Flush With Pork

The Hooten Holler Roundup 08 is behind us and I for one had a great time. Sure, I shot like I hadn't seen a steel target before, but the camaraderie, food & spirits were certainly well worth the trip. I for one got my fill and then some of the hospitality of Kentucky and that along with the shooting let me relax and recharge the batteries if you will. Its better than any therapist could ever hope to be.

I've uploaded almost a hundred photos that Copper, Judge and I took over the two days of shooting, sadly we didn't think to have it along on our off range activities. From the pictures, you'll notice how much happier folks look on Sunday than they did on Saturday, what a difference the weather makes! Yes, once again, we had a day of rain and then a gorgeous day to shoot. The posse was one of the very best ever, I spent only about half the time running the timer and had some time to take pictures and actually talk to people. That's oh so nice to be able to do.

I was also able to take some video of a few of us shooting and it turned out nicely, I'll post it up soon.

Videos have been put up on YouTube.com. http://www.youtube.com/casjose

I got frustrated with the quality of YouTube, so I put this one up on Vimeo, much better quality.

Cowboy Action Shooting: Jose @ Hooten 08 from Jose Gigante on Vimeo.

TVR Semi-Annual Pitch-in

Oh yeah, there was a shoot too.

Twice a year (April & November) we're privileged at Thunder Valley to have our brethren from Illinois come join us for a day (or two) of shooting, eating and camping. I'm not exactly sure how it all started, but I'm pretty certain Ellie May (the real range owner) is the main culprit. She is pretty active on the CAS forums conversing with like minded shooters and regaling of stories and managed to arrange for a group of shooters to travel to Indiana and hang out with us Hoosiers.

The whole affair seems to get bigger every year, though the weather kept attendence down this year, we still had 42 shooters and I had the pleasure of shepherding 6 new or second time shooters through the match. Its a challenge to do it, but I find it fun to get people's feet wet and try my darnedest to make sure they have a good time. I think by the smiles I saw, they did (really, its hard not to have fun). This year, and years forth, the April match will honor those shooters who we have posse'd with and have passed before us, we even had a 21 gun salute in their honor.

How'd things go? Well lets just say that while I may not shoot worth a darn, I can eat like a son-of-a-gun. With all the wonderful food from everyone and some spirits concocted by the Illinois bunch, I was extremely content and warm. There's nothing quite like sitting around a fire, drinking and eating and sharing company with some of the finest people on the planet.

You Damn Dirty Ape!

I've been pondering what to write about Charlton Heston's passing. I can't really speak to the man's worth past what I saw on TV and on the Big screen and what he said in the press. One thing is for sure, he was a very passionate man who was strong in his convictions and not afraid to rub those around him the wrong way just because he was an enigma in a land of weirdos and freaks. In short, he shared my love of guns and hatred of Apes and I presume Monkeys, no other like him will pass this way, so go peaceful Mr. Heston, to that grand land with plenty of guns and no Apes.

Dave Hardy of Of Arms & the Law has a roundup.

David Gianatasio of Adfreak says it best.

Early in Apes, Taylor says: “I can’t help thinking that somewhere in the universe there has to be something better than man. Has to be.” Here’s hoping Chuck finds just that.

What Do We Have Here?

If you answered a S&W M13-3 in 3", you'd win a cigar!

I'm the new happy owner of a gun that is increasingly hard to find at anywhere approaching a decent price and I got it for what I think is a very fair price. As most of the good gun deals you'll have in your life, this one I absolutely fell upon while I was looking into information for a C&R license (what's that? I'll save it for another post). Allan's Armory in FL had some C&R rifles and a section for modern firearms where he had this example of the FBI's former sidearm up for a reasonable price. I called and spoke with Allan and had him ship it to me after we exchanged payment info. Five days later I had it in my grubby paws and last weekend I took it to the range for a run-through.

So off I went with 150 rounds of ammo and my M19-3 for comparative purposes, you can see my attempts met with mixed results. The fixed sights on the M13 doesn't really affect the accuracy too much, the gun shot a bit low, but I liked the sight picture since I see it when I'm cowboy shooting and I think that with some smoothing of the double-action, the gun will be a real winner. As for the double action, it is fine up to the point just before release, there's a pronounced catch in the action, so much so I think it was purposely added to the gun, why? who knows, but it's gotta go.

I have had plans to have my M19 sent off to a good wheelgun smith like Grant Cunningham, but he's not soliciting work and so I've been considering the S&W Performance Center. This M13 does beg to be sent off for their Combat Revolver Package though... Its good to have choices :)

Survivalism Hits Mainstream

So says the NYT Intapundit is all over it with several links discussing survivalism, including Say Uncle's, who as Glenn notices "neglects the zombie angle, somewhat diminishing his credibility." I'm not much for this sort of thing, I'm posting this for Judge since he's off in Hell Porter County Indiana teaching a class this week. I suppose my take on this is pretty unrealistic and simple (and easy) have a good rifle/shotgun/pistol with lots of ammo, thereby you can acquire all the other stuff you need to survive, like CHEEZE-ITs and Beer.

Math Lesson For Hoosier Media

ATTENTION MATH CHALLENGED HOOSIERS!

OK, I don't know if the populous is really this dumb or there is some conspiracy with the in.gov against the math-challenged Hoosiers, but I'm sick and tired of hearing in the media how the raise in the Indiana sales tax from $.06 to $.07 is a one percent increase. While it is an additional one percent, the INCREASE is actually 16.7%, because you see, 1 divided by 6 is .166666666....

So, anytime you hear the talking heads or read in the paper how it is a one percent increase, you can get just as pop-a-vein angry as me.

That is all.

I'll Have That With Extra Lead

This is one of the best lines I've read in a while. Instapundit links to this story about Pizza Hut (ugh) coming under fire for suspending a delivery driver in Iowa for defending himself with a handgun against a robbery attempt. Insty's comment on Pizza Hut's HR VP is classic.

Uh huh. Good thing he didn't listen or he might be being carried by six instead of subjected to mealy-mouthed HR flackery from one.

Indeed!

Kudo's

It looks like we did something right after all this weekend at TVR. As I said our posse ended up with a large group from Southern Illinois that was new to the range. Things started out rough as Jose and I like to run a quick and smooth posse and most of our regulars weren't with us. We had to do a little pushing and prodding to get all of the jobs filled and then we turned around and DQ'd 2 shooters in the first stage. Things settled down after that and by lunch we had a pretty smooth posse running. I didn't think the Illinois group would be very happy with us, guess I was wrong. We got this from Rebel;

Hey Guys: Just wanted you to know that we really made a great impression on the folks from illinois, and the new shooters that were at TVR Saturday. I not only recieved verbal compliments from them Saturday, several sent an email to Thank us for the hospitality....They were very impresssed with the instruction and coaching that the RO's provided.

So I'm happy we managed to teach, coach, and run a safe and friendly match that everyone enjoyed.

Knocking the Rust

Yesterday was the first match of the year at TVR and it reminded me of 2 things. CAS is fun, and you'll never get better without practice.

Jose picked me up at 7:30 and the new guncarts only took about 2 minutes to load up. So we were on the road earlier then usual and I was looking forward to spending a little extra time at Mikey D's drinking coffee. Unfortunately Jose forgot one of the things you just can't compete without...his hat, so we had to drive all the way back to his place to pick up the size 8 monstrosity. We still managed to wolf down some breakfast and make it in plenty of time to the range.

I picked up my '87 from Vaquero and was very happy with the work. The action was much smoother then before and the drop 2 looked to be well done. The new guncarts made the big hill much easier to navigate and after the safety briefing we found ourselves with a very full posse of guests from Illinois and a great day of shooting in front of us.

The stages had a lot of movement and some of the older shooters struggled with moving and shooting. We had to DQ 2 right off the bat for moving with the shotgun actions closed. After everyone settled down the day went pretty smooth. I was frustrated for shooting everything in the low 30's when I had finished last year shooting everything in the mid to high 20's but 4 months and a new shotgun will do that to you. The drop 2 in the '87 works well, but you can't baby it and I found myself struggling because it was so different then last year. With practice I know it will work just fine, which means by November I should be back in form.

