Arturo Fuente Hemingway

I like an occasional cigar and am quite fond of the Short Story. Habana House has a section to send in a picture of your ash. I couldn't resist and sent one in.
Ash Hall of Fame

I am still trying to settle on a cheaper, daily type cigar. I tried one bundle called the Original Cubans robusto but find them OK sometimes and not so good another time. I am open to suggestion to try another low cost bundle. There are few things better than sitting on the porch with a drink and a cigar. One of the better things is shooting a steel challenge or workers competition with a nice cigar.

I also like:
Partagas Black Label Prontos
Punch Bolos
Cohiba Pequenos
Hoyo de Tradicion Epicure

Senate Democrats propose immigration reform

I don't want to hear that you are going to toughen up border security, I want to see it. Then we can talk amnesty and not before. Just because these politicians say that they are going to do something does not equate to any real world actions. Remember the fence that they forgot to fund?

It is time again to complain, loud and clear, to our reps that we want the border secured first before anything else is considered.

GM's TV Ad

I do believe that GM has further convinced me that my next vehicles will be anything but GM. That ad is insulting at best. A lot of gall bragging that they paid off their $6.9 billion loan. We, the taxpayers, ended up giving them $50 billion in bailout money. GM raided the money from another fund and "payed off" this one for advertising purposes.

I believe that they are also in the process of asking for $10 billion more. Comments from the Treasury Department indicate that chances of repayment are somewhere between slim and none.

I do hope that Ford can stay off the dole so at least one American manufacturer remains independent.

I might be tempted to buy a GM product in the future but Government Motors won't get a sale from me. Let's see, a 69 Vette Roadster with the 427 comes to mind or maybe a 66 Cadillac Eldorado or maybe a Yenko or....there are some great classics out there.

AZ Immigration Bill

Update - It's signed so the fun begins.

I love this quote.
"I'm disappointed because they are painting all illegal immigrants with a broad brush," Estrada said. "Everybody is bad, everybody is harmful, everybody is hurting the economy. That is not necessarily true."
Estrada is a Santa Cruz County Sheriff. Why sure Estrada, we do paint all of the illegal immigrants the same, as lawbreakers. You note the word "illegal".

This one is interesting also. Poll finds AZ voters like new immigration measure. They like it a lot apparently. 70% of likely voters.

And don't forget one of the most clown-like congresscritters ever to hit AZ - Grijalva.
Let's boycott ourselves. The state needs money but everyone should shun us because of a law passed that mimics the unenforced federal law. The more I hear him speak, the more I wonder what his constituents think of him. I know what I think and am glad that he isn't mine although I can't say I am happy with my critter either.

I like Kyl's comment on the boycott.
"That's very helpful. An Arizona congressman calling for folks to boycott his home state?" Kyl said in the Washington Times. "That'll really help job creation. End of comment."

Shooting Range Improvements

Cheap Shots at Shooting Ranges UPDATED BELOW; AGAIN; AND AGAIN
Bounce over and read the blog comments on the Goldwater Institute's commercial.
I had sent an email to the Goldwater Institute on this topic basically complaining that they must not like hunting and shooting if they wanted politicians involved on controlling our money.

Their (GI) prompt response is below.

Thank you for your interest in this issue. First, let me assure that you that the Goldwater Institute is not anti-hunting. We have been and continue to be a strong advocate for Second Amendment rights, which of course includes hunting as a vocation or personal hobby.

Second, I would like to explain why the $800,000 figure appears in the Goldwater Institute video. House Bill 2002 set aside this money for remodeling and other improvements at the Ben Avery shooting range -- not for regular maintenance. The bill says the money comes from the Game and Fish capital improvement fund. In turn, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee confirms that money from the fund does come from various hunting and fishing licenses.
We are not suggesting that the Legislature “confiscate” the $800,000 for unrelated programs. But in these extremely difficult budget times, is remodeling the Ben Avery shooting range really the best use of these funds to benefit the greater hunting and fishing communities? Keep in the mind that the Game and Fish Department has been forced to delay maintenance and forgo the purchase of vehicles that could be vital for game wardens and wildlife conservationists to carry out their daily duties across the state. Also, these funds could be used to further enhance the fight against invasive species such as the quagga mussel.

Finally, if the state really has no better use for the $800,000, why not simply return the money to people who are struggling to purchase hunting licenses in the first place because of Arizona’s economic downturn? Surely, improvements to the Ben Avery shooting range could wait a couple of years until the economy has recovered, if such improvements truly are a necessary government function.

This is what the Goldwater Institute means when our video says that policymakers should fix their spending priorities before asking voters for another tax increase.

Please me know if you have any other concerns that I could address.

Le Templar
Communications Director
Goldwater Institute
(602) 462-5000, ext. 228
www.goldwaterinstitute.org
500 E. Coronado St.
Phoenix, AZ 85004

I disagree with the basis of the explanation in that there seems to be some initial evaluation assumptions of what hunters and recreational shooters need. I am a hunter and recreational shooter and feel that keeping the Avery Range a top notch facility by continual improvements is very important. I would suggest that it is easier/better to get the newbie involved in shooting first prior to even talking about hunting. A lot of people have standing offers to take the newbie to the range the first time supplying weapons and ammunition for that person for free. It is easier as less money and equipment is required to get started and develop that interest. You need to see if the individual enjoys shooting prior to try to convince them to go hunting. It would be better as you can promote safe weapons handling and marksmanship prior to ever going to the field.

The standing joke is that minute-of-pieplate is adequate for hunting. This is far from the truth as that minute-of-pieplate may be required at 300 yards (or longer) for big game hunting. Minute-of-pieplate at 50 yards results in missed or wounded animals at distance. You can't get comfortable shooting your hunting weapon during the hunt. As my friend Kevin says, "Hunting is taking your weapon for a walk." This is true as most big game hunts should involve one shot. As we hunters say - the fun stops when the animal drops. Many people that never go hunting put a lot of money into the fund via the weapons and ammunition taxes.

I say that better range facilities increase the number of people involved the sports and therefor increase the income to the funds for all topics.

UPDATE
OK - I could not let it go so I responded.

