the ammo booth that was very busy with people about three deep all the way around it. I was able get over to where the primers were. It was fortunate that most of the people standing in this location were looking for ammo, not primers. I was able to hold on to some until it was my turn about 25 minutes later. My friend found that the 7.62x39 was gone in the first fifteen minutes. Too late, as that was the guys with the dollies first thing in the morning.

It was almost impossible to look around as it was just too crowded. We decided to leave and come back the next morning. I was talking to a parking lot attendant on the way out. They had already parked 1400 cars by 10:30. Sunday morning was actually enjoyable as you could walk around and look at things. I should have bought those .44 240gr SWC at Billy Bullets on Saturday as there were none left on Sunday.

Next weekend is another one, McMann Roadrunner Gun Show, at the Expo Center. This place has less parking than the fairgrounds so it should be interesting. Go about an hour early, take a two-wheel cart and lawn chair if you want to get any ammo as it will be gone in short order!

Mention of AK-47s, 'sweetheart deals' spice opening of Valley gun seller's trial

We will see if this dealer is innocent or guilty. There is always some suspicion that there may be political motivations for the prosecution but that is not the point here.

The point is that there are laws on the books already that make the alleged behavior illegal. It would appear that additional laws are not required if the existing ones are enforced.

Judge tosses case against Phoenix gun-shop owner.

Will the Owner of a White Ford Pickup Please..

Stand up and take a bow!

NHRA 2009 - New Fan

Once again, I went to the Nationals at Firebird! I love the smell of nitro-methane in the morning! My usual drag racing buddy could not make it this year so there I was with two premier seating tickets and just me. I contacted a young man (18 years old) that we know to see if he was available. He had never been to the drags before and was interested.

I drug him around for my usual routine. We cruised the pits. I saw a young lady standing out in front of some trailers and encouraged my guest to get his butt over there for a picture. We got a nice picture with Ashley Force. He had no idea why I was pushing the picture.

I fed him and then went back to the pits when they were starting to fire up the top fuels for tuning. This allowed him to get up close and personal with the nitro fumes and the sound level.

We went to our seats for the first pass of qualifying for pro-stock & top fuel. I believe he came about a foot off the seat when the first top fuel launched off the line. He never did get over jumping every time the light went green. I was pointing out to him that the one car on the line belonged to the young lady he had his picture taken with. He was surprised that she was a driver. Live and learn.
We were then off to roam the stores, and then back for the second qualifying pass of the pro-stock & top fuel.

I believe that there is a new drag racing fan now!

SRH

I received the Ruger from my nephew a couple of weeks ago. I had shot this one in the early 80's with my brother while on a hunting trip back in MI. My brother hunted the rifle season with only the handgun. I believe that he really never did care if he got a deer and went just to be out. I had hoped, at some time in the future, that I would be able to purchase this one from my nephew and here it is!
Now, I may just customize my SBH by cutting it down to 4 5/8 and getting it refinished.

Wall Street CEOs humble before lawmakers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wall Street bank executives submitted to a public scolding in the Congress on Wednesday over how they used $176 billion in bailout money without making a noticeable impact on the anemic economy.
By Steve Holland and Kevin Drawbaugh

OK - I want to know who gets to give the public scolding to our politicians for spending $176 billion of our (the taxpayers') money without making an impact on the economy?

Firearm Refinishing

My old Colt/Essex had so little bluing left on the slide that a change in humidity (slight exaggeration) could start a fine patina of rust if there was not enough oil present. So off to MAC'S SHOOTIN' IRONS it went. I left the frame stainless and everything else went to black. He does fine work.

Slime-ulus Package

"And now is the time to create the jobs that remake America for the 21st century by rebuilding crumbling roads, bridges and levees; designing a smart electrical grid; and connecting every corner of the country to the information superhighway.
These are the actions Americans expect us to take without delay. They're patient enough to know our economic recovery will be measured in years, not months. But they have no patience for the same old partisan gridlock that stands in the way of action while our economy continues to slide."
Barack Obama

Sounds good but how do the following create jobs? 50 De-Stimulating Facts I seem to see every porky's dream except for what is mentioned above.

We all can live with the delay decried above. The only hurry here is to get us to accept this package without scrutiny. I am not convinced that this package, or any other, is needed at all. Everything will stabilize again if the government doesn't mess it up too badly. We didn't see this type of interference during the dot.com bust and amazingly enough recovery took place. We did see this type of interference just before the Great Depression which was all promoted as fending off depression. Worked good didn't it. What has government ever done efficiently?