The big surprise of the day was Copper. He proves yet again the practice is the key. He's been working hard on his transitions and his shotgun. He managed to finish 5th overall and first in his category which is the best he has ever done. He also beat Jose and I both for the first time. He was better then last year and his shotgun work was awe inspiring. He's getting no breaks from me this year because he's finally gotten better then me. I guess I'll have to start practicing...nah.

3:10 to Yuma, pulling into the station!

I think the best thing about remakes is that they usually spark interest in the originals which help bring them to DVD. 3:10 to Yuma staring Glen Ford and Van Heflin has finally made it into your local Chinese Communist PX. Pick it up, you'll be glad you did.

Dina Might Recipes

Ok, so Dina Might is on a health kick right now (don't worry it wont last) and she's coming up with new recipes on a regular basis. Some of them are OK and others are down right awful. but I gotta admit that she ran across one of the best little recipes I've had in a long time; Green Chicken Chili.

This thing is loaded with flavor, a little spicy, a little sweet and it's actually good for you if you don't lick the whole pot clean.

1 medium onion, chopped
1.5 cups of cooked chopped chicken meat
2 cans of chopped green chilies
3.25 cups of Salsa Verde (It's the green stuff)
2 cans of pinto beans
3 cups of water
1 tbsp chili powder
1.5 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
.5 tsp black pepper

Saute onion and chicken with seasonings until onion is tender. Add beans, chilies, Salsa and water. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes.

You can garnish with sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips.

For variety swap a can of pinto beans for black beans. You could also add corn or black eyed peas.

Enjoy.

On Like Donkey Kong!

Maybe not, well, there'll be barrels anyway. TVR is finally holding a match this weekend after the Indiana Spring weather lifted enough to allow the range to dry out enough for us to shoot. This Spring has seen more adverse weather than we're used to around these parts, I blame Tam! Since she's moved to Indiana, the weather turned to crap.

I am SO ready to go and want to get all the rust knocked off. It'll be horrible, but oh so much fun to see everyone again and dispose of lead in the most proper fashion, the way God intended.

Who's with me? Copper? Judge? Anyone?

ATF Accessory Fun

Via Instapundit, the ATF solicited a bid last year for a Leatherman Micro "Engraved with: ATF-Asset Forfeiture AND "always think forfeiture"". Nice. I guess somehow agents might forget that their job is really to find any means necessary to close down FFLs and confiscate guns and accessories.

More thuggery here. National guardsman convicted of a felony because of a malfunction on an AR15? Give him an opportunity to get the gun fixed? Na... String him up! One thing I wonder is how ATF got ahold of this one? There must have been one real jerk on the firing line that day.

I guess on the bright side, CNN is airing a pro-gun piece, I never thought I'd see that in my lifetime. Maybe Lou Dobbs would like to come cowboy shooting?

Heller Quote

I wouldn't be a gun blogger if I didn't mention the Heller vs DC extravaganza that's playing out right now. One of the things that I've wondered is who is Heller, well Kim du Toit has the quote that answers all that.

At that point, a reporter interjected: “The Mayor (DC Mayor Adrian M. Fenty) says the handgun ban and his initiatives have significantly lowered violent crime in the District. How do you answer that, Mr. Heller?”

The initial answer certainly wasn’t expected – Dick Heller laughed. Ruefully.

Pointing at the Mayor who was making his way across the plaza,surrounded by at least six DC police officers, Heller said, “The Mayor doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He doesn’t walk on the street like an average citizen. Look at him; he travels with an army of police officers as bodyguards—to keep him safe. But he says that I don’t have the right to be a force of one to protect myself. Does he look like he thinks the streets are safe?”

There was no follow-up question.

Who is Heller? One of us good guys.

Inflation

The gun show was disappointing. Like Jose I have become more and more disenchanted with the shows over the years. I remember going to the gun shows years ago and marveling over the number of guns and the great deals you could find. But along came the internet, and with it knowledge. Sites like Gun Broker, and Guns America let you compare prices, research guns, and generally have a ton of information at your fingertips. Of course the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson that Jose picked up for me last year didn't help.

For example I have been looking for a K frame Smith & Wesson to go with the Model 66 my father gave me when I first started working. I have been wanting to make a custom carry gun so I have been looking for something solid, but not perfect so I can send it off for some work. I think my dream revolver might have been done by Grant Cunningham. My goal at this gun show was to find something to fit the bill.



I was happy to find the show had a number of K frames in a variety of barrel lengths, however they were all extremely overpriced. For example I came across a booth with a nickel 19-3 in what was close to very good condition. The catalog says it should run around $325. Now I know that basic economics is going to drive the cost of that gun so $400 wasn't outside my window. Guess how much the guy wanted...$565! That's right five hundred and sixty five dollars, and that wasn't the only one that was out of this world. I also checked out a 66 with a 4 inch barrel. It was obviusly a police trade in and hadn't been cleaned since Reagan was in office. It was in rough shape with a pitted barrel, asking price...$385.

What's the moral to my story? If anyone has a 66 in good shape I'll buy for $400...damn inflation!

Off To The Gun Show

When you can't go shooting, what's the next best thing? The gun show of course!

While I've become more and more disenchanted with gun shows in general, I still go, it may be a naive hope that something I want and can afford will be there or it may be to support the gun industry or perhaps I've just not got anything better to do. I suppose as usual, its a little of each. I do have purpose at this show, I'm buying bullets in bulk before they go truly astronomical in price, I figure what I'm buying will hold me until 2011 or so. That seems like a long time, but it really isn't.

Anyway, Judge should be here any minute to head up to Indy to the Indy 1500 Gun and Knife show. Holler if you see me, I'm the big one.

Drown your Sorrows!

I'm very bummed about not shooting this weekend. More so then Jose because this means I might not shoot until MAY! So I guess I will just have to drown my sorrows with some Chatham Artillery Punch from the world famous Pirates House in Savannah, Georgia.

2 quarts Maraschino cherries
1.5 gallons Catawba wine
1.5 gallons strong tea
2.5 pounds brown sugar
1.5 quarts orange juice
1.5 quarts lemon juice
.5 gallon rum
1 quart gin
1 quart brandy
.5 pint Benedictine
1.5 quarts rye whiskey

Mix from thirty-six to forty-eight hours before serving. Add one case of champagne when ready to serve.

Shiver me timbers!

OK, Now I'm Sad

I received the following e-mail from Redneck Rebel:

Howdy Cowfolks: I sure didnt want to send this email, but with the current ground conditions, and the weekend weather forcast, I'm left with no choice. The soft ground conditions are the worst that we have seen here in 10 years. Due to the repeated freeze/thaw, the 12" snowfall last weekend, and the prediction of 60% rain tonight, 60% rain Friday & Friday night, 80% heavy rain and possible T-storms on Saturday March 15, our scheduled match for Saturday March 15 is cancelled. The range itself would be useable, buit the parking areas both grassy and stone are too soft to support vehicular traffic. The additional rainfall will worsen the existing conditions. If the conditions dry sufficiently, I will attempt to present a make-up match on March 22 or March 29. I will keep you advised on that proposal. I am emailing everyone that has an email address, and calling the members that do not have email. Please notify any of your pards that are planning to come to Thunder Valley this Sat. Some folks do not check their email regularly, and some of the non-members do not have an email address. Sincerely, Redneck Rebel

I sure hope we can shoot later this month because I'm itchin' to get at it.

A New Way To Annoy Hippies

Here's how it goes, take a dog a walk on one of the nifty "rails to trails" in your local community and take a big smelly stogie along and light it up. Then as you mosie down the lane, enjoy the indignant stares while you enjoy the fresh outdoors, a good smoke and a beautiful Spring day. Hey! You have to have something along to cover the hippy stench.

I wonder what they'd think of the Combat Magnum under my jacket?

