I'm now the owner of a 1911 frame, slide, and barrel, all from Rock Island Armory. Sure took enough aggravation getting them out of Sarco.
I've got $300 worth of pieces on order, and need to order another $100 or so. This is going to be an interesting project. And I may end up giving it as a gift to a friend of mine if/when it works.
Showing posts with label Guns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Guns. Show all posts
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Shooty Goodness
Looking into buying some bulk .45, so I had to buy a box of it and run it through all our .45 pistols. Of course I enlisted the help of a friend. Packed up Paul Nelson, my dad's Kimber, and my most recent acquisition, a nickel plated 1911 I'm tenatively calling The Winchester.
Due to rising costs of ammo, I'd forgotten how fun it is to go out and just shoot and shoot and shoot.
Each of the 1911's had a failure a piece. MecGar magazine wouldn't seat in the Kimber because of the magwell, and The Winchester had a hammer drop on a live round.
My friend and I were most accurate with the 1911s, and the Sig ran the best. No big surprise there.
As we were leaving, a grizzled old guy shows up with an M1 Garand and a Taurus 1911, with a small flashlight clamped below the barrel. It is clamped with SCOPE RINGS attached to the tac rail. Weird.
Anyhoo, we ooh and ah over the Garand, which he built (so he says) for $400. He let me take 2 shots with it, and my friend finished off the clip. I fired it with a bit of trepidation, I know how loud those things can be, I had to vacate a shooting bench because some guy next to me was doing timed drills with one.
First shot was seated, and I was surprised by the lack of recoil. Second shot was standing, and I was surprised by the weight.
Cool rifle. Once I finish building up my 1911 frame, I might just build a Garand.
Due to rising costs of ammo, I'd forgotten how fun it is to go out and just shoot and shoot and shoot.
Each of the 1911's had a failure a piece. MecGar magazine wouldn't seat in the Kimber because of the magwell, and The Winchester had a hammer drop on a live round.
My friend and I were most accurate with the 1911s, and the Sig ran the best. No big surprise there.
As we were leaving, a grizzled old guy shows up with an M1 Garand and a Taurus 1911, with a small flashlight clamped below the barrel. It is clamped with SCOPE RINGS attached to the tac rail. Weird.
Anyhoo, we ooh and ah over the Garand, which he built (so he says) for $400. He let me take 2 shots with it, and my friend finished off the clip. I fired it with a bit of trepidation, I know how loud those things can be, I had to vacate a shooting bench because some guy next to me was doing timed drills with one.
First shot was seated, and I was surprised by the lack of recoil. Second shot was standing, and I was surprised by the weight.
Cool rifle. Once I finish building up my 1911 frame, I might just build a Garand.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Shooty Goodness
Headed out to the range this morning with a friend, a 1911, and 2 battlerifles.
Shot the scoped battlerifle unsupported at 50 yards and scored nearly 100% rounds-on-target with a man-sized target. No one-hole groups, but I wouldn't want to be shot at by me. Friend loved the scope, actually did better with the gun than I did.
Next up was the the unscoped battlerifle, first supported, then unsupported. Did a darn good job with that too.
1911 had 3 malfunctions in 32 rounds. One failure to feed, 2 hammer drops on a live round. I'm gonna count the hammer drops as hard primers on the Wolf crap I shoot. And the failure to feed is a known defect of this gun that we once thought gone. Hopefully when I get my 1911 next week (fingers crossed) it'll be better.
Met a couple of college students at the range, got to exchanging tricks, tips, and info re: shooty things. I've now got a new friend on Facebook.
Shot the scoped battlerifle unsupported at 50 yards and scored nearly 100% rounds-on-target with a man-sized target. No one-hole groups, but I wouldn't want to be shot at by me. Friend loved the scope, actually did better with the gun than I did.
Next up was the the unscoped battlerifle, first supported, then unsupported. Did a darn good job with that too.
1911 had 3 malfunctions in 32 rounds. One failure to feed, 2 hammer drops on a live round. I'm gonna count the hammer drops as hard primers on the Wolf crap I shoot. And the failure to feed is a known defect of this gun that we once thought gone. Hopefully when I get my 1911 next week (fingers crossed) it'll be better.