"Le Templar

I disagree with the basis of the explanation in that there seems to be some initial evaluation assumptions of what hunters and recreational shooters need or what is best for them. I am a hunter and recreational shooter and feel that keeping the Avery Range a top notch facility by continual improvements is very important. I would suggest that it is easier/better to get the newbie involved in shooting first prior to even talking about hunting. A lot of people have standing offers to take the newbie to the range the first time supplying weapons and ammunition for that person for free. It is easier as less money and equipment is required to get started and develop that interest. You need to see if the individual enjoys shooting prior to try to convince them to go hunting. It would be better as you can promote safe weapons handling and marksmanship prior to ever going to the field.

The standing joke is that minute-of-pieplate is adequate for hunting. This is far from the truth as that minute-of-pieplate may be required at 300 yards (or longer) for big game hunting. Minute-of-pieplate at 50 yards results in missed or wounded animals at distance. You can't get comfortable shooting your hunting weapon during the hunt. As one of my friends says, "Hunting is taking your weapon for a walk." This true as most big game hunts should involve one shot. As we hunters say - the fun stops when the animal drops. Many people that never go hunting put a lot of money into the fund via the weapons and ammunition taxes.

I say that better range facilities increase the number of people involved the sports and therefor increase the income to the funds for all topics including the mussel. "


GI response:

"Without discounting anything you say about the need for practice (in fact, I’m sure you are absolutely right), the question for us comes down to whether this is a need that absolutely must be the responsibility of government. Or should hunters-in-training pool their own funds to support private, quality shooting ranges? For the record, we ask the exact question about other outdoor activities from golf to batting cages. "

My response:

"This is an unusual response at best and makes me think that you do support outside groups controlling these funds. Who defines that need? You, politicians, I certainly hope not as you seem very confused as to how this works. Hunters-in-training?? You have got to be kidding. Again, we already pool our money and one the most important things to us as a group is the continuation of our sports without interference from outside groups with their own agenda. You apparently feel that you know what is the best use of our funds.

The only responsibility of the state government is approve the budget created by the AZ Game & Fish Commission. The Commission members are recommended to the Governor by a Commission Recommendation Board made up of three sportsman representatives, one member from the cattle/ranching community, and one public member of a non-game organization.
Their duties are:
1 - Assists the Governor to identify prospective AZGFD Commission candidates.
2 - Conduct a public forum for the public to meet AZGFD Commission applicants.
3 - Review applications and make a recommendation to the Governor.
4 - May make recommendations to Legislature on AZGFD Commission qualifications.

I would suggest that the state governments approval is a statement of legality not purpose. The State doesn't fund shooting ranges. Non-profit organization donations and the users pay for the ranges. You want to see the donations go away? Do you want to see the hundreds of hours volunteered to make the ranges better go away? Just move forward with your wonderful ideas.

To take a paragraph from a fellow blogger, "A great reason for a state to encourage the development of shooting ranges is the creation of multi-use facilities for law enforcement training, civilian marksmanship training, hunter education, and competition use. Shooting competitions and firearms training attract tourist dollars too. One way our state reduces the tax burden is through the sharing of the shooting ranges with law enforcement. If we didn’t share the ranges, each municipality would spend millions to create a shooting range for each law enforcement agency. Under our system, the Tempe Police pay a modest fee to use the Rio Salado Sportsmen’s Club shooting range for officer firearms training, practice, and firearms qualification testing. The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office uses the Ben Avery Arizona Shooting Range. Public ranges in Tucson are used by the Tucson Police, US Border Patrol, and by the military."

Your statement, "Why not simply return the money to people who are struggling to purchase licenses in the first place because of Arizona's economic downturn." has some inherent flaws. What people are you referring to, everyone? How would you intend that this money not be distributed to those who have never purchased a license or paid tax on ammunition? It would seem that you are suggesting a redistribution of money to people who had nothing to do with this fund to begin with. Let's confiscate this money and give to everyone.

And here I thought that we as hunters/shooters were pooling our own money to use. If we didn't like the usage of it we would let the Governor and AZ Game & Fish Commission know our thoughts. I guess that I am partially correct on my first assumptions. You are not purposely against hunting/shooting but are unaware of the unintended consequences of this type action."

It should be interesting so I will continue to post it up.

UPDATE AGAIN

GI Response:

Let me back up a second here and explain an issue that’s fundamental to the mission of Goldwater Institute. Any group of people can voluntarily get together, privately pool their resources and accomplish something great for themselves and for society as a whole. This is the right to peaceful assembly that’s protected by the First Amendment. One aspect of this right is if the association doesn’t use the pooled resources to your satisfaction, you can walk away and use your time and money in some other way. In the end, no one can force you to do anything with your labor and personal income without your permission.

However, when government pools such resources on your behalf, it ultimately relies on its coercive police powers to make that happen. The government can compel you, even against your wishes, to contribute to a purpose that you don’t support and never would voluntarily contribute to. If you try to refuse to pay the government, it can use its police powers to take away your income through civil fines or to take away your freedom by placing you in jail.

Because of the incredible and terrible powers present anytime that government takes action, the Goldwater Institute advocates for keeping government involvement as limited as possible, so that we are free to use our minds and our hands and our money to best meet our own needs and not someone else’s.

You can pretend that hunters are merely pooling their own money through the Game and Fish Department to accomplish common goals. But of course, if you refuse to pay the hunter license fees (or even a portion of those fees) because you disagree with how they are spent – and still go hunting – the state is going to fine you and possibly put you in jail.

How does this relate to the Ben Avery shooting range? It’s a question of whether we should empower government to possibly throw hunters in jail who might not want to pay for it, or at least might not want to pay for it in the way that Game and Fish now decides how the funds are used. Sure, the shooting range is used by the police and military, but it probably would be designed much differently if it strictly for their use and not available to private shooters as well.

Please note that I think you misinterpreted my statement, "Why not simply return the money to people who are struggling to purchase licenses in the first place because of Arizona's economic downturn." I meant the state could return the money to the hunters who paid the fees, not to anyone else. I personally know hunters who have cut back on the game licenses they obtain because they can’t afford all of the fees when they are unemployed or working less than 40 hours a week in a bad economy.

Thanks again for your interest in this issue,

Le Templar
Communications Director

Seems like a slight diversion to me - Look a pony!

