My Head is About to Explode

So as I usually do I hit up Drudge to peruse the headlines and I read two that instantly made the pressure in my head skyrocket.

The first:

John Edwards: 'Pretty Soon' All Young African-American Men Will Be Dead or in Prison...

The second:

A BOND IN EVERY BASSINET: HILLARY PROPOSES $5,000 FOR EVERY U.S. BABY

Hillary was talking to a black group of course. Without even clicking the links these things just make me insane. Check out the Edwards link. His overwhelming stupidity is illustrated so concisely and professionally that I can add nothing to it.

Hillary's asinine idea is the real kicker for me. Where the hell are we going to get the money to pay for these bonds? I mean you would think even the stupidest socialist would see what a ridiculous ponzi scheme this would be. First of all she uses the word bonds. This is of course commutard-speak for, we will pay for it later. It is SSI with no funding, for the perfectly able bodied. The fact that a lot of Americans actually consider her a real candidate for President is beyond frightening. This class/racial warfare is going to be our undoing.

Here is a cluepon. Maybe, just maybe working American families could save up some money if you damn communists would quit taxing them to death. Maybe they could pay for college if they weren't having to subsidize all the illegal alien's in state tuition, and the myriad of asshated classes our esteemed academiticians come up with.

Between this hair-brained scheme, Hillarycare 2.0, and the myriad of other socialist programs the hyperwench has stored up in that addled brain of hers, we may as well all just quit working now. Why work when the government can pay you to sit on your butt?

Edited to add: Holy CRAP! I forgot to include this gem.

"I think it's a wonderful idea," said Rep. Stephanie Stubbs Jones, an Ohio Democrat who attended the event and has already endorsed Clinton. "Every child born in the United States today owes $27,000 on the national debt, why not let them come get $5,000 to grow until their 18?"

Come get? What? This is like some unintelligible morse code that I just don't comprehend! So they owe $27,000, which is a questionable statement to begin with, so let's saddle them with $5,000 more, oh yeah, plus interest! Oh the horror.

What a completely stupid idea! Whoever at Time came up with this should be fired immediately, or better yet beaten with rolled up newspapers about the head.

Marlin 917vs

Man, what a wait. This gun has been nearly three years in the making, and I am finally going to be able to shoot it in a couple weeks. It is ridiculous really. My beloved fiancée bought me this rifle for Christmas '05. It is a beautiful gun really. Nice stainless bull barrel, and green laminate stock. It shoots the .17 HMR round. I have been wanting to try this round out since I first heard of it's release, and I will finally be able to.

The rifle has no sights on it. This is the main reason I have not fired it. I really wanted to put together a nice affordable shooter with this one. Kim bought me a Mueller APV for it last Christmas. This is a nice affordable scope. The users at Rimfire Central helped design it. I have heard nothing but great things about it. Kim also said their customer service was excellent.

So I have had the scope for nearly a year now. I finally found the perfect mount for it I think. A BKL 261. This piece should be shipping today, and I will hopefully get it next week. I am busy next weekend (dang it!), but I WILL be taking it out to the range the following weekend.

From everything I have seen and heard over the last couple of years, this setup ought to be one heck of a shooter for the price. I plan to hit up the 100 yard range to see what I can do with it. Undoubtedly it will outshoot me, so hopefully I can get some respectable groups going. Look for a range report in a couple of weeks.

Manufacturer's Website:
Marlin Firearms

Pics:


Mods:
Mueller APV
BKL 261 Scope Mount

Links:
Fun Range Trip

Specs:
Caliber: 17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire
Capacity: 4-shot and 7-shot clip included
Action: Bolt action; thumb safety; red-cocking indicator.
Stock: Monte Carlo laminated gray / black hardwood with nickel-plated sling swivel studs; full pistol grip; rubber rifle butt pad; tough Mar-Shield® finish.
Barrel: Heavy 22" stainless steel (4 grooves)
Twist Rate: 1:9" r.h.
Sights: No sights provided, but receiver is grooved for scope mount; drilled and tapped for scope bases (scope bases included).
Overall Length: 41"
Weight: 7 lbs.