UPDATE: Must be hippy day or something. Uncle has a video up from Comedy Central's Daily Show of all places. I used to watch this show all the time, then it got too shrill on the whole Bushco/McHitlerburton nonsense.

A Word on NBC

No not the network, the bullet maker. National Bullet Company at one time was a good source of bullets and ammo for shooters in general, I have ordered from them before as well as Copper Quincy. This past November I made a stupid mistake in believing that they were still a decent supplier, maybe they'd take a bit longer, but they'd get me my bullets even though the SASS Wire was rife with reports of people not receiving products. "That's just the typical SASS bitching" I thought.

Well, four months removed, I've yet to receive my bullets, haven't been able to contact them via phone or e-mail. The Ohio BBB and Attorney General can't get a response, luckily I have a credit card company that can reverse the charges. That brings me to another point, DON'T USE PAYPAL! You see, PayPal promises protection for online purchases and leads you to believe that they're every bit as good as ol Visa/Mastercard or Discover. Don't believe the BS! They will essentially tell you that you're SOL after 45 days if you haven't filed a claim. Now for anyone who's ordered from an online CAS vendor, you know that 45 days may as well be 45 minutes, these vendors tend to run as fast as Molasses off a New Englander's ass in December.

So I've learned my lessons, if you have ANY indication that a vendor isn't square, don't buy from them, its that simple. And by all means take any opportunity to tell PayPal to screw themselves. Both these "services" are off my list of people who get my money.

Stogie Review

If you check out the Blog Roll you will see that Jose added the Stogie Review. Being the cigar fans we are we are always on the lookout for a good cigar. Thanks to the internet you don't have to walk into your local smoke shop and sound like an idiot asking for Havana Honeys.

There are a lot of cigar blogs out there, but many are spin offs of the various online retailers. I like Stogie Review because it seems to be the genuine article. A blog about cigars from guys who love cigars. Check 'em out.

Updated Blog Roll

I've given the Cowboy boot to Porta Cat since he's not posted in a few months and added Gun Punit who's got a lot of good gun news.

CandyGram for Mongo

I always thought Jose should have gone with Mongo for an alias.



Best comedy ever.

Guns Save Lives

I'm continually amazed that John Stossel is still on ABC's 20/20 even though he regularly promotes gun ownership and conceal carry. His latest piece on Real Clear Politics (via Instapundit) is a prime example of the argument against Gun Free zones and gun control laws in general, he summerizes

"If someone gets into your house, which would you rather have, a handgun or a telephone? You can call the police if you want, and they'll get there, and they'll take a picture of your dead body. But they can't get there in time to save your life. The first line of defense is you."

Sadly, I think too many people are too willing to give up responsibility for their own well being, I suppose its easier to let the .gov take care of you than face the chore of doing it yourself.

1911's for Wild Bunch

Michael Bane has a nice little post about the upcoming SASS Wild Bunch match along with a list of 1911's for the shoot. Check it out here.

Why isn't this a category? I mean we have special categories for one handed wheelchair geriatrics who only shoot big bore rounds from Civil War era pistols, but nothing for a group that has taken the name for their governing body. Figures

UPDATE: Of course I've already covered the topic of 1911's for Wild Bunch HERE and HERE.

So tempting

If I had a room full of cash, I'd buy one of these suckers. The F636HT Heavy Duty Long Gun & Handgun System looks to make cleaning up after a match a cinch, plus you can use it for a park'ing tank if the mood suits you (and why wouldn't it?). I figure I'd only have to charge Judge $100 per gun per cleaning to make my money back in 10 years (make that 100 the rate he cleans guns).

Guess I'll have to chalk this one up to dreaming.

Firing Line Prayer

I really do sympathize with Mr. Owens in his Pajamas Media article on obtaining a carry permit in NC. For starters, I too have prayed at the firing line, frankly, sometimes shooters scare the hell out of me! The problem is, you can't tell who by looking at them, sure some look the part, but there are times when I'll take the octogenarian over the 20 something bubba.

I like the idea of a holstered lawyer too (Parades? Really?). However, I am privileged to live in a state without a lot of stupid restrictions on carry, in Indiana, its basically schools and casinos that I can't carry in, I don't really get the casino part, but then I don't go to them too often. Too bad not every state is as unrestrictive to our rights.

Fairwell Tonto Rim

One of the really nice things about living in Southern Indiana as a CAS shooter is that we had a top-notch merchant within a short driving distance. Sure, shopping online is an option and I certainly do that, but there's something to be said for walking in a store and trying things on and seeing the quality, things that don't come across on a web browser. If you haven't guessed by my tone, Tonto Rim is closing down their store here in Indiana and that makes us sad. Sure, you'll still be able to order from them online and one assumes that the Tonto Rim store at Founder's Ranch will remain open for business.

You see, Judge and I saw this one coming, as soon as the owner of Tonto Rim, Denny, opened up that Founder's Ranch store, we figured it was a matter of time before he moved out West and operated from there, heck, that's what I'd do if I was him. Anyway, Indiana cowboys have until the end of February to make it over to Tonto Rim's Seymour store, after that, its adios.

How to light a cigar like a Pro

Here's another tip from Cheap Humidors.

I know lighting a cigar may not seem hard, but I receive many requests from people on how to do it correctly. So I figured this is the best place to share the knowledge.

First, you need the correct lighter. Some cigar buffs use cedar strips for the job, but I find these hard to carry around. Most people prefer to use matches or a butane lighter. When using matches, wooden ones are the best, not only because they look cool but also because they stay lit longer. If you opt for a lighter, make sure it uses butane fuel, because just about anything else that you could use to light the cigar will affect the cigar's taste. Regular fluid lighters have an odor that can be transferred to the cigar if the flame is allowed to touch the foot.

Take the cigar in your hand and light your flame source. Slowly rotate the cigar in your fingers as you lightly toast the tobacco on the foot of the cigar. Try not to let the flame touch the foot as you rotate the cigar in your fingers. Put the cigar in your mouth and continue to light as you rotate the cigar, gently puffing in every few seconds.When the cigar is lit, remove it from your mouth and look at the foot to make sure it is burning evenly. If it isn't, you can gently blow on the foot causing it to ignite the tobacco that is not burning, or you can apply a flame to that area. If you have an area that is burning faster than the other areas, simply wet your finger and apply under the quick burning area to slow it down.

Old West Luggage

Since I've downgraded the size of my gun cart I needed to pick up a bag that I could pack all of my shooting gear. When you're dragging gun belts, holsters, shotgun belts, scarfs, spurs, cigars, cleaning gear, tools, glasses, earplugs, and other sundries you need something to keep you organized. I used to stuff most of it in the big gun cart and then had a little bag for everything else. Well the little bag got a hole ripped in it so I needed something different. Along came River Junction and the Deluxe Heavy Bag.

I have been a big fan of River Junction Trade Company for some time. They seem to carry all of the basics and a bunch of stuff to enhance the cowboy experience. Everything from guns to snake oil grace their catalog and its fun to just browse through it to see what's new. At the first of the year I ordered the Deluxe Heavy Bag hoping that it would be big enough for my needs, and I wasn't disappointed. The picture on the website made it look big, but I have been fooled before. This time it was completely accurate. This bag will hold all of my shooting gear and then some. If you're looking for a piece of luggage to pack for old west shoots I highly recommend this bag. It is solid in construction and huge.

Now I just need to get the snake oil.

Elmore Leonard

He's probably better known for his gritty crime drama, but Elmore Leonard has always been a cowboy writer to me. I was first introduced to Leonard's work when I picked up a copy of Hombre a couple of dozen years ago. Cuba Libre is one of my favorites and I find it does a great job of walking the line between his westerns and crime novels.

Over Christmas I picked up a copy of The Complete Western Stories of Elmore Leonard and have been slowly making my way through them. Of course I started out with 3:10 to Yuma. I knew that Leonard had been the screenwriter on the original Hollywood incarnation of the story, but I was surprised at how different the short story was from the movie.