My response:

Mr. Le Templar,
You are backing up to a different topic. We are discussing how the money is guided at this point in time not whether the law is good but I will comment on this also. I have mixed feeling about the Pittman-Robertson Act for the same reasons you mention but..............there was a time when licenses and fees were non-existent. Our population increased and the animals we like to hunt almost disappeared. In the 1930, the enroachment of humans on habitat and over-hunting without regulation had caused populations of many game species to almost disappear. You would be lucky to find a white tail deer as they were almost hunted out. Comes along the Pittman-Robertson Act in 1937. It was actually successful and controversial. Many sportsmen decided they liked the idea. A lot were dismayed that the Feds were involved. Both were right.

Later on a repeal bill was drawn to relieve sportsmen from the financial burden of the excise tax. However, because dramatic results could be seen nationwide, sportsmen insisted on keeping the tax in place. Today the nationwide deer population is about 20 million strong. Pittman-Robertson was a rare legislative model for efficiency and a godsend for hunters and animals alike.

There have been difficulties of mismanagement in the past. I believe that another act was passed in 2000 that strictly limited what the USFWS could spend the taxes on and in what manner they can be spent. Is it not always fair to everyone as not everyone is interested in all topics supported by the funds such as game management, non-game management, shooting ranges, hunters' safety, etc. I do not like some of the money used for studies on banning lead shot, minnows, the frantic funny featherless warbler, or...there is a laundry list here however there are ways for me to complain about this and actual effect some change at the state level. There are birders who buy binoculars and complain that some of there money goes to hunting and shooting. There has to be a better plan presented before I can accept the repealing of this act.

Let's go back to the original discussion. There is no valid way to refund these fees back out fairly even if the sportsmen so desired. The competitive shooter buys more ammo in a year than most hunters buy in a lifetime. How could it be fair to give his contribution back to license holders only? There is no valid way to do this that does not leave one group or another ignored. I really get nailed as I like competitive shooting, hunting (elk,deer, mountain lion, dove, you name it), fishing, archery, etc. I should probably get more back than the guy who is just complaining about a license fee. Right?

When I watched the ad the GI basically accuses politicians of lying (Are their lips moving?), then seems to connect increased taxation to the shooting range improvements. They are not connected. I expect that this was not what was intended however that's how it reads.
Sincerely,
Don

GI seems to very responsive in answering so this is to their credit. We'll see what the next response is.

AND AGAIN

GI Response:

Ultimately, we probably will have to agree to disagree on this point. However, I would mention that everything the Goldwater Institute does is guided by the fundamental principles of limited government and economic freedom. We don’t always have to the opportunity to explain those principles in detail when we use various means of communication to discuss the policy issues of the day. That’s certainly the case in a 30-second video. You believe improvements to the shooting range are a justified priority for government tax dollars. We believe the timing is inappropriate, considering that Governor Jan Brewer and many lawmakers are asking for another statewide tax increase because, they claim, there’s simply no other way left to save money (remember that the state already has raised property taxes this year by $250 million).

Thank you for the thoughtful discussion and useful feedback. I definitely have learned a lot about this issue and how funding works for the Game and Fish Department.

My response:

You are correct on the point of having to agree to disagree. You still stand by the assumption that the shooting range improvements are somehow associated with state tax increases. The state cannot touch this fund. You use a misdirected topic to make a valid point about state spending. Whether the timing is right or not, the ends do not justify the means so I am very disappointed in the Goldwater Institute. We can probably call it quits on communicating as it is obvious that you will continue to try to defend this without any new substance.

OK - it becomes obvious that I am really wasted my time here unless some of the readers have gained any insight through these exchanges. If you did gain anything then I am pleased. I will post on this if there is any follow-up.

Free Speech

"I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and you disagree with this administration, somehow you're not patriotic, and we should stand up and say, WE ARE AMERICANS AND WE HAVE A RIGHT TO DEBATE AND DISAGREE WITH ANY ADMINISTRATION!" - Hillary Clinton 2003



Hillary, would you please go back and hit your husband with an ashtray or something again to get his attention? He needs to be reminded again of your wise statement from 2003. Anything you can do about the POTUS? Thought not.

Bowling Pin Shoot

Sunday morning was perfect weather for the bowling pin shoot set up by Kevin. This was quite a bit of fun but then I am fond of reactive targets. This was the first run so I went along to help setup. There were soooo many people there that you........oh never mind, you could count them on two hands. Left hand, right hand, let's see that's two right?

Never-the-less, it was a good run as we had all the shooting time we wanted, the tables worked well, and we figured out a couple things to try for the next run.

I bowl in a charity league formed by the Shieks Unit of the Shrine. To be more specific, I am one of the people running the league. I spoke with the manager and got us 40 pins to start with. He was curious what I wanted the pins for and seemed to think the the shoot was a fine idea so the first set of pins was free. One of the young men working at the alley had the cases of pins on a two wheel dolly and brought them out to the van for me. He was also very curious as to why I wanted old pins. After explaining to him their purpose he wanted to know if I would bring one of the shot-up ones back in.

I took one of the pins in last night which provided amusement for most of us especially the young man that helped me load up. He was back numerous times to admire it. I also threatened the pins at the end of the alley with similar treatment if they did not fall over more readily when I was bowling. I don't think that worked as I bowled as poorly as ever.

SB 1200 Signed Into AZ Law

AZ Sportmen for Wildlife is a politically active organization whose mission is to promote wildlife, wildlife habitat, and continuation of our hunting and fishing traditions. Read about them as you might want to join. It takes political funding to keep your rights.

This bill establishes a Game and Fish five member Commission Recommendation Board that:

• Assists the Governor to identify prospective AZGFD Commission candidates.
• Conduct a public forum for the public to meet AZGFD Commission applicants.
• Review applications and make a recommendation to the Governor.
• May make recommendations to Legislature on AZGFD Commission qualifications.

There is a five year term limit and the person must have been a resident for five years prior. It also allows the Governor to remove a commissioner for cause.
The board is Governor appointed and is to consist of three sportsman representatives, one member from the cattle/ranching community, and one public member of a non-game organization.

Take the time to follow the title link and thank your Reps and Gov. They could use the support as they are still under opposing forces from people like PETA and others who were vehemently against this.

Heaven forbid that you have a commission made up of hunting/fishing, ranching, and non-game personnel. You should only have one that is loaded with people from HSUS. OK - snarkoff.