Partisan gridlock is a good thing. Government and taxes increase every time these politicians get together and agree on anything. I still stand by the Will Roger's quote on this blog's header.

Holder as AG

I am not going to go into the reasons why Holder should not be AG. It has been well covered by others. I would suggest that you should get out more if you are unaware of the objections to this man.
Both of our so called Senators voted yea for Holder. I expected McCain to do so as he is not conservative and never has been. The standing joke here is that some day he will change parties and become a republican.
Kyle voted for him too. That surprised and saddened me. It is obvious that he belongs to DC and is no longer represents conservative interests. I had declared a party to be able to vote in primaries but sometimes wonder why I bother.
I won't give it up as I feel the only thing worse than holding my nose and voting is not voting. I remember watching TV with my folks in the late 50's when there was some program on showing a gathering of politicians from both parties. My father commented, "Look at that line up. You could line these guys up with a bunch of mafia guys and you would never know the difference. Bunch of crooks." I remembered that as it was said with some enthusiasm. Looking back I would say that it was a very accurate estimate of our politicians then and today.

One Kangaroo Court Reminds Me of Another

Blago Is Right: His Trial Is Completely Unfair
By Tommy De Seno Attorney/Writer
The article is worth reading.

Is Blago guilty? I don't know but do believe that the low behavior exhibited here is typical of our politicians.

This type of kangaroo court reminds me of when Evan Mecham was kicked out of being governor of Arizona. I was able to listen to a lot of the impeachment proceedings on the radio. Almost every question asked of him was a leading question. The "Have you quit beating your wife yet?" type question. It was a complete farce and actually pretty entertaining to see these so called pillars of their communities acting like a lynch mob.

Keep in mind that Ev had six felony indictments by a state grand jury but Mecham was acquitted of violating campaign laws in the criminal courts. The jury returned the verdict in three hours.

Ev was live entertainment as far as the series of gaffs that came one after another. The real problem was that he would not play nice with the establishment so the kangaroo court started.

MLK was another big issue at that time. Ev had negated it as it had been created illegally. It was actually created illegally by AZ law at that time. Ooh - Ev must be racist. The holiday then went to public vote and was defeated. Aah - AZ is really racist. Actually it was defeated because people were tired of their tax bondage paying for government employee holidays. It is my opinion that government employees should have no more paid holidays than the private sector offers. It is good that MLK Day was finally set up here to honor the man. It still doesn't mean that this honor requires a cash outlay. Oh well - I diverge from topic.

It is ironic that our representatives, who are mainly attorneys, can get together for a kangaroo court and do not see any problem with it. Gives you a real warm fuzzy feeling about them doesn't it?

Quiz

Shamelessly Taken from Katey's Kafe

1. What time did you get up this morning? Got up late - 5:15 a.m.
2. Diamonds or pearls? Neither - Stainless Steel
3. Last movie you saw? I haven't been in a movie theater in about 12 years.
4. What is your favourite T.V. show? Antique Roadshow
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Coffee
6. What is your middle name? begins with? M
7. What food do you hate? Groat clusters
8. What is your favourite CD at the moment? Jeff Beck - Who Else!
9. What kind of car do you drive? 87 Bronco, 98 Astro, 06 RAV
10. Favourite sandwich? Sardine, limburger, onion with brown mustard - Keep your distance!
11. What characteristics do you despise? Gloomy, inconsiderate, unhelpful, & rude for a start.
12. Favourite item of clothing? My hat
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation? Australia, Alaska, China, Freedonia
14. Favourite brand of clothing? Inexpensive
15. Where would you retire to? Arizona
16. Favourite birthday? 50th - Went fishing.
17. Favourite sport to watch? None - played a lot of sports but never got into the spectator scene.
18. Furthest place you are sending this? To the midnight springs where the hot winds blow.
19. Person you expect to send it back first? Some immigrant.
20. Are you a morning or night person? Morning - see question 1.
21. What is your shoe size? 15
22. Pets? 1 dog, 2 cats
23. What did you want to be when you were little? Martian Manhunter
24. How are you today? Good - anticipating the arrival of a Ruger SRH revolver
25. What is your favourite candy? Black licorice
26. What is your favourite flower? The one blooming
27. What are you looking forward to? Receiving the SRH revolver - I know - single minded today.
28.. What are you listening to right now? Nothing
29. What was the last thing you ate? Cheese & cracker
30. Do you wish on stars? No
31. If you were a crayon what colour would you be? Can't get by the crayon part.
32. How is the weather right now? Beautiful - sun shining.
33. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Co-worker
34. Favourite soft drink? Water.
35. Favourite restaurant? Any good sushi joint.
36. Colour of hair? Brown - what's left of it.
37. What was your favourite toy as a child? Sand - we didn't have much in the way of toys.
38. Summer or winter? In MI - summer, In Tucson - Winter
39. Hugs or kisses? Both
40. Chocolate or vanilla? Not a real sweet eater but I would take a vanilla shake over chocolate.
41. Coffee or tea? Yes - as long as it is caffinated.
42. Do you want your friends to email you back? What friends?
43. What is under your bed? Have to ask my wife as it is one of her storage areas but I am sure that there is no room for monsters.
44. What did you do last night? EA degree practice, dinner, fell asleep in bed watching some drivel on TV.
45. What are you afraid of? Getting eaten alive.
46. Salty or sweet? Salty
47. How many keys on your key ring? Alot.
48. How many years at your current job? 3
49. How many towns have you lived in? 4
50. Favourite seafood? Maguro
51. Do you make friends easily? Acquaintences - yes, friends - no
52. How many friends will you send this to? None
53. How many will respond? Same as above