The story was first published in Dime Western Magazine in March of 1953. Leonard had already started to master the short story and you can tell by the sparseness of the tale. The plot and location are the same, the main difference is the protagonist and the pacing.

In the movie, Van Heflin plays Dan Evans a rancher forced to take up a gun and escort the notorious criminal Ben Wade to hang at Yuma Prison. In the book, the main character is Paul Scallen a sheriff's deputy just doing his job and making sure that the outlaw Jim Kidd makes it to Yuma prison to serve out his 5 year sentence.

In the story Leonard manages to get across much of the ideas that he fleshed out for the movie with just a few sentences.

"And then one night a drunk cowhand you've never seen will be tearing up somebody's saloon and you'll go in to arrest him and he'll drill you with a lucky shot before you get your gun out." "So you're telling me I'm crazy." "If you don't already know it." Scallen took his hand off the shotgun and pulled tobacco and paper from his shirt picket and began rolling a cigarette. "have you figured out yet what my price is?" Kidd looked startled, momentarily, but the grin returned. "No, I haven't. Maybe you come higher than I thought."

In the end it's an excellent short story without all of the Hollywood additions. It's stripped down and bare and reminds me of a good stiff shot of bourbon. It goes down quick, burns a little with lots of flavor...and gives you something to think about.

10 Tips

Here are the Top 10 Cigar tips from Cheap Humidors

1. To make sure your cigar cutter stays sharp and clean, keep the wrapper on your cigar before cutting.

2. Placing your guillotine cutter flat on a table and placing the cigar straight up and cutting will ensure a clean, even cut every time.

3. When your cigars tastes too bitter, blow through it. You'll see a bluish smoke come out the lit end. Wait a few seconds, and you should get a nice, clean draw.

4. Lost your cutter and don't feel like biting the end off your $10 stick? If you're on the golf course, use the end of your tee to punch a small hole in your cigar. If you have a steel barrel pen, you can remove the top and use the bottom portion as a quick punch cutter.

5. To make sure your cigar is burning evenly, without canoeing, rotate the cigar after every few puffs. You can also blow slightly on the slow burning side to speed it up, and apply a little saliva with your finger tip to the faster burning side to slow it down.

6. Having a hard time drawing from your cigar? You can take a skewer or straight coat hanger and insert it into the cigar from one end to the other. You can also roll the cigar around in your fingers to loosen up the leaves.

7. Take your time when smoking. If you puff too quickly, your cigar will get too hot, and the taste will be altered. Try one puff every minute as a general rule of thumb.

8. Humidity in a humidor is not a science, despite what you hear. Don't concentrate so much on the ideal level. Instead, try to keep the level constant. Fluctuation can cause problems with leaves swelling and shrinking. Most people prefer to keep their humidors at the 65 percent range, which is a little drier.

9. Concerned that your humidor doesn't have a good seal? You can try the drop test or the dollar bill test. In the drop test, you drop the lid of your humidor from half open and listen. If it puffs when closing, you have a good seal. If it bangs, you're in trouble. You can also open the lid, insert a dollar bill half way in the humidor, and then close the lid. Tug slightly on the bill. If it gives resistance and is hard to remove, you have a good seal.

10. A cigar also needs to be judged by its wrapping. A perfect cigar is one that has an intact, undamaged wrapper. (If the wrapper is damaged, don't buy it.) The wrapper should also be consistent in color, and it should have a nice scent to it. If the wrapper is heavily "veined," this is another reason to reject a cigar. While feeling it, the cigar should be wrapped nicely--not too tight (very difficult to draw in) or too lose (loss of flavor).

Modern Day Western

As you probably already know I love westerns. Not just the classic westerns, but modern westerns as well. I also love finding modern movies with strong western themes. "No Country for Old Men" is just such a movie. Based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy this movie follows Llewelyn Moss a welder and hunter who comes across millions of dollars from a drug deal gone bad. Making the decisions to take the money leads him into a cat and mouse chase with the men who want the money back.

Joel and Ethan Coen use the sparse Texas landscape in the same why they used North Dakota for their classic "Fargo". And just as in "Fargo", Texas becomes a character in the film. Brilliant direction, wonderful acting, and an intriguing and compelling story makes this the best movie from a team that has made great ones in the past such as "Blood Simple", "Fargo", and "Oh Brother were art Thou."

The Broken Rope

Something I've always liked even before cowboy shooting is the Old West art from paintings to bronze sculptures, they're just the kind of art I like. Probably because they take you somewhere or set a seen for you, abstract art is, well abstract and not my cup o' tea. A while back Judge's wife was showing me some prints she had recently come by and one was a print of a CM Russell painting and I really liked and said something like I would actually hang that on my wall.

Now if you've ever been in my house, you know I don't have anything hanging on my wall, I just don't usually get excited about pictures and nick knacks. I guess the thought of me hanging something on a wall was too much, because last weekend Judge and Dina presented me with the print already framed, it now hangs proudly on my wall and I truly truly enjoy and appreciate the gift.

Thanks again you two.

PS you can read more about the artist at the C.M. Russell Museum

Where does he get those fabulous shirts?

I enjoy shooting B-Western for a lot of reasons; variety, flexibility, and yes even the clothing. I love the retro boots and shirts. Most of the people shooting B-Western "get it" and I've seen some amazing outfits. As for my shirts I've picked them up here and there at bargain prices, but my favorite shirt came from Vintage Western Wear. It has a load of shirts from replicas to a few authentic vintage shirts. This is the place you shop if you've got a date at the Grand Ole Opry. Check 'em out, you might like what you find.

Reloading, HELP!

Reloading is one of those things that some folks really geek out on, that is, they really get into the "art" of reloading and try to develop the "perfect" load for whatever gun and purpose they have in mind. God bless them, though I'm not one of them, I really am happy that they are around since they usually like to share the information that they have gathered over the years. The interwebs is the perfect forum for sharing, so we have in these wonderful modern times a multitude of places to find info on loads. I thought I'd share a few.

First up is the powder manufacturers. I don't recommend taking information from less than trusted sources unless you can check it against the manufacturers, so this is the start. Most of the powder manufacturers have info online.

• Hodgdon Also includes IMR & Winchester. Heavily involved in SASS
  
• Vihtavuori Popular high-end powder, fast and clean
  
• Alliant Old standby American Select, Green/Red/Blue dot, Unique
• Accurate I've not used Accurate

One of the things that's helpful to know is how much this is all costing you. Reloading is nearly always cheaper than buying factory ammo, but its nice to know just how much you save. Handloads.com has a nice calculator so you can truly see how badly the astronomical cost of lead is hurting you. For the shotshell reloading, trapshooters.com has a calculator for that. These are pretty self explanatory to use, just plug in the appropriate costs and load weights.

If you can't make or find load data on your own, you can look to websites like MD Smith's Reloading Pages, you'll find a lot of load data on many different cartridges. Handloads.com has a searchable database with load data and has even more loads. For those wanting to use Vihtavuori Powder in CAS, you can get good load data from Long Hunter, for whatever reason, Vihtavuori doesn't have a very comprehensive library of CAS cartridge loads using their powders.

As always, take care in following anyone else's advice that you don't trust, remember, most of this data is submitted by many different shooters. You certainly don't want to have a grenade in your hand when you get to the range and I certainly don't want to be the poor sap standing by you with the timer when it goes off.

All that said, to be honest, I've seldom taken load data from anyone but manufacturers and fellow shooters that I know and trust. The Long Hunter website being the lone exception and even then I had the information collaborated by a shooter at TVR.

Finally, you might be wondering what kind of energy the load you created has, well Bill St. Clair has a Muzzle Energy Calculator on his website that is very handy. For instance, I know that the .357 Magnum carry load I developed has 593fp coming out of my 2.5" snubbie. Compare that with my carry .45ACP+P Hornady TAP ammo at 461fp and I have to say that it is very satisfying to know that information. I don't necessarily endorse Mr. St.Clair's views on the world and politics, but he has a darned handy utility online.