The anti's want to control the AZGFD money that comes from license fee, hunt tags, watercraft license fees, and excise tax on ammunition, hunting & fishing equipment, and other federal matching funds. The AZGFD does not receive any general fund dollars. This way the anti's can shut down hunting & fishing and control all the money for whatever moronic idea they have next.

More and more of our money is being channeled into non-game species habitat etc. Don't let them take it all while shutting down hunting and ranching. You might even want to contact your reps on the upcoming state amendment that guarantees the right to hunt and fish.

Teaparty Quote

“Remember, judging an entire group by the bad behavior of a few members is called Stereotyping…except when we do it to Teapartiers, then it’s called Reporting.” - Mallard Filmore

I find some interesting articles in the CFP site.

AZ Becomes State #6 on Firearms Freedom Act

Our Gov. Jan Brewer signed this one into effect.

HB 2307 - Arizona manufactured firearms; regulation

It will be curious to see how this plays out in the courts.

" Exempts from federal regulation, any imported firearms accessory, generic or insignificant part or basic materials that are incorporated into, attached to, or used in conjunction with a firearm, firearm accessory, or ammunition manufactured in Arizona."

Does this mean that you could use a silencer without paying the federal tax? No more ear plugs?

Happy Easter!!

Once again, I did not see the bunny but she left me some candy!

I went to the range yesterday to try out some of my hand loads. This has been an interesting sequence. Some Speer 124gr GDHP were put up right at the oal specified in the book. They worked flawlessly in a Witness and a PF9. I also had some Sierra 115gr HPs that did not go so well. Book oal was no good as they did a ftf nose up, shorten the next batch with slight improvement, shortened again with worse results, a little longer than book and still no go. I set them the same oal as the GDHPs and it became even worse. The thought comes to mind that the Witness does not like this bullet. I am out of the Sierra and do not intend to purchase more. The P38 ate up the last batch without any difficulties but I am not loading for that one.

I was also running some Precision moly coats 115gr FP. the first batch would work if there were ten or less in the magazine. Nose down ftf if there were more than that. I set those to a little longer length (same as the GDHP) and they ran great. Fill the mag to capacity and shoot away. While I was testing these I noticed that my little orange fiber in the front site was gone! It looks funny seeing daylight through the opening. I waited out the last two shooters on the range and then started the hunt for the very little orange piece and actually found it! It only took about 15 minutes. Looks like the one end wasn't melted enough and worked its way through. Those of you who have replaced the front sight on an EAA Witness Match Elite might want to take close look at yours.

I Got Drawn for Elk!

ALL RIGHT!!!!!
I got drawn for hunt 3108 which is a muzzle loading bull hunt in unit 6A, November 12-18th. I looks like I will be on my own for this one. It would be nice to have an ATV for toting pieces if this goes well. I don't think a new quad is in the works this year for a variety of reasons so I was checking on the possibility of renting one. That's a little pricey too. Let's see, if I sell the 1978 Yamaha SR500e, part out the 79 Husky 390 OR, and sell a couple of bicycles there may be enough to buy a used quad.

As long as it doen't look like this one!!!!

USPSA & ICORE

Last weekend was fun. We had a steel shoot on Saturday morning. I haven't gone to one in some time. I had worked for about four months in Tempe before deciding that the grass really wasn't greener there and returned to Tucson. The travel and hotel time was killing my fun stuff on the weekends. That's my excuse and I am sticking to it. I shot really bad the 1st stage but recovered nicely and shot the rest of the stages in my usual fashion - average at best.

The group was talking me into shooting a revolver match which I was hesitant to do as the only revolver I can use is a 44 Mag Super Redhawk. I decided that it would be fun anyways. There were about 150 rounds of 240gr SWC bunny farts loaded up that would be sufficient. Sunday morning found me on the range again. By the end of the match, it became obvious that "bunny fart" is a relative term. I still have about ten of those original rounds. They were loaded at 950 fps and could go lower if I really want to do this again. My hand was sore for a couple of days. I should have worn my gloves but neglected taking them. A lot of good nice shooting gloves do if you leave them behind. this was a lot of fun also! I guess I like anything that involved throwing lead downrange. I did find that my light loads with Red Dot powder were very dirty. I think Clays might be in order.

Sunday evening we bowl in a league. My hand was sore, stiff, and little swollen so I proceeded to bowl a really poor series. I would rather shoot than bowl so it was OK by me. I did get to collect about 40 old pins so that we can attempt to set up a pin shoot at the range. It will be interesting to see if it catches on at all - again.

Black Powder Rifle & Crowns

I decided the previous weekend that I just had to go shoot a few round through the smoke pole. I guess thinking about the elk draw here will do that to you. A few days before that was my checkup at the dentist only to find another fractured tooth needing a crown. I scheduled the next day to get ground down for casting and temporary crown. That makes number 5. Thursday I had the work done and Saturday I was on the range.

The temp was on the left and my right cheek is on the rifle stock. I thought that it might not be a good idea to have my face tight to the stock as I was pretty tender yet. Since the rifle has a red dot on it, it isn't a big deal to be a little off in positioning. My face was off the stock for the first shot.

Do you know that just the sound shock wave from the rifle can light up that temporary crown like a Christmas tree for a few seconds? Me either, but I got it figured out now. That smarts. I managed to shoot five times (good thing that there is ample time between shots) before deciding that I just wasn't that tough!

Staged or Just Real Dumb?

The Caveman Circus has some fun stuff.

Is This What is Meant by Firearm Education?

I did not know that the US Department of Education needed shotguns.
I also did not know that they had to match the new purchase to their existing inventory. Existing inventory!!!!!

What in the world do they need arms for and why would we want them armed.

Dying of Thirst in the Desert - Oh Wait...

Dying of thirst in a socialized medicine hospital. Click on the title link to read the article.
Do you really want socialized medicine? I do not want any government bureaucrats in charge of anything much less health care.

Rifleman's Prayer

I remember on one hunt being by myself in the boonies for a day or two as my hunting pal had to bail out early. My wife was concerned that I was alone. I tried to reassured her by telling her that if anything happened to me it would not be for lack of weapons and ammunition. This did not seem to actually sooth her concerns for some reason.

I ran across this as gandalf23;

"A Rifleman's Prayer

Oh Lord, I would live my life in freedom, peace and happiness, enjoying the simple pleasures of hearth and home. I would die and old, old man in my own bed, preferably of sexual overexertion.