Poor Rube

Well we have a soldier that has decided to return his medals to Donald Rumsfeld. I guess it is better than throwing someone else's medals over a fence, but why be picky?

I never served and I still regret it. Having said that, this guy apparently was an ammo clerk that never fired his weapon in anger. He also got booted out of the Army for doing drugs.

If he wants to return his medals, that is fine with me of course. He earned them. The fact that he was an insubordinate, dope head, ammo clerk kind of lessens the protest me thinks. This poor guy knowingly or not is being used as a pawn by the internal enemies of our country.

The Story

HatTip: Drudge

Internal Enemy

While this story does not surprise me in the least, it should serve as a wakeup call for all of us.

The Story

So good ol' rich white guy turned commie George Soros funded the NASA "whistleblower" global warming guy to the tune of over $700,000. He also sponsored the supposed grass roots immigration rallies last year, and has been the funder of a lot of terrorist helping lawyers. Geez. This guy makes the Rosenberg's look downright patriotic.

Soros' "shaping public policies," as OSI calls it, is not illegal. But it's a problem for democracy because it drives issues with cash and then only lets the public know about it after it's old news.
That means the public makes decisions about issues without understanding the special agendas of groups behind them.

Without more transparency, it amounts to political manipulation. This leads to cynicism. As word of these short-term covert ops gets out, the public grows to distrust what it hears and tunes out.

The irony here is that Soros claims to be an advocate of an "open society." His OSI does just the legal minimum to disclose its activities. The public shouldn't have to wait until an annual report is out before the light is flipped on about the Open Society's political action.

This is a damn shame. I wonder if our wonderful unbiased media will report on any of this.

HatTip: Drudge

Ruger Mark II 22/45 Bull Barrel

This is actually Kim's pistol. She loves it! I bought it for her as a starter pistol, so she could learn to shoot a 1911. Unfortunately she can't stand the kick of my 1911, so she is sticking with the 22/45 for now.

The gun itself functions flawlessly with CCI Mini-Mags. You can shoot it all day long with no problems. It is also a very accurate pistol. It just hits were you aim. I personally like the traditional Mark I/II/III grip angle better, but this one does simulate the 1911 very well. The plastic grip is kind of subpar IMO, but it does not affect the functioning of the pistol at all. The bull barrel, undoubtedly contributes to the accuracy, as well as making the gun a pleasure to point.

Overall I would buy it again for her. At some point I will buy a Mark II Hunter for myself.

Manufacturers Website:
Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.

Pics:


Links:

Specs:
Caliber:.22 LR
Capacity:10 Rounds
Finish:Blued
Grip:Black Synthetic
Barrel Length:5 1/2"
Groove:6
Twist:1:16" RH
Overall Length:9 1/2"
Weight:2 lbs
California Approved:Yes
Massachusetts Approved:Yes
Front Sight(s):Fixed
Rear Sight(s):Adjustable

Winchester 1200

This gun means more to me than all the rest combined. It is my Grandfather's shotgun. What else needs to be said? My Pa is living in a nursing home now. I took his shotgun from his house for safekeeping, and took my Remington 870 up there so my Dad, who is staying at the house would have a shotgun around. The Wal Mart special 870 would not be a great loss. The 1200 would kill me.

I remember this gun from childhood. Back when Pa could get around and had his little farm it was a fixture. He used it to "hunt" with. I believe all he ever killed while hunting was an unfortunate jackrabbit that hopped into his path. He brought it home and told my Grandma, "Dot look! It blew it's head clean off!". Another memory involved a tarantula on the front porch. He somehow managed to miss the tarantula on the first shot, blowing a big hole in the porch. I remember yelling, "How you gonna miss from 10 feet away with a shotgun?!". A few seconds later another hole appeared where the tarantula had been. While he accomplished his goal, I think he thought better of it when he was replacing those boards on the porch and repainting the whole thing.