Happy New Year

Yes, I live.

I suppose I'm not really like most people in that when I take time off, that means all of my normal day-to-day activities are subject to neglect, most notably, this blog. Judge has filled in and knowing he was bored on his time off watching his little darling, I let him have run of the place while I attended to other things. Mostly that entailed spending time with and trying to nurture (against her will at times) Momma Gigante. Yeah, my mother went and had bi-lateral knee replacement on the 17th of December, so I've been busy with her. She seems to be progressing fine, at least that's what the nurses and physical therapists keep saying, I'm not sure she's buying it at times, but she's getting better.

OK, excuses out of the way, the real reason I posted, to push that picture of me with the first gun cart down the page a bit, we've come a long way since then, that's for certain.

I've spent a good deal of my time reloading 45 Colt and 45 S&W ammo for next season with the bullets acquired from Baron Von Sisco, too bad Royal Bullets is going out of business and we won't have a local source that delivers bullets to the range, that's going to be missed greatly. Sisco's a stand-up guy, he managed to fill the bullet orders he had even though Royal wouldn't produce them for him, so he got access to the equipment and acquired the lead to cast them himself. I really appreciate that kind of effort and in light of other SASS vendors lack of responsiveness, I find it quite refreshing.

I'm also building the sibling to the gun cart I gave to Judge for Christmas, I'm taking my time since there's no rush for the shooting season, so it might take a while. I'm trying to decide whether I have a single lid on it like Judge's or put a larger lid or two lids so I can access the entire area. Why? So I can put a brass can in there for empties. Since I reload for both he and Copper, I usually have a container for empties in my cart for the guys to toss their empties into during the match. I've also thought of a way to mount it externally, cut a hole in the top so the empties can be just tossed into the can. I need to think on this one since I'd like to have an easy way to do this.

I'll post more and pictures as I have them of the new toy(s).

Guncart Christmas

Jose, Dina Might, Princess Shock'n'awe and I have exchanged Christmas gifts for years. This year Jose actually listened to me and built me a new guncart. Why would I need a new guncart you might ask. Well if you've every shot TVR then you know the answer to that one.



Our very first guncart was a milk crate and a hand cart. that didn't last long so we built a nice big 4 gun guncart with enough storage to hold everything 2 people would need for shooting. We were sharing gear and thought the one guncart approach would work, and it did for a while, but Jose took all of the stuff we learned building the first guncart and put it to work on his very own guncart and I inherited the first one. It's served me well, but it's a lot bigger then I need and I find myself filling it with unnecessary stuff. Lugging that sucker up and down the hill at TVR has made me long for a small, light guncart.



Jose met the challenge and put this one together for me for Christmas. It is exactly what I was looking for and I can't wait to give it a go. it holds 2 long guns and has enough storage for ammunition and a few other things, but not much else. It also comes with pneumatic wheels which make a huge difference when pushing the cart over rocks, ruts, and gravel.



I've been thinking about a few add-ons, but I think I'll shoot with it for a while before I make any additions or changes. And
of course Jose has already started his own using the experience and knowledge he got building mine.





If Jose would get off his keaster and start posting he might one day put up the guncart plans for this little beauty. Of course that would be after his post on the new Biesleys.

Dean, Roy and Don

I am a huge fan of Dean Martin, and of course since I shoot B-Western I've gotta show some love for ol' Roy Rogers. I can take or leave Don Rickles, but as you'll see he's the one that makes this classic little skit very, very funny.

Nicky Blaine's, Birthdays, and Padrons

Yesterday for my Birthday Jose and I went to my favorite little place called Nicky Blaine's Cocktail Lounge. It's in the center of Indianapolis right at the circle. You'll find this in the basement, fitting for an establishment that throws back to a speakeasy.

The bar is dark, and by that I mean dark leather furniture, dark wood work and dark lighting. What's not dark is red. When you walk in you are greeted by a hostess dressed as you would expect in a nice dark cocktail dress. She leads you to a table which is surrounded by wingback chairs or love seats, very comfortable. Then the whole night you are waited on by a true cocktail waitress. She pours your drinks and cuts and lights your cigar...that's right I said cigar. You see this place is a rarity nowadays. It's a martini and cigar bar. It offers some of the finest cigars and you are even allowed to smoke in the place...that just isn't allowed in Indiana anymore. Oh and I almost forgot, live Jazz.

So I treated myself to my favorite cigar a Davidoff Millenium Pyramid. It's was rated as a 93 from Cigar Aficionado and well deserved. The surprise of the night was the Padron 1926. I had read several very good things about the Padron 1926, but had never had the opportunity to try one. I saw it on the menu, but was scared by the "market price". I asked and while expensive it wasn't out of the world, so Jose and I each lite one up.

This was a full bodied cigar which I don't typically enjoy, but it was so flavorful and had such a mild finish for such a strong cigar that I quickly found myself falling in love with it. The Padron 1926 line was introduced to commemorate the 75th birthday of Jose O. Padron and also got a 93 from Cigar Aficionado. Only 16,000 of these are produced every year which explains the "market price" on the menu. I liked this one so much I think it will become my new Birthday Cigar! How fitting for a Padron designed for a birthday to be my new birthday cigar.

Six-String Justice

This year my family got me some great things for Christmas, but this was unexpected, and surprisingly not bad. My musical tastes run towards classic southern rock, blues, and a few 80's power bands, but it's nice to have some cowboy music to listen to just for mood music. I love "The Outlaws" and Marty Robbins, but a friend once said "If I hear Cool Water again I'm shooting somebody!" so this is a nice change of pace. Maybe I'll pick up some more in the future.

If you are interested you can get Six-String Justice and more by Zerf and others at Drovers Mercantile.

New Main Match Gun?

Hey, do you think they would let me use this for my main match pistol? I especially like the grips!



We could call it the Jon Carter from Mars Category. I bet Smiley would dig it.

It's from this pretty cool website, Hat tip to Tam for this one.

B Movie Bonanza

Are you looking for a way to pass the time this holiday season? Since the shooting year is over in most places north of the Mason Dixon many of you are surfing the web and looking for cowboy stuff to pass the time until we start throwing lead down range in the spring. Boy have I got just the thing for you. Check out this little fun site. They have all of your B-Western Cowboy needs until the Judge shows back up for the "bling" category. And if you want a little Horror, Sci-Fi, or Kung Fu they got that as well.

Turn the lights down low, grab a bag of popcorn and enjoy!

The Judge Mint Day Story

Mint Day first stumbled on the scene quite literally as an extra in WESTERN ROUNDUP (1929). Listed in the credits as Gilbert O’Day he made little impact on the film, but a big move on the leading lady Dina Might.

By the end of the year he co-starred with Dina Might in GUNS FROM THE BORDER (1929) as “Mint” Day and never looked back. His publicist refused to provide background information for Mint Day saying only that a mysterious cowboy with no past sold more tickets than a law school dropout from the Midwest.

Mint Day made 11 movies from 1929 - 1931 all of them for Monogram Pictures and most opposite the lovely Dina Might. TRAIN TO ABILENE (1930), GHOST PASS (1930), OVER THE VALLEY (1930), DYNAMITE TRAIL (1930), CROSSED BADGES (1930), UNDER A BAD MOON (1931), THREE ON A MATCH (1931), HOMEWARD WAGON (1931), AND LONSOME HOMBRE (1931). All were of the western faire with Mint Day saving the town/girl/wagon train/fort from destruction from Indians/cutthroats/rebels. Only GHOST PASS (1930) had a substantially different feel from a first time writer/producer Al Hitch (pseudonym for Alfred Hitchcock).

In 1932 Mint Day signed with Republic Pictures and dove headfirst into the western serial. The first 15 part serial SIXGUN JUDGE (1932) not only gave Day movie star status, but also his moniker “Judge”. For the rest of his movie career he would be “Judge Mint Day”. He went on to star in 6 more serials for Republic before dropping out of Hollywood altogether. Little has been heard from Judge since his departure from the movie industry. Still married to Dina Might he purchased a horse ranch in the Sierra Nevada’s and lived a quiet and happy life.