But if that is not to be, Lord, if monsters such as this should find their way to my little corner of the world on my watch, then help me to sweep those bastards from the ramparts, because doing that is good, and right, and just.

And if in this I should fail, let me be found atop a pile of brass, behind the wall I made of their corpses."

The author is now found and acknowledged at Musings of the Geek With a 45.

Spectator Killed at Firebird

There is some inherent danger being at or around the track. This unfortunate lady was not even track side. It would have been spectacular from where we were sitting but debris would not have been a problem. I have gone down toward the end of the track and watched Funny Cars go by at 300 MPH. My thoughts were that it was neat watching them zip by but that if anything happened you were in the path of fast moving parts and pieces. We sit close to the line so I would expect that the main danger there is blowing an engine/supercharger and getting shrapnel from that. Most accidents take place moving down the track.

I Like the Drag Races

This weekend was the annual trip to Firebird for the NHRA Nationals. We typically go on Saturday which is one of the qualifying days for the Top Fuel and Pro Stock classes. The Phoenix area was not living up to its normal amount of sunshine in the morning. There was a distinct possibility that this was going to be a rain day. We arrived early enough to roam the pits prior to getting in our seats but there was no hurry as no racing was taking place. There should have been Supergas and others racing but the track was wet and it was drizzling. The stand were empty as anyone who was there was in the pits our sitting in their vehicles.

It started to rain harder so we went to the car. I was glad that my friend brought some Hot Rod magazines etc along as it gave us something to read while sitting in the car waiting for the rain to stop.

We had purchased some nice seats in section P2 - A5&6. Note that old hairy butt is not sitting on that wet seat yet.

I was texting my better half for the weather radar. She informed us that it looked like about 45minutes more and then it should at least stop raining. That report was music to our ears and turned out to be correct. Woohoo - the rain had stopped so we went to get something to eat and watch them dry the track. It is kind of like watching grass grow or paint dry.

Since we were bored it seemed a good idea to roam the pits again. This was good timing as we went to Nitro Alley in time to hear the announcement that the schedule had changed to run Top Fuel, Pro Stock and then the rest. I like to be in the pits when the top fuel cars are firing up. I love the smell of nitro-methane in the morning! Nothing like a lot of DBs, burning eyes/nose, and tears running down your face to jump start the day! If you think that we are nuts then you obviously not a fan of the drag races. I would suggest that you never stand at the very front of the crowd when one is firing up in the pits. It is real hard to back away through a crowd that can't see either. It is amazing how much money has to be in the trailers for the cars.

Help - I can't get up! JK. Note the fine expression wondering why that jerk is taking his picture.

The name says it all.

My wife would love this as she has that spot for Mopar & purple.

I am not a big fan of the new Government Motors takeover but this is a fine looking vehicle.

Motorcycle tricks to amuse the crowd from the Geiko group while waiting for the crew to dry the track.

It's time!
You should be able recognize and name this gent if you have spent any time watching funny car drags.

I will not post every picture I took but you get the idea. I like drag racing!

Bill O'Reilly Supports Gun Confiscation

Gatewaypundit has the video of this tool spouting off. I guess according to Bill, weather events suspend Constitutional Rights. What a maroon!

Government-Led Witch Hunt

"Ford, less than one year ago, was forced to recall more than 4 million cars based on 550 vehicle fires."

"There was no government outcry and no demand for Congressional hearings over these recent recalls. So why has Toyota suddenly become the target of a government-led witch hunt?"

Can you say, non-union? Can you say, completes with Government Motors?

Anatomy Boosting Pants

A department store in Britain has seen a 76% increase in online sales of the underwear in the last week coming up to Valentines Day. It uses a lift and hold feature at the front. The article doesn't mention a trade name, just the generic description. I can only imagine the suggestions made for the name of the new underwear in the marketing department.....Peter Propping Pantaloons, Short Arm Swagger, Never Fail Schwang Stretcher? I guess I could see these as a joke between lovers, but who would actually buy them thinking that this would help attract your next fling? Oh, I know - Sven & Ole.

So Sven and Ollie go to the beach and after a couple of hours Sven says, "This ain't no fun. How come the girls aren't friendly to me?"
"Well, I tell you, Sven, maybe if you put a potato in your swim trunks that would help."
---So Sven does, but he comes back to Ole later and he says, "I tried what you told me with the potato, but it doesn't help."

"No, Sven --- you're supposed to put the potato in the front!"

AZ Joins the Fray

HB2307 was passed without debate. This basically allow an AZ resident to purchase a firearm without federal paperwork concerns if the weapon was manufactured in AZ. I am unsure that any of these laws that various states have been passing will stand in the courts. It is nice to see that there is at least sentiment telling the feds to get out of our daily lives. I would like to see this applied to many more topics that I feel belong being controlled locally.


"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."


The bottom line is that the federal government has become too intrusive and is really bad at running anything. The urban myth is that in 1990 the government seized the Mustang Ranch brothel in NV for tax evasion and tried to run it, as required by law. The Government could not make a profit running a legal brothel that sells whiskey! They had to sell it. This is actually twisted a bit from the reality as they never tried to run it. The government auctioned off the assets and after a couple of years also auctioned off the property for a song. They actually did not have enough sense to sell if off intact for big money. I wonder what GM will be worth when the government is done with it?


DBD is one of the very best strips out there!

Flagstaff Snow

Flagstaff has had some record snow this year. I went there to visit my daughter at NAU last weekend. It started to snow shortly after my arrival. My wife sent a text message informing me that there was a winter storm advisory out predicting 8-12" of snow by 5 PM the following day. I asked my daughter where her bicycle was. She pointed here:

I suggested that she get some spray oil and get the chain and gear clusters as soon as she could. This might actually be a while before digging out is possible. That evening it looked more like this:

The RAV4 kept getting covered. I now remember why a clean push broom was my friend in MI.

This looked much better in person but what do you expect from a cell phone picture.

The next morning there was even less of the bikes showing.

I decided that we would go to breakfast in the morning as there is no sense in hitting the highway prior to the plows getting out. The road was a bit slick coming down out of Flagstaff but not too bad as the plows had been out scraping away. The only time there was any real "pucker" factor is when descending through the cloud cover the visibility is quite low, especially when it is still snowing. I am always concerned when you must go about 35 mph to be able to see ahead of you as some of the people (think idiots) sharing the road seem to think that it is still a good idea to be going fast. They can't see but that is OK by them.