A Politician That I Like - Too Bad He's Not In AZ

IRS Penalties and Interest Eliminated for All U.S. Taxpayers under new “Rangel Rule” Legislation

(WASHINGTON, DC) – All U.S. taxpayers would enjoy the same immunity from IRS penalties and interest as House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Obama Administration Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, if a bill introduced today by Congressman John Carter (R-TX) becomes law.

Carter, a former longtime Texas judge, today introduced the Rangel Rule Act of 2009, HR 735, which would prohibit the Internal Revenue Service from charging penalties and interest on back taxes against U.S. citizens. Under the proposed law, any taxpayer who wrote “Rangel Rule” on their return when paying back taxes would be immune from penalties and interest.

“We must show the American people that Congress is following the same law, and the same legal process as we expect them to follow,” says Carter. “That has not been done in the ongoing case against Chairman Rangel, nor in the instance of our new Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner. If we don’t hold our highest elected officials to the same standards as regular working folks, we owe it to our constituents to change those standards so everyone is abiding by the same law. Americans believe in blind justice, which shows no favoritism to the wealthy or powerful.”

Carter also said the tax law change will provide good economic stimulus benefits, as it would free many taxpayers from massive debts to the IRS, restoring those funds to the free market to help create jobs.

Fables, Myths, & Other Tall Tales About Gun Laws

Now is a good time for everyone to refresh their memory. Visit the NRA ILA site to brush up on facts. I feel that it will be needed during this next presidential administration.

Why Arizona Electricians Are So Expensive

This comes to us from Tucson Electric Power. Look for any opening in breaker boxes as they are likely to house something we do not want to come in contact with. The pictures show what one of our lineman came across the other day while checking a meter. The critter had climbed
up through the knockout hole and was after a mouse. Needless to say, neither he or the mouse made it.

This is Funny!

Pop on over to Wasted Electrons to view FW: Awesome Craigslist Ad for a quick chuckle.

Area under wind chill advisories and warnings

I just thought it was getting cold where my folks are at before. -14 Deg.F Brrrrr.
I like Tucson better.

Archery Hunting

It is only reasonable that I take the bow for a walk since I did not get a deer during the rifle season. I saw a very nice buck the day after Christmas. It was raining, cold and in general a miserable day. My better half asked the usual rhetorical question as I was getting dressed at o-dark thirty, "Are you going out in this weather?".

It was at about 7,000 feet in elevation in the Santa Rita Mountains. No, I won't say exactly where. I saw a doe walking away but she had not seen me and here comes another deer down the hill. Dang! No wondering if it was a buck. You could tell what this bad boy was at 30 yards in the rain and cover. His motion downhill kept him at about the same range. I had to move to place my feet for a shot as he moved behind a tree that obscured his view. Naturally, he heard me but still could not place me. I had that mantra going in my head, "I am just a funny looking bush, keep walking into the next spot". I thought I had him as I got away with drawing on him. Don't you know that there was one twig between us that I missed in my tunnel vision watching the buck. I was saddening when the arrow clipped the twig and sent the arrow awry. Clean miss! He bounded away as I stood there with a little tremble. Buck fever always seems to come to me after the shot. I waited a while and started to follow after him. I gave it up as the weather front continued in and the rain went to snow. The wind kicked up and it was snow blowing sideways. I would say that visibility was about 20 feet and time to head down off the mountain. What a great day!

