The current possibilities.

I think I've narrowed the 1911 down to two options.

The STI Spartan, as suggested to me by Mike, is attractive.

So is the Rock Island Match.

Decisions, decisions...

Just updated the blogroll.

If I missed you, let me know.

Changed the template, too. I kindof wish I knew HTML (or had the time to learn it) so I could do something funky, but that just isn't in the cards.

Damn. I'm done with news for the day.

In my previous post I mentioned the hand swabbing noise. I needed a pick-me-up, so I read about the withdrawing of the MD Assault Weapons Ban proposal, which put me in a much better mood.

Now I find out that there's federally mandated DNA testing on every newborn. It's like a real-life Minority Report.

I'm done with this emotional rollercoaster.

Note to self...

Don't get into any kind of shooting sports or hunting that might require me to fly. I might be labeled a terrorist if i do.

Also: don't handle anyone's heart medication, and don't even THINK about touching the garden before flying. Because I might be labeled a terrorist. For gardening.

So last night we went out for milk...

and 5 hours later, returned home with 3 Mosin Nagants, 2 cases of surplus ammunition, 3 accessory kits (came with the rifles as part of the purchase price), 3 sets of stripper clips, 2 ammo cans, and 10 magazines for C's 1911.

The trip took us quite a ways away from home, and we got lost on the way, but we found an awesome company with employees who were more than willing to help us out. Justin helped C and I pick out the best of the remaining rifles (numbers matching, clear markings, good stocks - these are all Grade 2[?] quality), and Brian helped us get the paperwork handled and get out of there so we could grab dinner.

Sometime this weekend I'll take some shots of the rifles. Mine has a hammer and sickle stamping that's clearer than the birds on my Mauser. I'm already rather attached. :) These may become our deer rifles...I know C plans on using his for deer, and I'll have to shoot mine as well as the Mauser to make that final decision.

Things from around the 'net.

I honestly do not recall how I found all of these today, but they're all worth checking out.

First, go check out a gallery of lady shooters throughout history.

Second, go watch this video.

Third, this is one of many reasons I love Mark Twain's work. Also, it's worth mentioning that his insults towards those in Washington generally manage to fit the bill. Still.

Fourth, Baltimore's currently experiencing the beginnings of SNOWPOCALYPSE 2010. If you twitter, feel free to search for #Snowpocalypse2010 - a lot of us have been babbling about it. So far, it's been nothing but immediately-melting snowfall. Incredibly lackluster, considering how we're already under a State of Emergency, and our lovely governor fears we'll run out of salt this weekend. Way to go, O'Failey. Putting salt trucks on the roads 8 hours before any precipitation started wasn't the greatest idea, now was it?

Finally, I have a request for my three readers. I'm in the market for a 1911. My top price is $700, and I'd like similar already-installed parts as are in the Para GI Expert (this was the pistol I intended on purchasing, but Para doesn't like the stupid casing law in Maryland, so I would have to jump through a ton of hoops to get it. Not worth it for a $500 pistol...). Halp? Will take any and all suggestions.

Have a good weekend!

Stuff I should have said a few weeks ago.

Before my grandfather passed in December, I was fortunate enough to see him one last time.

My grandfather was, until his dying day, completely "there" in mind - it was his body that failed him. He managed to retain almost full mental capacity to the ripe old age of 92. I'm thankful for this, as it allowed me to get to know him...I just wish I'd been able to get to know him BETTER. We had agreed to meet weekly to talk about his past, but before I'd had a chance to get back to the rehab hospital to see him and learn his story, he left us. It's for the best, really, since it wouldn't have been fair for him to be stuck there forever. He was the independent sort, and the idea of staying in a hospital for weeks/months/years was a nightmare he didn't want to live. I can't say I blame him.

Anyway, during that last visit, I admitted to him that I own weapons. I specified my .22 and the Mauser...I don't think he really needed to know much more than that. To my delight, he confirmed he knew what the Mauser was, and was amazed I intended to shoot it. He said I should gain a little more weight to make sure it didn't knock me over.

A kidder, he was. Gods I miss him.




ANYWAY, before I turn this into a sob story, I wanted to share this: after telling him about the Mauser and my hunting plans for it, he encouraged me. He insisted that I need to hunt, to preserve the "old ways" before the skill is lost. While no one else in my family (save my cousin) is even remotely happy I have any interest, it's nice to know Pop was all for it. I know he'll be watching over me next season, willing me to bring home meat for the freezer. I know he would love that, since he spent so many years as a butcher.


In other news, for Christmas, C gave me a scope for my AR. Now we've just gotta get a good weekend when we're not already booked to get out there and shoot the durned things.