Reminds me of a hymn from Firesign Theater's "Powerhouse Church of the Presumptuous Assumption of the Blinding Light".

Oh blinding light

Oh light that blinds

Look out for me

For I cannot see!

Hell Freezes Over and Pigs Fly!

Did the Lions win the Superbowl? Thought not.
Brown (Republican) wins Massachusetts!






Actually, Hell does freeze over every year in Hell, Michigan. It is a nice little town we used to ride the bicycles through every year on the annual Hell Ride held in July. One of those years it did seem like Hell. It was hot enough to start to melt the blacktop in places. Nothing like a little tar on your bike tires to pick up stones and throw them at you. Sticks to you too. At the end of the ride we had to scrape tarry stones off ourselves and the tires. Yuck!

Rattling for Deer

I thought that I might try one of those rattle bags and see if I could call anything in during this archery season. A couple of weekends ago this fine opportunity presented itself. I have never tried this before and was pretty skeptical about the whole thing. We have all seen the TV shows where they come running right up 10 seconds after the rattling starts. Oh, the wonders of television. I figured that it was either trickery of time on the footage or none of these bucks has any does. After carefully pouring over the instructions that came with the rattling bag, I was sure that I could get that monster buck as I really do believe in "truth in advertising". OK - sarcasm off.

I found a good spot and the wind was right. I rattled hard for about 30 seconds then sat still for 20 minutes. This is repeated a couple more times with the rattling being of less vigor and duration each time. Then it is time to just wait for my trophy to show. He had not gotten there after about an hour so it was time to repeat the process. I am sure that I was doing it right. This is the tail end of the rut (no pun intended) and still should be OK for rattling. Or maybe not.

I have hunted this area a few times over the years. There must have been a storm moving in or something as it has never been this quiet before. There are usually a variety of birds making all kinds of racket in the trees and on the ground. Woodpeckers are normally quite and annoyance. Squirrels travel through the leaves on the ground and sound like something much, much larger is coming. It was really quiet. I think that I have found a way to quiet down the woods when ready to take a nap. Just rattle that bag a few times and when the sound of retreating animals fades away....you are good to nap.

I am glad that there are a couple of weekends left to take the bow for a walk but I am not sure that I will take the rattle bag unless it is warm & I could use a nap.

Washington Times - EDITORIAL: Letting crooks & illegals vote

"It speaks volumes about Democratic unpopularity that they have to look to criminals and illegal aliens to try to shore up their voting base."

I have always thought that both the main political parties were crooked (see header quote) but this last year the Dems have been making themselves very noticable.

Ray Stevens - We The People - RayStevens.com

I'll have a latte with extra cash

Don't pull up to that barista and ask for cash with that latte. Is that a PF9?

New Security Rules for Air Travellers

Michael has some inside info on upcoming rules.

Bloomberg's Blueprint

Snowflakes in Hell has the document. This is a list of 40 recommendations sent to the White House. It is intended to make gun ownership more difficult. Read the synopsis by Sebastian as it is worth your time to know what the opposition is up to.

Merry Christmas!

I have a couple of stocking stuffers to show as they are almost as amusing as they are useful. The first item is used to try to call in predators.

I have no idea to the effectiveness of this Mouse Squeeze but it sounds like every other toy squeaker. I could use any of the dog/cat toys in the house as they sound identical to these untrained ears. I had asked my daughter if I could borrow one of her dwarf hamsters but she insisted on knowing why I wanted it. I just wondered if you squeezed one a little if it sounded about the same. I still don't know the answer to that question and have been banned from getting near her hamsters. Oh well.

The next one will come in useful. I could have actually used it last black powder hunting season as we got a little rain.

Condoms for my smoke pole!

I Like Archery - Sometimes.

My oldest daughter and I went to the archery range in the Tucson Mountain Park on the morning of Christmas Eve. You would have thought that I had never shot that bow before. It had been a while (last January) since I had shot it. I discovered that my right hand plant was not correct and finally got that solved so I could continue with the few arrows remaining. There is no leeway on arrows using a 70# bow when hitting the wood frame on the target or missing and launching off into the rocks. I eventually trashed/lost all eight arrows that I had brought much to the amusement of my daughter. I also managed to mess up pretty good a couple of times and snapped myself. Did I mention that I had forgotten my arm guard? Looks like this:

I thought the first time really stung but it admittedly really lit up the second time.


I was going to go hunting on the 26th but decided that further shooting was required prior to trying to stick a deer. Back to the range later today.

Save the SEALS Petition

Seal clubbing - favorite past time of military brass and Congress.

Exploding Chewing Gum Blows Off College Student's Jaw

Didn't his mother tell him to quit snapping his gum? Probably missed the lecture about not dipping your gum in explosive compounds.

Black Friday Shopping

I typically will not do any shopping the day after Thanksgiving but........
Dick's Sporting Goods sale on ammunition (buy on, get one, limit six total) was just too hard to pass up. The sale included the Mega UMC boxes. I was there at 6 AM as I slept in. The sale started at 5 AM. The limit was purchased and I am back safely cocooned in the house. Now this is my kind of sale!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

The Bucks Were Not Cooperative

The trip was a fine one. My Bronco ran great and had little difficulty with the old jeep trail. I drove in the day before season started to set up camp. It was quite breezy so setting up the 12'x18' tent by myself very interesting. It wasn't too bad until it was time for the rainfly. It was amusing and a little frustrating but I have learned to expect such challenges. We make up some one-pot meals to freeze before the trip that make dinner real easy. The first night was some fine leftover beef & noodles. The tent was a little noisy through the night as the wind never really let up.
Part of the camp is a folding stand with a regular toilet seat on it that I made up out of some leftover aluminum angle and stainless steel chain. A spot is picked a little way from camp providing some privacy distance. It is really nice to have a spot to sit. As you get older you will appreciate not trying to squat and balance.
I went out opening day and it was windy. I saw 5 deer with one of them being a very little spike. I passed on the little guy. There was also a dead kit fox that someone had blasted with a high power round. The tail looked nice so I cut it off to take home.






I also saw two Coatimundi and got to watch them working a hillside for things to eat. I thought about shooting the larger one and getting it mounted but that opportunity did not present itself. I did not want to shoot it with a 50 cal muzzle loader so it needed to be close enough for pistol.