Territorial Governors Summit - 2007

1. Change Classic Cowboy to require Chaps and Spurs at all times and drop the other clothing requirements to three choices. The wording was changed, by amendment, to either chaps, chinks or botas and spurs. Discussion was mostly concerned with heat and the added safety factor of wearing spurs. Speakers felt that if these things bothered a shooter, then they should not shoot in this category.

Voting result: Failed.

2. As of now you may get as many Minor Safeties as you incur. Change the rules to limit Minor Safeties to one per firearm.
Discussion was on both sides of the issue. Some felt a double jeopardy situation is created by allowing more than one penalty for the same single violation. Others felt that the current rule was not being enforced properly, and that all infractions or safeties should be awarded regardless of double jeopardy.

Voting result: Failed.

3. As of now you are not committed to the stage until the first round goes down range. Change the rule to read a shooter, if properly started, is committed to the stage once the timer sounds.
Discussion, it was felt that there was only a small group of people that took advantage of this type of restart. Some felt that there was no need to change this rule and that the situation could be resolved with good stage design starting with an action that was required for the stage like closing a door or handling a prop. Others were in favor of the rule to mean that once the timer beeps, you are committed, no matter what.

Voting result: Failed

4. The largest maximum shot size allowed is a #4. Change the maximum shot size to a #7 1/2 .
Discussion, many felt that there was no need to change this rule. Clubs can still have their own size requirement.

Voting result: Failed

5. Proposed New Long Range Optical Category with rules as follows:
No length or power limitation on the scope. Scope tube body to be 3/4" or less in diameter and any ocular or objective lenses, adjusting or assembly rings to be less than 1" in diameter.
No internal scope adjustments for windage or elevation.
Mounts are to be of a traditional style of the period, and contain the windage and elevation adjustments for the scope in either, or both, the front or rear mounts. No click adjustments in the mount. Either dove tail mounting or scope block mounting is allowed.

Original scope mounts of either the Cataract or Malcom style or variations thereof, or replicas or derivative conforms to the criteria of the paragraph above.

This rule matches exactly with the NRA Rifle Silhouette Rules. March 2005.
Discussion, several examples were on display. If passed, it would add only one category "Optical" for long range rifle side matches. There appeared to be a lot of support for adding the optical sight category for long range side matches.

Voting result: Passed

The SASS Wild Bunch has made the decision that rounds must now meet the following restrictions.

Effective at State level and above matches. Clubs can still maintain stricter requirements (like a 650 minimum) but it should be in match material in advance.

Goes into effect at EOT 2008.

The minimum velocity must meet at power factor of 60. Power factor is calculated by multiplying the bullet weight times the velocity and then divided by 1,000.

A 100 grain bullet traveling at 600 fps has a power factor of 60 (100 X 600) / 1000 = 60.00.
A 77 grain bullet traveling 800 fps has a power factor of 61.6 (77 X 800) / 1000 = 61.60.
A 200 grain bullet traveling 400 fps has a power factor of 80 (200 X 400) / 1000 = 80.00.

The maximum velocities are not changed.

Black powder rounds, in black powder categories, already have their own standards. The rule would be applied to smokless powder categories only. If a shooter is using black powder rounds in a non-BP category, they must meet the power factor requirements.

A challenge of the loads can only be made by a match official. They will take five rounds and use the shooters gun. If any pass, then the ammo is OK.

It was announced that it would not change the KD rules at all. The old calibration is still valid and there are no plans to change that.

They have made a tentative (not in stone yet) ruling on the penalty.

It would be a 30 second Spirit of the Game penalty starting on the stage the rounds were tested.

Match officials could be the only persons that could initiate a test.

The official would take the shooters gun and five rounds of ammunition (pistol). They would pull one round out to remove the bullet for weighing.

They would fire the other four. Currently, if any pass, the loads are ruled OK. The muzzle of the gun would be raised 80 degrees prior to firing each round, so the powder would be at the rear most section of the case. This would give the highest result.

These are results from the phone calls I made to Vegas. I have not received the actual report.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Til next time,

Vaquero Hayes

Thunder Valley, 2007

The shooting season at TVR finished last weekend and this morning in my mailbox I received the final standings for the year from Redneck Rebel. I was happy with my final standing finishing 9th out of 42 shooters that meet the minimum 6 match requirement. Jose finished 13th and Copper Finished 15th so all managed to make the top 15. That's pretty decent and all of us seem to be getting better every year. I guess that's all you can ask for.

Jose has really started to figure out the rifle and when he switches to a shotgun belt instead of the bandoleer he is going to pick up his time considerably. Copper needs to learn to attack the stage and "shoot" faster. His transitions are excellent and his shotgun is very smooth. I need to get my 87 up and working well and I'm going to have to do some practice or both these guys will probably beat me next year. It's nice to have people pushing you.

TVR 2007:

Judge Mint Day; 9th overall, Average Stage = 29.305

Jose Gigante; 13th overall, Average Stage = 30.931

Copper Quincy; 15th overall, Average Stage = 31.363

What Time Is It?!?

I saw this picture that Carey Kid took at the November TVR match and thought is was an awesome photo that made Redneck Rebel look like Howdy Doody sittin' on my knee. Redneck may be much much smaller than I am, but there's not a cowboy I respect or admire more, nor one with a bigger heart. He owns TVR and is also El Presidente of the range, he does such a wonderful job of making sure his shooters are happy and is continuously tweaking this or that.

For instance, it has helped me greatly that he Gigantized the stages so that I don't have to bend down to shoot through the windows. I can't express how I appreciate that as the first range I started shooting at was run by a short cantakorous runt of a man who refused to acknowledge us big folk.

There aren't many cowboys I'd let sit on my lap, lots of cowgirls, but not many cowboys, Rebel is a rarity.

Sweet!

Ok, This doesn't have much to do with CAS. But if you are anything like me you will really dig this webpage. Blade Runner and Logans Run are a couple of my favorite sci-fi movies. Throw in some classic Star Trek and a couple of wanna be gunsmith's and you've got a recipe for entertainment.



Hat tip to Les Jones

Vanity

My Colt is now represented on KIMSON Handicraft Co., LTD's website showing off the Dragon hand-carved grips for the 1911. I think it looks great. Essentially, he reposted my blog entry on the grips (with my permission) and I am quite proud of the way the old Colt turned out.

Now I just need to find someone to buy my Kimber, because I doubt it'll see much use...

SCOTUS & Parker

For those living under a rock and may not know, the Supreme Court has decided to hear the Parker vs DC case where a lower court ruled that DC's ban was unconstitutional. This is the first time in 68 years that the court will rule on the 2nd amendment, so yeah, its a big deal. David Hardy over at Of Arms & the Law has some thoughts on the question that the court will rule on. He feels pretty positive about wording of the question if you can read anything into it at all and I think you can since they took their sweet time of it.

David also has some thoughts on the timing of when the case will be heard based on the timeline of when the parties have to file and the Court's schedule. Late March 2008. Make that 69 years...

BTW, if you aren't reading Of Arms & the Law, what's wrong with you?

Congratulations Copper!

Well he finally did it. After 3 years of shooting and lord knows tons of practice Copper Quincey managed to beat me last week at Thunder Valley. It wasn't like I shot bad either. I did pretty good with the exception of one stage and Copper shot well the whole match. He finished 15th which is pretty damn good since Vaquero, Indy Kid, Max Montana, Chicago Steely, Drew First, Clyde, Redneck, Cumberland Drifter, and Windy City Kid were all present.

Keep up the hard work, cause I'm not gonna let you do it again.