Met a couple of college students at the range, got to exchanging tricks, tips, and info re: shooty things. I've now got a new friend on Facebook.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Fun With Walmart Cashiers
I go through the self-help checkout at Walmart this evening, probably 10pm. Got a container of sherbet and a box of .22. Checker comes over to verify that I can legally, in a free country, buy a box of shells.
She swipes her card, punches in a code and says "Are these for a rifle or handgun?"
I give her my best "eats his vegetables, loves his mom and country and apple pie" smile and say "They're for a bazooka."
Cashier says "They're for a what?!" and looks in the bag like she's expecting to see a pile of anti tank rockets. Convinced I don't have any explosives in the bag she turns back. "What is that?"
"I'm just kidding you. They're for a rifle."
That "They're for a what?!" moment was priceless.
She swipes her card, punches in a code and says "Are these for a rifle or handgun?"
I give her my best "eats his vegetables, loves his mom and country and apple pie" smile and say "They're for a bazooka."
Cashier says "They're for a what?!" and looks in the bag like she's expecting to see a pile of anti tank rockets. Convinced I don't have any explosives in the bag she turns back. "What is that?"
"I'm just kidding you. They're for a rifle."
That "They're for a what?!" moment was priceless.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
New Shooter Report
Took my friend Dom out to the range on Friday. He's never shot anything bigger than an airsoft gun before.
He shows up at my house and I give him a rundown on safety and grip and mechanical operation. Rounds go in pointy-end-out, mag goes in rounds first, pull this back, safety's here, pull the trigger thusly... suitably educated we head out to the range. First up is a Marlin .22 rifle my uncle gave me. At 15 yards. Dom cannot hit the target for nothing. All over the backboard, the berm, anywhere but the paper. I finally get him to shoot off a bag, and now he's hitting something. He was using the sights wrong. How, I don't know, they're dirt-simple Soviet notch-and-a-post style.
Anyhoo, he knocks the black out of the bullseye for a hundred rounds, and we move over to 25 yards with my recently-scoped battlerifle. Haven't sighted it in, that's what this trip is for. The rednecks making one-hole, 42-shot groups with their .22s mosey on over to look at this new-fangled black rifle. They hem and haw appreciatively, and offer to spot for me with their 500x magnification scopes. Takes me twelve shots to move the dot of my Vortex Strikefire to where the shots are impacting. Dom knocks the center out of his target at 25 yards (first centerfire rifle ever, and he did a damn good job), and I shift my shooting to 50 yards. Got it sighted in, roughly, at 50 yards, and then we move over the handgun range again for the USPc9.
Dom had liked the 9mm the most of all the guns I showed to him at home, and he absolutely hated shooting it. Shot it very poorly too. Too much recoil, he was expecting it to be as easy as shooting on TV. We gave up quickly on that, and headed home.
On the way out, we stopped at the shotgun range and ran about 15 rounds through my built shotgun. He liked it despite the heavy recoil.
On the way home we talked guns and politics. He hates Obama and McCain nearly as much as I do, and brought the word "socialist" into the conversation before I got a chance to. I reminded him that when we say "socialist" we have to be aware of what it means, and not just a grown-up way of calling someone a doody-head. We ended up agreeing that most if not all politicians are SOBs, and he said if there's ever a disaster, it'd be a good idea to be as prepared as I am. We'll be going to the range again.
I take heart in knowing that because of my actions, there are people all across town who are now capable of using firearms, and who recognize the value of owning them, being proficient in their use, and being prepared for disaster. I've taught 4 now.
I win.
America wins.
Liberalism loses.
He shows up at my house and I give him a rundown on safety and grip and mechanical operation. Rounds go in pointy-end-out, mag goes in rounds first, pull this back, safety's here, pull the trigger thusly... suitably educated we head out to the range. First up is a Marlin .22 rifle my uncle gave me. At 15 yards. Dom cannot hit the target for nothing. All over the backboard, the berm, anywhere but the paper. I finally get him to shoot off a bag, and now he's hitting something. He was using the sights wrong. How, I don't know, they're dirt-simple Soviet notch-and-a-post style.
