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.