I know what you are thinking about now. Why is there a picture of a mountain lion? I will get there. I have been going out taking that bow for a walk every time I get a chance to see if I can pattern this buck. So far no luck. He is in the area but not when I am. I imagine that is how he got to mature status. Saturday was another trip to field. I was getting a little bored and went for still walk. There was one area about a half mile away that had a small flat spot about 20 feet across that is near water. Not much grows in that flat spot as it is mostly clay right there. Perfect for checking tracks after a rain. There were a lot deer tracks, some coyote, and a lot of lion. I started to cast around looking to see if the lion was a one time visitor. I found other tracks that were only a day or so old. That lion is there regularly. I always carry a lion tag just in case I get lucky but really hadn't thought about taking one with a bow. Would you find yourself looking over your shoulder and getting creepy feelings? Me too and I like the thrill. I was thinking that I would need to carry a more substantial sidearm if I were to try a lion with a bow. The 9mm just doesn't seem adequate for an angry lion. I would expect that you will get one shot with the bow. The lion will either run or charge. I haven't made up my mind if I should try with a bow or just wait until the end of archery deer and take the rifle for a walk. You never know, I could have my mind made up for me as I will continue to hunt that area but take the 44mag.

What would you do with a lion? I have always told my wife that I would like to take a lion once. She says, "Could we get a full body mount on one of those limbs and put it over the fireplace in the living room? There's room". Bless her heart. I like her!

I Will No Longer Support eBay

eBay can pucker up and kiss my hairy, old, wrinkled.....


I was told that eBay wouldn't sell guns, gun parts and ammo. I never before checked to see just what else may go crosswise with their PC operation. I had a listing removed that was a magazine for an SKS. It was on the banned items list because it was necessary for the firing of a weapon. Really? I could have sworn that I could take the mag out of just about anything and fire it one shell at a time. Upon further consideration I thought that maybe that made some sense due to the hi-cap restrictions in some states.

Then I got another item banned. It was a holster! Part of the email exchange is below. It would appear that even an image of a weapon sparks great fear into them. Naturally the email reads on the normal reverse order.

You should go back and remove one more that is running as a relist also, 220339922289. The evil image is on this one also. The only thing pending on this account will now be the clown that bid but hasn't paid or made contact - 92141rita. You can inactivate that one also. Now that nothing is pending - you can close my account. I am not going to pay any more money to any organizations that are rabidly antigun. Please get your December payment from Paypal asap. I will decide if this account stays open later.

Do you realize how ridiculous you sound when you talk about banning IMAGES of LEGAL items.
Sincerely,
Don



-------------- Original message --------------
From: eBay Customer Support

> Dear Donald,
>
> Thank you for writing eBay in regards to your ended listing
>
> I would like to apologize if there was any confusion or if this has
> brought you any frustration. I will gladly explain why the listing was
> removed.
>
> Unfortunately, your listing was removed because it contained an image of
> a firearm in the listing.
>
> Listings that contain an image of a firearm are not allowed on eBay even
> if the firearm is not the item for sale. This policy is part of our
> effort to maintain a safe trading environment and prevent the sale of
> firearms on eBay.
>
> All fees associated with this listing have been refunded to your
> account. If your item otherwise complies with our firearms policy, we
> invite you to relist the item with a revised image that doesn't show a
> firearm. You will be able to list the case without the mention or the
> image of the firearm.
>
> For more information on the eBay Firearms, Weapons and Knives policy and
> to review the list of permitted items, please visit:
>
> http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/firearms-weapons-knives.html
>
> Click the "Show" link to see examples.
>
>
> If you need further assistance, please don't hesitate to reply to this
> email and let us know.
>
> Sincerely,
> Alyce
>
> eBay Customer Support

I am waiting to hear their response but expect nothing but a "sorry you feel that way and goodbye" email. That is OK as I just really, really don't want to support this type of group. I will post up their next response later.

Region reeling from bitter cold, power outages

One of the reasons I left this area many years ago! I never did like single digit temperatures with wind. Wind chill there is now about -20 Deg.F. Brrrr.

Obama's Senate Seat Could Stay Vacant for Months

"Present" votes decline but no meaningful CHANGE noticed in Senate.

Fall Deer Hunt

I was drawn for the a whitetail hunt from 11/28 through 12/4 in an area that includes the Santa Rita Mountains. This is one of my favorite areas but I am not inclined to say exactly where.