Anyhoo, he knocks the black out of the bullseye for a hundred rounds, and we move over to 25 yards with my recently-scoped battlerifle. Haven't sighted it in, that's what this trip is for. The rednecks making one-hole, 42-shot groups with their .22s mosey on over to look at this new-fangled black rifle. They hem and haw appreciatively, and offer to spot for me with their 500x magnification scopes. Takes me twelve shots to move the dot of my Vortex Strikefire to where the shots are impacting. Dom knocks the center out of his target at 25 yards (first centerfire rifle ever, and he did a damn good job), and I shift my shooting to 50 yards. Got it sighted in, roughly, at 50 yards, and then we move over the handgun range again for the USPc9.
Dom had liked the 9mm the most of all the guns I showed to him at home, and he absolutely hated shooting it. Shot it very poorly too. Too much recoil, he was expecting it to be as easy as shooting on TV. We gave up quickly on that, and headed home.
On the way out, we stopped at the shotgun range and ran about 15 rounds through my built shotgun. He liked it despite the heavy recoil.
On the way home we talked guns and politics. He hates Obama and McCain nearly as much as I do, and brought the word "socialist" into the conversation before I got a chance to. I reminded him that when we say "socialist" we have to be aware of what it means, and not just a grown-up way of calling someone a doody-head. We ended up agreeing that most if not all politicians are SOBs, and he said if there's ever a disaster, it'd be a good idea to be as prepared as I am. We'll be going to the range again.
I take heart in knowing that because of my actions, there are people all across town who are now capable of using firearms, and who recognize the value of owning them, being proficient in their use, and being prepared for disaster. I've taught 4 now.
I win.
America wins.
Liberalism loses.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Shooty Goodness
Twice now out to the range, this Thursday and last.
Last week I took a friend, Paul Nelson, Jim Doyle, and my built battle rifle. The battle rifle did a decent job at 50 yards (which is the only distance I'm shooting rifles at now). At 15 yards, my friend and Paul Nelson kept all the rounds on a sheet of printer paper, and I chewed the left center out of another sheet with the USPc9.
This week was just .22s and 12ga. Another friend chewed the center out of the target at 50 yards with the bolt action .22, while I kicked up a LOT of dust and made few holes with an ancient Marlin semi-auto.
A Browning Buckmark was our only pistol and once we figured out how the sights were regulated, we were shooting quarter sized groups at 15 yards.
Then we just went out and blasted with the 12ga.
Lots of fun. My friends are getting more and more serious about owning firearms too.
Last week I took a friend, Paul Nelson, Jim Doyle, and my built battle rifle. The battle rifle did a decent job at 50 yards (which is the only distance I'm shooting rifles at now). At 15 yards, my friend and Paul Nelson kept all the rounds on a sheet of printer paper, and I chewed the left center out of another sheet with the USPc9.
This week was just .22s and 12ga. Another friend chewed the center out of the target at 50 yards with the bolt action .22, while I kicked up a LOT of dust and made few holes with an ancient Marlin semi-auto.
A Browning Buckmark was our only pistol and once we figured out how the sights were regulated, we were shooting quarter sized groups at 15 yards.
Then we just went out and blasted with the 12ga.
Lots of fun. My friends are getting more and more serious about owning firearms too.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Shooty Goodness
Went to the range last week with a coworker. Took along a 1911, Jim Doyle 9mm, a 12gauage, and one of my battle rifles.
Start out with the battle rifle at 50 yards. Crappy irons and only shooting offhand contributed to mediocre accuracy ranging from lethal to painful to "keep your head down."
Next up was the 1911. I love this pistol. My coworker shot better with it that its owner, or any other person with any other firearm that I've ever seen. 45 feet, 7 in the 9ring, 9 through the same ragged hole in the center circle.
Then comes the Jim Doyle 9mm. Mediocre accuracy. Predictably right of target. Back sights look off, need adjusting. Eats crappy Wolf practice ammo though. That pistol will digest anything. I'm hoping to shoot my concealed carry quals for Minnesota next month, and if I don't get the sights straightened out, I'm going to have to shoot it with my Sig 220. That would not be cool.
After that we just ran the 12gauge through some dumb stuff. Stock folded, aiming at snow piles on the berm. Fun times.
Then we went back to the pistol range with a box of 50 9mm's, and started doing reload and malfunction drills with the USP. Load 3 rounds in the mag, 2 in the spare, with another empty case somewhere in the stack. Or the empty case in the first mag. Shoot to slide-lock, reload, shoot to the preplanted dud, and then taprackbang until you can shoot again. Best hour I've ever spent shooting.