The Colt Meets The Dragon

Back in August after revisiting Xavier's post about the grips he purchased from Mr. Kim Son in Vietnam, I got to admiring the 1911 grips in water buffalo with the hand-carved dragon on them. I had to have them, you see I like dragons, they've fascinated me be it in my early days of RPG gaming or my love of aircraft. At the time I figured they'd look great on my Kimber Eclipse CLE II (they probably would), but they never got a chance to appear on the Kimber. A month later, I ran across the Colt MKIV at the PVR swap meet and picked it up as I've always wanted a Colt 1911 in stainless. The following week, the dragon grips arrived from Vietnam and thus the Colt meets the Dragon.

The first thing I noticed about the grips when I unpacked them is that the carving reveals the inner beauty of the water buffalo horn and gives the carving an almost golden appearance. I was pretty stoked about getting these grips on my newest baby, so I removed the stock Colt grips and dropped on the Dragons. To say they fit is understating the matter quite a bit. These grips appeared to almost suction onto the frame of the MKIV, I find that the come off just as easy, but there's no wiggle in them even without the grip screws installed. Like Xavier, I find this amazing given that Mr. Kim Son doesn't actually have access to a 1911 frame. The grips even fit over the new over-sized plunger tube I installed.

One thing I had hoped the carving would do is provide purchase to maintain a good grip while shooting and after shooting it last Saturday at PVR, I can say that the purchase is good, not up to snuff with checkered rubber, but then what is? It does allow clothing to slip over and off of the pistol while in carry mode and I don't see it ruining clothes like some of the agressive grips or skater tape will do.

As you can see in the pictures I took, the grips fit the frame VERY well and leave almost no gap with the grips landing just shy of the end of the grip frame. The only thing I find about these grips in particular that I don't really like is that the grip screws don't sit flush with the grips, they protrude a small amount, I don't know if there are screws available that have thinner heads and will sit flush, I might try some of the low profile grip screws to see, but it certainly doesn't dampen my enthusiasm for these grips.

In all, I think I've been very lucky to have ordered these grips and found a Colt that I've been wanting, perhaps I'm living right, who knows but I know that I'm pretty darned happy with this package.

Sheepdip Inn

Quite the name huh?

Like most strange things, there's a story behind it. The PVR clubhouse is the brainchild of a member who everyone knows as "Smiley" and since he was the main impetus behind the clubhouse, it is only fitting that it be named for or after him. Why Sheepdip? That's his real SASS alias, he goes by Smiley for some odd reason nobody can figure.

Anyway, the Sheepdip Inn is pretty much done, structurally anyways. In two weekends worth of work the entire thing got built by the hard-working PVR members and of course Smiley who not only thought it up, but had the skills to build it. That's always nice to have. I believe the club has about $1,000 in it and a lot of labor. The structure is 24'X16' and is pretty sparse inside, but that'll change when the women folk get to the decorating. As it is, it is a fine place to hold up in cold weather and shoot the bull, have a beer and do some karaoke.

Not Quite THAT Versatile

I know most gunnies think the venerable 12guage is a very versatile firearm and it truly is, but it does have its limits. For instance, don't try to remove a lug nut with double-ought at arms length. I've been frustrated working on a car before, but I usually reach for the penetrating oil or mechanical leverage when I encounter a difficult to remove nut.

3:10 to Yuma

Well I finally managed to free some time up to go see 3:10 to Yuma. It just happened to be the very last showing of the movie in our local theater. I'm glad I managed to go and see it since it met most of my expectations.

In short it's a good movie. If you get a chance see it our pick up the DVD when it comes out. The acting is solid and better then the first version. Russell Crowe and Christian Bale continue to impress me and the best parts of the movie are when these two great actors interact.

The story follows the first movie and I can only assume the original work pretty closely. I need to pick up a copy of Elmore Leonard's short story and see which version is more true to the work. One of the things I really enjoyed about the first version was the fact that the Dan Evans character was pretty much an everyday man. He was down on his luck, but not any more then most people and while he needed the 200 dollars to get by and needed it badly doing the right thing was more important to him. In this version the character is truly beat down with a missing leg from the war and a son with TB and an evil neighbor trying to steal his land. It's almost like Hollywood doesn't believe in the everyday man...what am I saying of course they don't.

The movie adds a few action sequences like a dangerous apache pass that wasn't any more dangerous then Dan Evans ranch and a run in with some other railroad people both of which seemed to be in there for the MTV generation. The only thing that really bugged me about the movie however was the overt approach to telling the audience that putting Ben Wade in the 3:10 to Yuma did not mean that he would get hanged. At one point Russell Crowe has to say that he's broken out of Yuma twice before. It just dumbs it down to much and generally pisses me off.

The action was solid, the acting was great, the costumes and guns were fun and the movie was enjoyable. Ben Foster did a great job playing the part originally done by Richard Jaeckel and definitely stole a couple of scenes. It's not the best western I've ever seen, even in the modern era, but it is well worth the price of admission.

Tags!

For future reference here is a list of Tags used so far;

CAS, non-cas, PVR, TVR, CCW, cap n ball, zombies, 1911, Colt, Gunsmithing, humor, Wild Bunch, Shotgun, reloading, Guns, 97, buying, AK47, Shooting, Fast draw, movies, SASS, Competition, scoring, Westerns, 2nd amendment, video, clothing, Revolver, Grips, Custom, advice, police, safety, defense, Glasses

Wow, that's a mouthful. Perhaps we should limit our tags a little to make them useful. For example make sure that all posts are listed as CAS or non-cas (yes it looks like they are case sensitive) Then we can further divide them into Gunsmithing, reloading, safety, advice, training, Competition, scoring, etc. After that we can put down the type of gun like Revolver, Shotgun, Rifle, or 97, 1911, AK47 etc.

This list is just to help us refer back to what we have already done so we can standardize a little in the future.

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More Zombies!!!

I like they way Oleg thinks. The S.T.A.R.S. patch cracks me up. Wish I could find one.

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Will Work For Beer

Last weekend, several members of the PVR club descended upon the range to erect a clubhouse in the cabin area of the range so shooters can get out of the weather after a shoot for scores and socializing. I got there just before 9am during the lumber gathering stage and helped load up the wagon with fresh cut poplar. Even though the weather wasn't cooperating, we got the deck layed by lunch time and four walls up by 4:30pm, not terribly bad I think.

The crew consisted mostly of unskilled labor with one of the club members, Smiley, appointed as foreman since it was his baby and he has the knowledge to build a building. Another pard Billy Bucharest is a carpenter, so we had enough supervision and we were an enthusiastic bunch (the promise of beer at the end had a little to do with it).

The near constant drizzle was annoying, but you can work in it. The freshly cut lumber was heavy since it was cut to actual dimensions and was wet after several days of rain. My muscles cried for two days afterward. I posted my favorite picture here, you can see the rest that one of the ladies took at the PVR website.

I know this is going to be a great addition to the range and provide us with a way to get out of the bad weather after a shoot to continue our socializing. The clubhouse isn't completely done, I wasn't able to show up for Sunday to put the roof and siding on, but it looks to have got done, now we need to build the porch, then it will be a proper clubhouse.

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ZOMBIES!!!

If you've been reading this blog for a year now then you might remember my little tidbit of information regarding a zombie attack last Halloween. If not then a little check of the archives should bring it up. Suffice it to say that "Sometimes I worry about Zombies"

First you have the George Romero zombies, then you have the Danny Boyle zombies, and lets not forget the Edgar Wright zombies. What's all this mean? Well it means you should be prepared for any eventuality so make sure your zombie survival tools are standing by and happy hunting.

Navies

Well I know it’s a little late, but I’ve been very busy lately. A couple of weeks ago at the PVR swap meet I ran into a little deal that was just too good to pass up. I’ve been toying with the idea of picking up some cap and ball revolvers and shooting frontiersman. I love the look of the open top revolvers and found myself leaning towards the 1860 Army model Colts. Checking out prices here and their, I found that they always ran about $189. If I went with a brass frame I could get them cheaper, but I wanted a steel frame in the event I decided to get a cartridge

conversion or some such thing. So I had done my research, but never actually made anything happen.