My old knees sure take a toll in the hills. Swelling, cracking and creaking noises make me wonder how much longer I can do this before submitting to knee replacement surgeries. It may be worthwhile to try some of those fancy braces to try to limit lateral movement. Too many years of basketball, tennis, and running have taken a serious toll on a lot of body parts. I was told many years ago to quit the b-ball if walking was important to me. Back to hunting....

There is no cell phone service in the bottom of the canyon where we were camping. I just had to hike up to a ridge line to call out on Saturday. I needed to get an update from my better half. My mother was having her hip replaced so I was curious as to the status. This was going to be a couple of trips in a row for me. There was the hunt, a couple of days at work, and then pack to go to MI to get Mom settled in when released from the hospital. Back to the ridge line. It is one of those that is about a mile (as the crow flies) from camp. In reality it is about double that with an elevation gain of about 500 feet. Nice little hike that takes its toll on the old knees.

My buddy went up to the ridge line the next day to check with home (they have a 4 month old baby) and left his cell phone on. He was back in camp roaming around and the darn thing buzzed at him. If you stand in exactly one spot, facing the correct direction, on one leg, holding your other hand in the air you can get out. The signal was very weak as it turns out that it had to be reflecting off of a shear rock face. Dang! Really didn't need to hike up to the ridge line.

This was one of those years where you see a lot but can't grow antlers an any of them. My hunting buddy did pass up on one spike and then decided that passing up two was not a good idea. He shot a nice spike. I tend to agree with that sentiment as every time I have passed up a buck looking for a better one was usually the last one I would see that year.

The weather was beautiful with the lows being about 30 and the highs about 55. Too warm to hang a deer in the daytime. My friend had never skinned or sectioned so the morning after was fun. We skinned the buck and sectioned him down far enough to fit in his cooler. This is one of the few times that I got to skin and quarter one that wasn't mine. He was appreciative of the help/lesson but I find this to be fun and not a chore.

My friend took off on Tuesday morning but I had decided to stay at least one more day even though the knees were telling me that I was done hiking all over. I sat in camp one afternoon watching a hillside with an intermittent stream at the bottom. I was just hanging out sitting in my good folding chair all comfortable. I saw eight doe that afternoon over a period of about 3 hours with some actually coming into camp. Still never got to find that buck that you just knew had to be running in the thicker stuff.

I believe that I will need to take the bow for a walk in January to try again. Maybe I should just sit in a chair in that same spot!

Steel Shoot

Yesterday was another steel shoot and a chance to try out the EAA Match. My first error was that I did not know that it was a "regular" shoot versus the challenge match. The regular shoot is set up as a fun shoot with a variety of targets and lots of them. I did not take enough 9mm with me. One stage had two plate racks, Texas star, and six dogs. One rack was missing a plate so we had a total of 22 targets. The other stages had 12 targets each.

The EAA did not like having 17 in the magazine. It is supposed to take 18 but it is so difficult to get that last one in, even with a loader, that I went with 17. It did not want to load the first one. I dropped to 16 and all was fine. Guess that I will leave them loaded up and see if that improves. Other than that, it was a pleasure to shoot and my times were better. Maybe I can start to push Kevin.

I shot one pass on the last stage with the EAA and second pass with the Commander. I was two seconds off with the Commander but there was an extra magazine change. I also had a hot one eject right down my shirt. Darn that was hot on my tummy! I probably lost a little more time pulling my t-shirt out to get rid of the hot brass. The RO was amused. He commented that a couple seconds off wasn't bad with the extra mag and undressing!

The Taurus is Gone, Long Live EAA

I received the 24/7 Pro back with a quick note that said, "Replaced firing pin and grips." I take it that means that they had to break the grips off to get inside to free the slide? I went back to the range and it functioned perfectly again but still shot as low as ever. This was mentioned when it was sent in. It is assumed that Taurus figured that I was not using the straight 8 sights correctly. You could cover the target with these sights at ten yards and still be shooting eight inches low. I gave up on it. Over a thousand rounds and still can't shoot it well and I hate the sights.

I traded it in for an EAA Elite Match 9mm on Monday and was off to the range. This handles better than my Commander! It probably doesn't hurt that the barrel is an inch longer. I settled down, after a bit a practice, and found that I could shoot a 10 round 3.5" pattern at 10 yards. Not a bad turnout for my limited talents. It ate a variety of ammo without a hiccup. I even fed it a couple of CCI's shotshells and Magsafe scorchers. Nice.

I guess that I like the 1911 style pistols the best. Switching back and forth with the Commander was no problem. The EAA Match is one smooth operator.