I was allowed to use the gun for a few rabbit/dove/shooting objects in the pond excursions once in a while when I turned 15. I must have put 30 boxes of shells through it in a couple months.

This old shotgun is nothing special. It has a decent wood stock and forearm with a few scratches. The bluing is in great shape except for a couple of small dings, and their was a few small rust spots on the barrel which I took care of. Honestly though, it may as well be a fine European model as far as I am concerned. The memories of Pa and his land, that he later lost, are some of the best of my childhood. I wish Grandma would not have had that heart attack that bankrupted him at the time. I would have loved it if he could have spent some more years out there on his beloved patch of North Texas. He had 25 acres, but to us kids it may as well have been 5,000. We roamed it, along with most of the adjacent larger properties for years. Several deer were even taken out there. None by Pa though. He was always to worried about hitting some non-existent person a mile away if he took the shot. Either that, or he just couldn't bring himself to destroy what he saw as God's creative beauty at work.

My Pa is the best man I have ever known. I have never heard him cuss, drink, or smoke. He has served God as well as he could since he was a teenager, and worked hard selling auto parts for a long time to support his family. He has a youthful innocence and sense of humor that makes me weep when I think about losing him. This old shotgun ain't much, but it is worth the world to me.

Ruger Mini-14 Ranch Rifle

Ah, the gun that started it all. This is the first gun I ever bought. That is excepting a 10/22 I got at 18 that was promptly stolen. I have had a love/hate relationship with this gun. It was purchased from a former roommate's father for $450. The price, I would find out, was probably a bit high, but it did come with extra mags, all of which were complete crap.

The rifle was a dirty, inaccurate, and a jamming PITA.

I learned how to take it apart and gave it a thorough cleaning. This took care of the first problem. It was the only easy fix.

I shot it once or twice, and could barely hit the target at 50 yards. Admittedly some of this was my poor marksmanship, but most of it was the gun. The "adjustable" peep sight was loose for one thing. Duh! So I tried to tighten it up and one of the screw's head split while I was tightening it and fell off. Doh! After a couple of months I got the screws replaced and got it adjusted. At this point I was able to put most rounds on a 12" target at fifty yards. Better, but still horrible. My latest endeavor was installing an Ultimak rail and a cheap red dot. This vastly improved the rifle's accuracy. Check out the mod section for more info on this little project. Let's just say, it followed the M.O. for the rest of the rifle.

As for jamming, it doesn't jam anymore. I quit using all the crappy mags it came with, and found a couple Ruger factory 30 rounders. These have functioned flawlessly.

The gun is now a fun gun to shoot. It is not as accurate as my AR, but it is acceptable. The Boy prefers the Mini to the AR. Go figure!

I have more in this gun than it is worth, so it will always be mine. Right now it is serving SHTF duty at the lake house.

Manufacturer's Website:
Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.

Pics:

Mods:
Ultimak Scout Rail

Links:
Perfect Union Mini 14/30 Forum

Specs:
Caliber: .223 Rem
Capacity: 5 Rounds (up to 30 with other mags)
Finish: Blued
Stock: Hardwood
Barrel Length: 18 1/2"
Groove: 6
Twist: 1:9" RH
Overall Length: 37 1/4"
Weight: 6 3/4 lbs
California Approved: N/A
Massachusetts Approved: N/A
Front Sight(s): Protected Blade
Rear Sight(s): Ghost Ring Adjustable Aperture
Other Features: Garand-Type Safety

Henry H003TM

This gun is just flat out fun to shoot! I am a big fan of Henry's rifles. They are a family-owned company that makes some good quality guns at pretty affordable prices. This octagon-barreled beauty was a gift from my dear fiancée for Christmas 2006. It was an accidental purchase. I asked for a lever action .22 Mag, and Wal Mart shipped this gun instead. She must have ordered it, as it costs about $200 more than their bottom of the line lever WMR gun.