I saw more bear scat in this area than I have seen in the last 20 years. There has always been sign but not this much.

That night, I had some freeze dried Italian Beef Pasta. We normally try out freeze dried foods at home first to see if it is fittin' to eat. You really want to stick to the common types of food. Chicken Stew, Beef Stew, Chicken & Rice, you get the idea. Time to divert to another time and place. We were backpacking along the Georgian Bay in Canada and one evening we had freeze dried food called Turkey Tetrazzini. There six of us and no one would eat it. We dubbed it Turkey Tetrachloride. this is when we started tested things prior to being out in the boonies. Now back to the current time line. Italian Beef Pasta sounds pretty normal doesn't it? Tasted good! I have never had gas like this aside from being ill! You did not know if you should go ahead and let one go because the pressure was great enough that you could easily drop a load in your shorts. I went over to that little seat about 6 times before bed. Nothing but gas. Heck, I could have won one of the crepitating contests! I figured I should move the seat closer to the tent as this had no indications of letting up and was getting cold out. Finally, everything seemed comfortable enough to crawl in the sleeping bag. I woke up about 2 in the morning and thought I was going to explode. Can I make outside to the seat? Unzip the bag, get your shoes on (no small feet, no pun intended), and stand up to a thunderous roar that would make any mountain man proud. No mess, no fuss. This baby should have been witnessed. We usually try to rank farts by three qualities. Ranked 1 to 10 for each category of loudness, duration and olfactory quality. An easy 26 but not a 30 as it was lacking in some of the necessary olfactory components for a perfect score. That seemed to be it for the evening. No other distress except for copious amounts of gas. I don't think I will buy that one again.

Saturday afternoon, my hunting partner rolled in. There was a little rain earlier. I was only rained on just long enough to make me go back to camp to get a poncho. It naturally stopped raining when I got back to camp. I had seen more deer that day but nothing I could grow antlers on.

Sunday was gorgeous as the wind was down and it was warming a touch. You could take a nap in the afternoon leaning against a tree with no problem. Monday was much the same except that evening we saw a lion about 146 yards (yes, I carry a range finder) from camp. He had disappeared by the time the rifle was gotten off the hood of the truck. We watched until it was dark but no more lion. Darn, I always carry a lion tag just in case.

We both broke camp on Tuesday. I hunted Wednesday as a day-hunt off the observatory road with no better luck.

How long is your wife supposed to chew on the fox tail to make sure that the hide is good and soft?

Deer Season Approaches!

My muzzle loader and I await the start of the season with great anticipation. I really enjoy camping and hunting. It is also looked forward to as this is my first vacation for the last year. A couple of years ago we had discovered that if you were in a certain spot in camp, raised one arm, stood on one foot and held your mouth just right, you could get the cell phone to work. I guess that is a good thing. My better half thinks so as she worries about me, especially if I am alone. She does not seem reassured when I make statements such as, "If I die out here, it won't be for lack of firepower."

You are allowed to carry a non-hunting pistol when archery or muzzle loader hunting here. That is defined a weapon with a barrel length of less than 6" and no electronic sights. I will carry my 4 5/8" Super Blackhawk while hunting. It is not uncommon for me to carry more than one pistol when in camp and keep a rifle handy. I had discovered during one cold elk hunt that my jacket seemed heavy. I had the SBH on my belt but was using the jacket as a storage device. Three more pistols were in different pockets. I had the 1911 (45acp) in one pocket, EAA (9mm) in the other pocket, a PF9 in my vest pocket, and various magazines. Guess I was going for the NY reload style of carry. I am not that paranoid as some target practice was taking place earlier and weapons had been placed in convenient places. It was too heavy so I put a couple away.

Wish me luck!

People hired by Obama as Czars

Western Powder

I am impressed with their Blackhorn 209 powder and customer service. I had stopped by their booth during the Phoenix NRA Convention. They had advertising graduated vials for the Blackhorn 209 powder. I had thought I was a little piggy at the time as I took three of them. They are very handy, especially at the range for advanced measurement of powder. I wished I had grabbed a dozen.

Cruising the web showed me nothing comparable so I contacted Western's customer service. I had a return email in about an hour! These vials are going to be marketed but haven't hit the web sales yet. They can be purchased directly if you contact customer service. You can't beat the promptness and friendliness of the responses. I purchased a dozen.

The more I shoot with the 209 powder, the better I like it. I have had some difficulty with a particular brand of sabots for reloading without swabbing. This is more of an isolated instance so I would say that Western's advertising on this product is spot on. there a breath of fresh air for you - works as advertised.

They Are Twins

I went to the Sportsmans Warehouse in Mesa and the layout is identical to the one in Marana. I mean that it really is identical including the facia and elk outside. One big difference is that they have about four times the inventory of powder etc. I was looking for more bullets for my smokepole and the one at home was out of the 245gr HP Powerbelts. It is only natural that when one settles on a bullet that shoots well in both rifles that it is out of stock. It would appear that certain locations have more pull when it comes to receiving shipments.

The Mesa store had three packages that went into my cart. Not being satisfied with the additional 60 bullets, I went to Bass Pro last night and picked up 60 more. This acquisition should make sure that I have enough to get through one more range trip and the hunt.

Muzzle Loaders Are Fun!

I went back to the range on Saturday for another round. It went unmentioned in the previous post that I had some difficulties with the old smokepole (Traditions) that was converted to a 209 primer nipple. the primer would get stuck every other shot or so. One of them was really stuck and it was unmovable at the range. I later removed it while cleaning after removing the nipple and plug. It was a real pita to get out. The factory said that they have no problem with the 209 conversion but always use the pricey Rem Clean thingy primers. It got converted back to the #11 percussion cap since I can't use the newer 209 powder with that style nipple anyways. Pyrodex is really, really stinky.

There was a 4X Redfield on an old 30-30 so I decided to put the Leupold back on my wife's .243 and the fixed on the Traditions. Nice combo as you can get 2" groups at 100yrd if you swab every so often. Pyrodex leaves a lot of crud - all of them do except the new 209. Did I mention that Pyrodex stinks?

I had an old red dot sight resting and just begging to be put on something so it went on the new CVA rifle. Sweet! That shoots nicely although the 5moa dot is kind of large at 100yrds. You could still shoot 3-4" groups even thought the dot covered all.

