Take Me Down

This is very interesting, as most everyone knows, Winchester ceased production of their lever guns a few years back, they are now doing a very limited run of their iconic 1892 levergun in a take-down version.  Steve at the Firearm Blog has the details, essentially, they'll make 500 20" and 250 24" guns.  I'd have to agree with Steve that they'd really have a hit if they released it in 30-30 and I'd go one further and say it should be in either 18" or 16".  Talk about a near perfect truck/guide gun.
 

X Planes

One of my loves in life are aircraft, mostly military, but aircraft in general.  I get this from my dad who loved the aircraft he grew up with as a kid and couldn't read enough books on the subject of his heroes, men like Robin Olds, Dick Bong, Eddie Rickenbacker, Robert A. Hoover and of course Chuck Yeager.  As I was growing up in the 70's, I developed my own love of the aircraft if not the men who flew them.  The 70's was just after a great period of Supersonic development and the tactics and strategy of air defense underwent a wild developement where the powers felt that it needed to be really freakin' fast and haul missiles.  I identify with the "Century" jets more than any other out there, from the F-100 Super Saber to the truly knarly looking YF-107.  The other planes that were big news in those days were the "X Planes", the experimental aircraft that pushed the limits of what aeronotical engineers could do.  From Yeager's X-1 to the semi-spacey X-15 to the superfast X-51 Scramjet.  Why am I telling you this on a cowboy shooting blog?  Well I had to point as many people as I can to my new favorite blog, X Planes and I figured I should explain why I think it's so darned cool.

Flag This

Michael Bane seems to have the knack for flustering S&W's lock system on big-bore lightweight revolvers.  He's had another instance with yet a different gun, folks have asked me why I won't buy one with a lock on it, this is why.  I will not own a gun that I would intend to carry for self defense that has such a device on it, there are too many other good guns that won't do this and yes, it is the principle that S&W didn't have to ruin their revolvers.

Independence Day

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. —That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

SASS Vaquero

I forgot to put this up yesterday.  Ruger has introduced the SASS Vaquero.  Steve at the Gun Blog has more pictures and info on the gun.

From the press release

The high-gloss stainless steel Ruger SASS Vaquero comes with the lower/wider Montado-style hammer found on the Ruger Montado. The SASS Vaquero, chambered in .357 Magnum, features a 4-5/8" barrel, a blade front sight and wider (.140") rear sight, and black checkered, hard rubber grips with SASS grip medallions. Each SASS Vaquero will bear a special serial number featuring the letters "SASS" as a prefix followed by the numeric sequence. These special edition single-action revolvers will only be sold in two-gun sets of consecutive serial numbers and will ship in a red, two-gun carry case.

So they have some nice features that will definitely appeal to SASS competitors and they only come in 4-5/8" barrels and .357Magnum.  That's probably the best combo for competition as you'll not have much recoil with the .38 SASS loadings and the 4-5/8" barrel is short enough and yet remains well balanced.  I myself have just this year added Super Blackhawk hammers to two of my Old Model Rugers to facilitate one-handed shooting and I really like them.  I don't think they sped me up any, but I shouldn't get to many hammer slips, the bain of all Gunfighters.

The new SASS vaquero can be had for $1500 MSRP mid summer 2009 (I'm starting to sound like Jim Scoutten)

Zombie? Where?

Zombieland Trailer 2009

Wild Bunch @ Founder's Ranch

Michael Bane has been shooting the SASS Wild Bunch match at Founder's Ranch this week.  He's posted an after action report, who won what and what worked and didn't work (for him).  I really like shooting Wild Bunch at the local matches and would actually like to see it become a category, but it appears to not be in the cards as I think SASS can make more money holding a separate match.  Too bad really, I think they could attract more shooters, that's always a good thing right?

That Sound You Hear?

Oh, that'd be Sam Colt and John Browning spinning in their graves.

Colt 45 - Holistic music video

I mean, even cool guns and babes can't save this piece of...  uh...  art?