She was so upset when she realized it was not the right gun Christmas morning. We discussed taking it back, and decided to. I spent the rest of the day looking at the gun and handling it. Man this little guy sure does point nice! The short stroke on the pump is a bit weird, but it sure is comfortable! That octagon barrel, nice sights, and pretty wood sure are neat! After fondling it all day, I decided to keep it. I am so glad I did. It is a joy to plink around with.

The gun is more accurate than I am. I am fairly certain that it would do some really nice groups at 100 yards or more with a scope on it. I will never put one on it though.

Henry rifles are not fine bespoke guns by any means. They are affordable reminders of our past history however. The company has captured the nostalgia of the old American west so many of us are infatuated with. You can get into a standard lever action .22 from them for less than $250. The action they have created is incredibly smooth for the price. This is not a Marlin Golden 39a, but it is in my opinion the next best thing. My pump WMR will not be the last gun I purchase from Henry.

The company's customer service is second to none. Emails from the company president are not uncommon, and I hear he answers the phone quite a bit as well. They seem to go out of their way to make sure the customer is happy with their purchase.

Henry's trifecta of good quality, good value, and good service make them a winner.

Manufacturer's Website:
Henry Repeating Arms

Pics:


Links:

Specs:
Model: H003TM
Action Type: Pump
Caliber: .22 Magnum
Capacity: 12 rounds
Barrel Length: 20 1/2"
Length: 38 1/2" Overall
Weight: 6 lbs.
Stock: American Walnut
Sights: Fully adjustable rear, beaded front
Receiver: Grooved for scope mount
Finish: Blued barrel and receiver

Bushmaster XM15 Heavy Barrel Carbine

This is my first Guns That I Own post. I can't think of a better subject than my first (for now only) black rifle. I LOVE this gun. I have put about 1,000 rounds through it so far, and have not had a single hiccup. She just throws ammo downrange in a quick and accurate manner.

The heavy barrel on this gun works great. I like the additional heft. It is easier for me to aim accurately than a lighter gun.

Manufacturer's Website:
Bushmaster Firearms

Pics:


Links:
The Wonderful Evil Black Rifle

Specs:
A rugged, telescoping buttstock adds to the versatility of this .223 Remington caliber carbine, and the ribbed handguards keep swing weight to a minimum. Its handguards, pistol grip and "tele" stock are molded of hard thermoset polymer composite. The heavy barrel, with chrome lined bore and chamber, offers exceptional accuracy for its length and is externally manganese phosphate finished for complete protection against corrosion and rust - as are all steel parts of the weapon.
The barrel incorporates a "birdcage" style flash suppressor/compensator with closed bottom to eliminate dust signature when firing in the prone position. The M16A2 sight system, with two flip-up apertures designed for either short range shots at moving targets or long distance accuracy, offers adjustment for windage and elevation. The elevation adjustments are graduated from 300 to 800 meters and automatically compensate for bullet drop. Forged, lightweight 7075T6 aircraft quality aluminum receivers have all M16A2 design improvements including cartridge case deflector, last round bolt hold-open and raised ridges for magazine release button protection.
The A3 Type differs in that it's Upper Receiver is "flat-top" style with an integral Picatinny rail to offer a variety of sight, scope or night vision mounting options. A 1/2 M.o.A. rear sight is incorporated into the Removable Carrying Handle.The carbine is shipped complete with 30 round magazine, instructional manual and carrying sling, all in a hard plastic shipping case..

More Guns Dang It!

This is after all supposed to be a gun blog!

I am going to start two new series of posts. These will be titled Guns I Have and Guns I Want. Unfortunately the second list will probably much longer than the first.

Guns I Have will obviously deal with current guns that are in my arsenal, details of any modifications I have done, as well as my thoughts about the firearm.

Guns I Want will serve as a wish list of sorts. I think I will change the category on these posts as I obtain new firearms.

I love talking about my guns, so each one I own will have a link in a special Guns I have link section on the right side of my blog. These links will take you dear readers (mainly myself) to an index post for each gun. All posts having to do with that gun will be linked there.

Your humble writer realizes you probably don't care about any of this, but it will give me something to blog about that has a dedicated purpose.