It is time to leave the setups alone and shoot them once more prior to deer season. I believe that I must now develop my plan for surrounding the deer with cleverness!

SBH & Blackpowder Day at the Range

Finally - I got over to the range to play with my shortened SBH. I will need to play with some sort of modification for the front sight as it is too short and the rear has no more downward adjustment left. I ran 150 rounds through it sighting and playing. 6" high at 15 yards. Maybe I can superglue a little fiber rod on top of the sight. Aside from that, the revolver still patterns well so the re-crowning work went well. I am satisfied with the alteration.

I have never shot a muzzleloader before but thought that it might be a good idea since that is the deer hunt that I was drawn for. I have an older inline (Traditions Buck Hunter) that was given to me by my father a few years ago. I had not shot it until Saturday morning but I did replace the plug and nipple to use the 209 primers. I also bought a low end CVA pivot action since a fellow should always have a backup weapon during hunting season. Both are 50 cal.

I purchased some of the new Blackhorn 209 powder that isn't as smokey, doesn't foul, more powerful, allows the use of sabots without any loading difficulty, cleans up with regular rifle solvents, and is advertised to do everything but load itself. The literature shows pictures of 209 nipples. The Traditions nipple has a big red X through it. That is another reason I bought the CVA.

I took the Leupold 2x7 off my wife's rifle (I will get her another one) and stuck it on the CVA with see-through rings. This doesn't work. The scope does not have enough adjustment to dial it in. You could look at it from the other aspect that the mount/ring combination does not have the proper cant. I took it off and shot it with the fiber optic dot "iron" sights. I love that pivot action. Most of that advertising for the 209 powder is good for my rig except that part about that there is no problem with having to clean between shots with sabots. You could hardly set a bullet after four shots. The palm of my hand is bruised from trying to shove the rod down. Fortunately, I also had some Powerbelt bullets that some of the shooters on a blackpowder forum like. I could load those without any great difficulty and continue shooting. The combo of 209 powder and Powerbelts shot well.

The Traditions was loaded with Pyrodex RS. You almost could not load a second sabot. I switched to the Powerbelts and some other similar bullet that Dad gave me. Both of these worked fine without a lot of swabbing. Pyrodex is definitely smokier than 209. The target disappears momentarily after each shot.

Shooting the smokepoles was a lot of fun. It is slow going and you will spend more time at the range when sighting in but that is actually a good thing as I like being at the range. I met people who normally would not have spoken to you due to their curiosity over what you were shooting. I only got a couple of sour looks from a guy downwind. Oh well, maybe I should put a drop of Old Spice in a hollow point. I am sure that it would be nice smelling then!

I stopped at Sportsman's Warehouse on the way home and bought a handle to slip over the rod as it became obvious that one is required if you are going to the range for a session or three. More Powerbelts were added to my collection.

Anyone want a bunch of those 50/44 plastic sleeves (sabots)?

Recipes

I see that it is becoming fashionable to post recipes on your blog. Not to be left behind......

STEAMED SKUNK
1 Skunk
Salt
Water
Seasoning

Skin, clean and remove the scent glands. Put in a strong solution of salt water and parboil for about 15 minutes. Drain off this water, add fresh water, season, and steam slowly for about 1 hour or until tender.

Mmm, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm ,mmmm - makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

I have quite a few recipes for wild game and some other oddities. Let me know if there is a particular critter that you can't find a recipe for and I will see if it is in my database and post it.

SBH Cut & Finish

I wanted to be able to carry a "real" caliber of handgun while archery/muzzle loading hunting. You are allowed to carry a sidearm here as long as the barrel is less than 5". I had a gunsmith cut/recrown the barrel from the original 7 1/2" to 4 5/8" then off to Mac's Shootin' Irons for a Tuff-Gun finish in matt black. The weather won't be much of a concern on this one.

Before (stock picture)

After

I am pleased!

The Bronco Lives!

It has been a long journey mainly due to how busy the engine rebuilder was/is and me being a master procrastinator. The engine rebuilder (Phoenix Engine) had a 4-5 week backlog that turned into 7 weeks. They had over 400 engines in the shop for rebuild when I dropped mine off. they still had over 400 engines when I picked mine up. the poorer economy has definitely boosted the number of people who are keeping their old iron over buying new.

Oh no, The engine is gone!

It's back.

The 351W HO rebuild consisted of a 60 over bore, new crank (kind of stock), balancing, hotter cam, Dart Iron Eagle heads, Edelbrook dual plane intake, summit shorty headers, and a Holley 80457S carb. The felt HP increase is quite noticeable even on the tight new engine. It hasn't been on a dyno and it is unlikely it will but the shop expect that this one will turn close to 350HP and 400 torque. That is probably optimistic but it drives like it is close. We will see when it is fully broken in.

Have I Been Lazy or What?

Let's try the "or what" portion of the title as to why I haven't blogged as I should.

I changed jobs during this time period which caused quite a few extra chores to be put on the list. Some people were concerned that the "boss" was leaving but the corporate dedication to the Tucson office is not dependent on an individual. I know that it will be more difficult for some as their duties will increase as will the complexity of the job. I know that Kevin is in that position. All I can recommend is to run with it and ask for more money!

It was really difficult to get in the necessary dove hunting time as I was leaving the old job. I actually went ten of the fifteen hunting mornings . The legal limt was obtained all days except two when I had morning meetings at work. Darn work interferes with fun stuff like hunting, shooting, reloading, fishing, camping, napping, etc. Hard to do all the fun stuff without money though. The alarm would go off at 4 AM so that I could get in the morning constitutional and a snack prior to taking off. I love to get there a little early (OK - at O'dark thirty) to hear the coyotes and watch the sun come up but others do not seem to feel the same. I asked my wife and daughter if they wanted to go and even offered to make them a piece of toast in the morning but to no avail. They seemed to have no interest as soon as I mention the time. My daughter told me something like, "Have fun with that". I don't think that is a positive response even though it was said with a smile.

The Bronco is back on the road. The rebuilt engine runs great but it had a fuel delivery problem. That will get corrected this weekend seeing that dove season is over. It was a difficult choice sometimes. Should I work on the truck or go hunting? The truck was delayed.

I will get back on the stick and post more regularly.