When I went to the Indiana State Match last month I hoped to find a good deal on some cap and ball revolvers, but there were almost no vendors at the match so I left dejected. The PVR swap meet was my last hope.

We stopped for breakfast at the Little Schoolhouse as usual and met up with Abu. While talking about what to expect at the swap meet he said he was trying to sell his Pietta’s. After further questioning it came out that he had 4 Pietta 1851 Navies in .44 and wanted only 100 dollars each. Well that was a deal that was just too good to be true.

The 1851 Navy is the gun that really brought Sam Colt his fame. They earned the term “Navy” not due to any specific use by military navies around the world, but to the engraved navel battle scene on the cylinder. The Term “Navy” has universally been used to describe the .36 caliber version of the weapon, and the .44 caliber version was called the “Army” so I guess I really have an 1851 “Army”, but that doesn’t sound as cool.

Anyway 200 dollars later I am the proud owner of a brace of 1851 Navies and someday I plan on shooting Frontiersman if I can ever figure out how the things work.

It looks like I got these just in time since we are going to have a Josey Wales side match at the next TVR main match. More on that later.

Carry Ready Colt

OK, so I decided to make the Colt 1911 I bought recently carry ready. What does that mean? For me it means adding ergonomic features that ensure reliable operation of the firearm. I also had the loose plunger tube to replace, so last week I placed orders with Brownells and MidwayUSA.

First came the plunger tube, it was remarkably easy to replace with the Brownells tool and now I have a solid tube and a new tool. While I had the gun tore down, I replaced the trigger with a solid Ed Brown smooth, extended trigger to accommodate my big hands.

I don't have the heart to start carving on the Colt frame, so I purchased a Wilson Combat drop-in Beavertail grip safety to allow a higher and more consistent grip as well as prevent hammer-bite. The unit went in fairly easily, there was the usual fitting involved and the safety rubbed on the frame in a couple of spots, nothing a little abrasive applied judicously couldn't overcome. To match the new grip safety, I installed a Swenson Commander hammer after thinning it a bit and stoning the hooks down to .020. The trigger feels OK if not outstanding. The original sear was perfect, so I think smoothing up the hooks a bit would help some.

I then fitted the Cylinder and Slide extended thumb safety to the frame which pretty much completed my work, or so I thought. It turns out that the plunger tube I bought was oversized and that coupled with the extended safety meant I had to adjust the grips to allow for clearances, not a problem and easily done, but not expected on my part.

Whilst I had the gun completely tore down, I replaced nearly all the springs with new factory replacement Wolff Springs and adjusted the trigger spring to lighten up trigger pull a bit as well as cleaned out many years of gunk. The previous owner had not taken down the slide in a long time if ever, I think that's fine as far as I'm concerned, I know nothing's been monkeyed with. The oil inside the firing pin channel had actually turned to shellac, so a cleaning was indeed warranted.

I tested the function of the gun to make certain the disconnect does its job and that the safeties work properly and I even made certain that the firing pin would strike a primer by putting a pen down the barrel and "firing" it out of the gun. Everything seems great and I can't wait to get it to the range to function test it and make certain the modifications work and the plunger tube repair will hold. I'm confident in my work, but you don't know until you know.

Thunder Valley Government

Had a great day shooting yesterday. Weather was perfect, Posse worked hard, shot well, and got done in plenty of time to enjoy the great company. That's what makes the sport so great, the people you meet.

Thunder Valley is one of the best places to shoot because it is filled with some of the best people. PVR is kinda like an extension of that same family since all of the same people belong to both ranges.

I noticed that the titles for the leadership at Thunder Valley was a little off. You see the leadership of SASS calls itself the "Wild Bunch" and the members of the representative body are called Territorial Governors. This is very cool and in the theme of things so I propose that TVR change it's titles accordingly.

From henceforth the President will be called "Mayor", the Vice President will be "Councilman", the Range Master will be "Sheriff" the Assistant Range Master "Deputy" and the Administrative Director will be "That Damn Newspaperman!"

Mayor Redneck Rebel
Councilman Graver
Sheriff Abu
Deputy Jose Gigante
and That Damn Newspaperman Fighting Eagle!

Confidence

"He lives the poetry that he cannot write. The others write the poetry that they dare not realize." - Oscar Fingal O'Flahaertie Wills Wilde

Many cowboy on the lonesome trail found himself reading all that he could. Stories tell of cowpokes reciting Shakespeare to pass the time. Oscar Wilde was well known in his day for his skills as a writer and his salacious personal life. There is little doubt that he possessed a strong level of confidence.

Confidence is being filled with assurance, it is a peace of mind and a place of strength. Confidence means that fear and doubt do not hinder you. Confidence allows you to make quick decisions. It allows you to try knew things without fear of failure. It allows you to push yourself. To be successful you must have confidence not only in yourself, but in those with whom you surround yourself.

As Seen On TV

I can't decide if this is an actual product, my BS detector went off while watching the commercial. If its real (and the patent is real), I'll never have to get out of bed to deal with intruders, now all I need is a bedside beer dispenser.

Heh, Ubermensch

Larry Correa of Monster Hunter Nation has a funny rant about HK, the guns, marketing and fanbois. HK. Because you suck. And we hate you. Be sure to read the comments, it gets funny at the end.

New Colt Iron

As noted in my previous post, PVR had "Trade Days" at the monthly shoot and I for one thought it went very well and there was plenty to buy. I wish I had more money on hand, I might have walked away with another gun or two. As it was, I sold my Rossi '92 to a fella who's looking to take deer with it and the rifle should make a good deer gun, light, strong and in a cartridge (45 Colt) that should do fine against Indiana deer.

Having that cash in my pocket, I made a deal with the previous owner of a Colt 1911 MKIV Series 80 in stainless. I've been looking to get a Colt at a good price and I couldn't pass this one up for sure. I even got to shoot it after I bought it which is always good (even though I've seen the owner shoot it before and knew it was an excellent shooting gun). First thing I did this morning is to strip it down completely to see what I've got internally, everything is perfect with the exception of the plunger tube that needs to be replaced or restaked (I'll replace it). This is a problem that crops up on old 1911s and is of no surprise or real disappointment to me, just a fact of 1911 life. It isn't a big job, but it takes the right tool, so it looks like my tool selection will increase.

I do so love the stainless look and even though Judge thinks I should start cutting on it immediately to make it a carry gun, I can't bring myself to go hog-wild on it. I do know that Wilson makes drop-in beavertail grip safeties and an extended thumb safety won't change the gun forever. Honestly, I like the sights, the front is a wider ramp type and the rear have a wider notch than mil-spec and I'm not sure I'll do anything, perhaps the King's Hardball replacement or Yost-Bonitz retro sights, but no cutting of the slide for now.

Anyways, I'm VERY happy guy today after shooting wildly in a very fun match and bringing home new iron.

PVR Trade Days

This weekend Pleasant Valley is having a swap meet for cowboys before/after the match, so if you're looking for something or want to get rid of some of your stuff, come on by. I know Judge has some stuff and I'll be bringing a couple of guns, so bring your cash.

1st Annual PVR Trade Days
October 13th and 14th, 2007

Buy, Sell, Trade. Bring anything related to the Old West and
Cowboy Action Shooting. You are welcome to bring your own
table/display or just use what’s available at the range.

••••Cowboy Guns••••
••••Wild Bunch Firearms••••
••••Pocket Pistols and Derringers••••
••••Leather of all kinds
Holsters, Belts, Badge Holders
Loading Strips, etc.••••
••••Old West Clothing for
Cowboys, Cowgirls and Genteel Ladies••••
••••Spurs and Accoutrements••••
••••Ammo••••
••••Reloading Components••••
••••Reloading Tools••••
••••Gun Care and Cleaning Supplies••••
••••Art••••

Please price the items you want to sell.

Howdy!

Hey, if you are visiting this site please leave a little comment saying hello. I'm curious if anyone but Jose and I are reading. If you are not visiting and have never been here before then it's not necessary for you to leave a comment.