Good news, everyone!

(I know, I know, you've got this guy's voice stuck in your head now.)

I got a call from Del-Ton on Wednesday on my way home, and a quick check to my bank account confirmed it: not only am I getting my upper VERY soon, I'm also getting a free upgraded part due to a mix-up on their end. Worthy of note: the folks who work in customer service at Del-Ton are lovely people. Really. I have yet to have a poor conversation with any of them. Maybe that worked in my favor here, as well. Who knows? All I know is I'm FINALLY getting my upper.

Range time soon...possibly with my cousin in tow. He wants to learn to shoot while he's out of school for the holiday, and if the weather holds I'll take him to the rifle range. C needs to shoot his AR, I need to shoot my AR, Mauser, and .22, and we both need some shotgun time with the new shotgun.

Really?

I live in a relatively safe neighborhood. We basically straddle the city/county line, and we're spared all the Really Bad crime from deeper in the city. However, we are not immune to the smaller stuff, like theft and break-ins/cat burglars. C and I always figured we were good, though. We leave our porch light on. We have a halo of light around the house that's so bright a pedestrian could spot us from a block away. We don't have junk around the yard, or leave anything in sight that could be a temptation. We have lights on timers inside the house, and have been known to leave the bathroom light on at night just for that little bit of randomness that would leave potential thieves guessing.

Basically, we're very careful to avoid being a target.

In the 10 years C has been in the house, he's never had an issue. In the 1.5 years I've lived here, I never really felt cause for alarm. Sure, we're in one of the most dangerous cities in the US, but that hasn't affected our area (yet).

On Friday, though, my opinion of this area changed.

C called me as I was walking out the door at 4 on Friday...he was agitated. He wanted to know if I was home, and if I was OK. I mentioned I was on my way to the car, and he sounded relieved. Then he broke the news. Apparently, at 3pm, 4 teenagers of dubious background attempted to invite themselves inside our home. (Normally, I would be home by around 3 or 3:15, which would explain part of C's excitement.) They failed, and left the area when they realized they'd been spotted. Thanks to nosy neighbors, the police came out (within a half hour from the first call - AMAZING, considering the size of the district and the amount of crime that occurs farther in the city), wrote a report, and left a note for us to call back if anything was amiss. When I arrived home, I collected the information they left, and walked around the house. There was evidence of attempts to get in at various points - a footprint in the garden directly under the bolted-in AC unit, a moved screen on the back porch, handles on the metal basement doors not sitting the way we'd left them - but no glass was broken. It appears they tried every window in the back, and when they realized this wasn't an option, they tried to climb onto the back porch (where they could access my office AC unit and the door leading inside to our closet room). Whomever tried to scale that wall slipped, put his foot through the screen in the window next to the back porch door, yanked off part of the floodlight, and pulled down part of the gutter.

C spent part of that evening and most of Saturday bolting down some windows, removing all the AC units that WEREN'T bolted down (like the one in my office), barring up the basement windows, and generally running around the house like a madman. He is truly shaken by this...I don't think he imagined it would happen to him, despite knowing the only crime trend in our neighborhood is exactly what we managed to avoid.

It took me awhile, BUT I think I have him convinced that it was a test, and we passed - they did not get into the house, and we've discovered the remaining weak points so we could immediately rectify them.

What gets me, though, is why they picked us. Yes, we're the youngest couple on the block, but we're also not necessarily the best target. The kids had obviously been watching the house - they didn't even bother to go to the front door to see if we were home. One would think they'd know C is "that crazy guy" who trims the trees with a samauri sword. One would think they'd know we're the loudest voice in the "lock your doors and windows" campaign we've had going for a year. One would also think they'd pick either of the adjacent homes, since one is vacant (but still has half the previous owner's furniture) and the other has open/broken windows (despite someone living there).

So, we're left with that "why us?" problem. Paranoia is currently through the roof, and I fear what may happen next. Will they come back? Will they get in this time? Will they do so with one of us at home, and just how much of a dangerous situation will this be?

I just wish this state actually considered its residents worthy of protecting themselves. It would be nice to know I wouldn't go to jail for shooting someone in the process of defending my home.

A rifle comparison video for modern rifles.

Remember this post?

I came across an updated video that discusses a similar issue between the AR15 and its growing popularity as a hunting rifle. It's been released by the NSSF as a promotional and educational video, and it's definitely worth the watch. Bonus points for Doug Painter - his laid-back demeanor on screen makes him an ideal presenter here.



I've been reconsidering using the Mauser as a hunting rifle. The usability of the AR platform really opens up the possibility of using that as a hunter, provided I get a decent upper for it.

Any opinions from my readership of 3? :)