My friend says he's getting a 1911 when he gets back from Japan in August. I hope he still can.
Start out with the battle rifle at 50 yards. Crappy irons and only shooting offhand contributed to mediocre accuracy ranging from lethal to painful to "keep your head down."
Next up was the 1911. I love this pistol. My coworker shot better with it that its owner, or any other person with any other firearm that I've ever seen. 45 feet, 7 in the 9ring, 9 through the same ragged hole in the center circle.
Then comes the Jim Doyle 9mm. Mediocre accuracy. Predictably right of target. Back sights look off, need adjusting. Eats crappy Wolf practice ammo though. That pistol will digest anything. I'm hoping to shoot my concealed carry quals for Minnesota next month, and if I don't get the sights straightened out, I'm going to have to shoot it with my Sig 220. That would not be cool.
After that we just ran the 12gauge through some dumb stuff. Stock folded, aiming at snow piles on the berm. Fun times.
Then we went back to the pistol range with a box of 50 9mm's, and started doing reload and malfunction drills with the USP. Load 3 rounds in the mag, 2 in the spare, with another empty case somewhere in the stack. Or the empty case in the first mag. Shoot to slide-lock, reload, shoot to the preplanted dud, and then taprackbang until you can shoot again. Best hour I've ever spent shooting.
My friend says he's getting a 1911 when he gets back from Japan in August. I hope he still can.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Kinda Scary
So Eric Holder opened his fat yap about the Obama administration banning AR15s to save Mexico from its own self about a week ago.
Two days later, Walmart nearest me has been bought out of all, and I do mean ALL, militarily useful calibers, and then a few that aren't. Normally they keep about 2000rds of 9mm, 1500 .40S&W, 1000 .45ACP, on hand. All gone. Not a single box remaining. Someone or a lot of someones also bought out about 1000rds of .38, 500 .357Mag, 1000 .380Auto, 400 .44Mag, and about 350 .357SIG. Not to mention an ungodly amount of .308 and .223.
My hand to God, it was not me.
Bulk food, dried food, medical supplies, and all manner of firearms are flying off the shelves, and from what I'm hearing online, they're flying off the shelves everywhere, not just my little burg.
Last time I was in Sportsmans Warehouse, they were sold out of every large frame, high capacity handgun they'd ever carried. All the 1911s were still there, but there was not a single Sig, HK, XD, or Glock in 9mm or .40S&W to be had. Bushmaster and Armalite are backordered a year in AR15s.
Weird, ain't it? Country elects the leftest most candidate we've seen in years, but still someone who says they'll bring the nation together, and then the nation en masse goes out and prepares for war. It's not just people on the right buying ARs, AKs, Berettas and Glocks. Its everyone. And in uncertain economic times, they are going out of their way to spend thousands of dollars on the most effective tools for killing people that they can lay their hands on, and the ammunition to run them, and the food and supplies necessary to survive.
Sic vis pacem para bellum
It's not just me who believes it these days.
Two days later, Walmart nearest me has been bought out of all, and I do mean ALL, militarily useful calibers, and then a few that aren't. Normally they keep about 2000rds of 9mm, 1500 .40S&W, 1000 .45ACP, on hand. All gone. Not a single box remaining. Someone or a lot of someones also bought out about 1000rds of .38, 500 .357Mag, 1000 .380Auto, 400 .44Mag, and about 350 .357SIG. Not to mention an ungodly amount of .308 and .223.
My hand to God, it was not me.
Bulk food, dried food, medical supplies, and all manner of firearms are flying off the shelves, and from what I'm hearing online, they're flying off the shelves everywhere, not just my little burg.
Last time I was in Sportsmans Warehouse, they were sold out of every large frame, high capacity handgun they'd ever carried. All the 1911s were still there, but there was not a single Sig, HK, XD, or Glock in 9mm or .40S&W to be had. Bushmaster and Armalite are backordered a year in AR15s.