The Elections are Over - Groan

I am curious to see if anyone will admit to voting for our new president in a couple of years.

I Like My SKS

I was plinking at the range with my Yugo after the Steel Challenge match. I had bought one of these a year or two ago that was unissued with all matching numbers. I have resisted making it into a bubba. The only mods so far are to replace (extend) the butt plate and put in the firing pin with spring assembly to remove the slam fire possibility.

I have noted some differences since changing the firing pin. The Wolf Military Classic ammo is no longer reliable. There is a FTF about every 8 rounds or so. The primer is dented but no bang. I wait a while, eject it, reload it and it goes bang the next time. I expect that these primer are a little hard and the strike has been weakened by the new setup.

It seems to shoot the other ammo I have just fine. I will have to count and see how much of the Wolf I have left and sell it off. Aside from all that, it is fun to shoot. It is as described by others - minute of mule deer at 100 yards.

October Steel Shoot

Yes, the Taurus is still broken but I did receive a nice letter saying that I might get it back in 7-8 weeks. We are jokingly referring to this as the limited lifetime warranty. It is under lifetime warranty if you live long enough to get it back.

A friend of mine wanted me to take his newly acquired pistol and abuse it. What a deal!! He had purchased a Commander from a retired officer that has been modified a touch. The previous owner apparently shot a little. It has had a trigger job, compensated barrel, magwell, extended mag release, ambidextrous safety...you get the idea. It worked flawlessly.

I shot an average of mid sixes for all stages. This an improvement of 4 seconds per stage over the Taurus and put me in the middle of the pack instead of riding drag. I have not decided what to do with the Taurus when it gets back but its Steel Shooting days are over.

My Taurus Broke

Last months Steel Workers shoot did it in. I was on the fourth stage. "Make ready" That was as about as far as I got. I loaded a magazine and gave the 24/7 Pro (45cal) a rack but it did not go into battery and actually popped back open a little. It was determined that I was hosed after an attempt or two. I did not have a spare weapon so stated that I was done.

A gent I was shooting with offer the use of his gun. I was hesitant but this was a "friendly" shoot and not a true competition so I used his pistol. We were doing a standard setup of four black plates and red stop plate. I have put about 3000 rounds through the Taurus and still have difficulty with the sights (shoots too low) and fitment. My best round for the first three stages was 10 seconds. Very slow by most standards. It usually takes me six or seven shots to hit five.

I was asked if I ever shot a 1911 style pistol before as this was the style I was borrowing. I have a Commander so the answer was affirmative. I shot a 4.7 second which is quite good for me. I only heard silence from behind me. The RO asked if I thought that I could speed it up a little on the second pass. Not much - 4.6 Seconds.

I voice from the back says, "You can't have it". Those STIs are smooth guns. I promptly announced that I would have a nice double stack 45 for sale in a few weeks.

Back at home I could not even dismantle the weapon for inspection. The slide will go all the way back, snap forward , and then pop open about a half inch. The opening is under spring pressure. Something is lodged/broken or whatever. Sent it to the factory. They claim they will let you know within two weeks. What they mean is that they might let you know that they received it within two weeks. I never heard anything. I called customer support and was told it was there but not opened yet. Taurus has had it for over two weeks and has yet to open the package. They also never sent anything saying they received it. I was told that it would be another couple of weeks before that happened so I still do not know what it broken.

These guys must be really busy. I think it is trade time. Wonder how the Springfield XD is?

Dove Season !!!!!

Dove season here runs September 1st through the 15th. I took my .410 out on Labor Day (opening day). I shoot this shotgun in skeet occasionally and have hunted with it in years past. I have limited out many times with it.

You would have thought that I had never shot it before. A box of shells was gone and I had one bird. Ouch! I went back to the truck and changed for my 20 gauge coach gun and shot the remaining birds in an hour.

The 20 became the go-to gun for a while. I have been going for a little each morning and arriving at work just a little late. The family has to keep eating doves so that I have a legal possession limit in the freezer. Good thing they like them!

I took the 410 for a walk again Saturday and shot 10 but couldn't find the last one. That was good enough as it was getting hot. I have heard people comment that it must be really easy to shoot those doves with a shotgun. This is usually from the non-hunting types that have no concept of trying to shoot something that zig-zags at up to 55 MPH. It would be a lot of fun to get one of these folks to the field for some of that easy as pie bird shooting.

Some days I can shoot better than 50%. I have been known to have a serious case of CHS (can't hit stuff) other days. I need to decide on barbeque or casserole tonight - yumm!