Archive for the ‘firearms’ Category

corrected vision

Sunday, June 6th, 2010

Sometime after 40, the human eye loses much of its ability to focus up close and far away at the same time. My rifle match scores are deteriorating because I can either see the front sight clearly without prescription lenses or the target clearly with my prescription lenses but I can no longer do both well enough to plant my bullets around the bull like I used to. Several competitors have suggested I get shooting glasses that are half-way between plain safety glasses and my distance prescription… or “half a diopter less” than that prescription.

After discussing this idea with two local eyeglass sellers, both told me it is against the law to do that … without first hiring them to re-examine my eyes and write a fresh prescription.
(more…)

Congratulations due

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

Representative Dick Harwood and several of our Idaho State Legislators are to be commended and supported for introducing House Bill 589. They now join the ranks of 24 other state legislatures considering bills that reiterate the rights described in the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution… rights that have been trampled by the federal government.
(more…)

life is not a spectator sport

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Another day – known in some circles as “Superbowl Sunday”.

We went to the annual gun show for the local club. Renewed our membership, watched the mandatory 1-hour show to earn a key to the outdoor range, drooled all down the front of my sweater…

gorgeous stainless steel coach gun
(more…)

on becoming a rifleman

Saturday, August 8th, 2009

I would like to introduce you to The Appleseed Project, and it’s grand uncle, the Civilian Marksmanship Program.

In their words, “The Appleseed Program is designed to take you from being a simple rifle owner to being a true rifleman. All throughout American history, the rifleman has been defined as a marksman capable of hitting a man-sized target from 500 yards away — no ifs, ands or buts about it. This 500-yard range is traditionally known as “the rifleman’s quarter-mile;” a rifleman can hit just about any target he can see. This skill was particulary evident in the birth of our country, and was the difference in winning the Revolutionary War.”
(more…)

Montana stands proud

Tuesday, May 5th, 2009

The Montana state legislature and governor have apparently read the US
Constitution – and are standing up for it. As of April 15th, any firearm manufactured in Montana is exempt from federal law as long as it remains in Montana.

Other states rights laws are being considered and passed. I’ll collect them and share with you soon. The story on this particular one can be read here.

Automakers want $22 billion

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

We are surrounded by people losing jobs. Clothing, fast food, construction, banks and a whole lot more are dying or at least writhing on the floor as the economy based on a fiat dollar comes to its predictable end. Yet as the flaming airplane plummets to the earth, the guys in the 1st class cabin continue to wheel and deal with other people’s money.
(more…)

You win. You can have ‘em.

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

Gosh, I’m just full of it lately… optimism, that is. This moment of buoyancy is brought to you by the good folks at Armalite. They make some of the best components and rifles in their AR family which includes the AR15 semi-auto rifles that are extremely popular in “high-power” 200-600 yard matches sanctioned by the CMP and NRA.

In my recent family budgeting session, we decided that I get to build a service rifle in .223 caliber as soon as possible, as an economy measure. Okay, you wise guys can stop laughing, get up off the floor and finish reading my sales pitch here. Ya’see I can reload .223 for a new rifle so much cheaper than .308 for the old one that the difference in ammo cost will pay for the smaller rifle in one season of practice and match shooting. Any graduate of government-school financial analysis classes will tell you that 100% return on investment in 9 months is very good indeed. (You can try this argument free of charge in your own household budgeting, but I won’t guarantee results.)
(more…)

the company they keep

Thursday, November 27th, 2008

Over 8 years ago, Smith & Wesson management (in England) sold out to the Clinton Administration making gun control more onerous and ownership more precarious in exchange for preference in bidding government contracts. The response of the shooting community was immediate and beautiful. Sales of S&W guns essentially STOPPED. The company lost most of its value, enabling an American to buy it from the Brits who had trashed its reputation.

It appears that one American manufacturer forgot the lesson, if he learned it at all.
(more…)

Choosing Handguns

Saturday, November 1st, 2008

I bought a Glock 17 in complete ignorance as my first defensive weapon when they first arrived on these shores. I then joined a gun club to learn how to use firearms. I ignored copious quantities of flak about my “Tactical Tupperware” from guys whose opinions I quickly learned deserved no respect. (more…)

Supremely Senile

Saturday, June 28th, 2008

Many gun-rights advocates are celebrating the Supreme Court’s ruling against Washington DC’s current ban on personal firearms for self-defense. Unfortunately, the court has opened the door for more restrictions on self-defense and ruled against the people who would arm themselves against a tyrannical government… which was THE reason for the Second Amendment. In a ruling that a thoughtful, educated 12-year-old could have made correctly in a few sentences, nine post-retirement-aged authorities in black robes spent 157 pages of print to explain away our Constitutional right and cultural responsibility to be armed against an over-reaching government. (more…)