Weird, ain't it? Country elects the leftest most candidate we've seen in years, but still someone who says they'll bring the nation together, and then the nation en masse goes out and prepares for war. It's not just people on the right buying ARs, AKs, Berettas and Glocks. Its everyone. And in uncertain economic times, they are going out of their way to spend thousands of dollars on the most effective tools for killing people that they can lay their hands on, and the ammunition to run them, and the food and supplies necessary to survive.
Sic vis pacem para bellum
It's not just me who believes it these days.
Monday, January 12, 2009
HR 45 - Canada Style Gun Registration
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title- This Act may be cited as `Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009'.
(b) Table of Contents- The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings and purposes.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
TITLE I––LICENSING
Sec. 101. Licensing requirement.
Sec. 102. Application requirements.
Sec. 103. Issuance of license.
Sec. 104. Renewal of license.
Sec. 105. Revocation of license.
TITLE II––RECORD OF SALE OR TRANSFER
Sec. 201. Sale or transfer requirements for qualifying firearms.
Sec. 202. Firearm records.
TITLE III––ADDITIONAL PROHIBITIONS
Sec. 301. Universal background check requirement.
Sec. 302. Failure to maintain or permit inspection of records.
Sec. 303. Failure to report loss or theft of firearm.
Sec. 304. Failure to provide notice of change of address.
Sec. 305. Child access prevention.
TITLE IV––ENFORCEMENT
Sec. 401. Criminal penalties.
Sec. 402. Regulations.
Sec. 403. Inspections.
Sec. 404. Orders.
Sec. 405. Injunctive enforcement.
TITLE V––FIREARM INJURY INFORMATION AND RESEARCH
Sec. 501. Duties of the Attorney General.
TITLE VI––EFFECT ON STATE LAW
Sec. 601. Effect on State law.
Sec. 602. Certification of State firearm licensing systems and State firearm record of sale systems.
TITLE VII––RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAW
Sec. 701. Subordination to Arms Export Control Act.
TITLE VIII––INAPPLICABILITY
Sec. 801. Inapplicability to governmental authorities.
TITLE IX––EFFECTIVE DATE
Sec. 901. Effective date of amendments.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) Findings- Congress finds that––
(1) the manufacture, distribution, and importation of firearms is inherently commercial in nature;
(2) firearms regularly move in interstate commerce;
(3) to the extent that firearms trafficking is intrastate in nature, it arises out of and is substantially connected with a commercial transaction, which, when viewed in the aggregate, substantially affects interstate commerce;
(4) because the intrastate and interstate trafficking of firearms are so commingled, full regulation of interstate commerce requires the incidental regulation of intrastate commerce;
(5) gun violence in the United States is associated with the majority of homicides, over half the suicides, and two-thirds of non-fatal violent injuries; and
(6) on the afternoon of May 10, 2007, Blair Holt, a junior at Julian High School in Chicago, was killed on a public bus riding home from school when he used his body to shield a girl who was in the line of fire after a young man boarded the bus and started shooting.
(b) Sense of the Congress- It is the sense of the Congress that––
(1) firearms trafficking is prevalent and widespread in and among the States, and it is usually impossible to distinguish between intrastate trafficking and interstate trafficking; and
(2) it is in the national interest and within the role of the Federal Government to ensure that the regulation of firearms is uniform among the States, that law enforcement can quickly and effectively trace firearms used in crime, and that firearms owners know how to use and safely store their firearms.
(c) Purposes- The purposes of this Act and the amendments made by this Act are––
(1) to protect the public against the unreasonable risk of injury and death associated with the unrecorded sale or transfer of qualifying firearms to criminals and youth;
(2) to ensure that owners of qualifying firearms are knowledgeable in the safe use, handling, and storage of those firearms;
(3) to restrict the availability of qualifying firearms to criminals, youth, and other persons prohibited by Federal law from receiving firearms; and
(4) to facilitate the tracing of qualifying firearms used in crime by Federal and State law enforcement agencies.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
(a) In General- In this Act:
(1) FIREARM; LICENSED DEALER; LICENSED MANUFACTURER; STATE- The terms `firearm', `licensed dealer', `licensed manufacturer', and `State' have the meanings given those terms in section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code.
(2) QUALIFYING FIREARM- The term `qualifying firearm' has the meaning given the term in section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code, as amended by subsection (b) of this section.
(b) Amendment to Title 18, United States Code- Section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(36) The term `qualifying firearm'––
`(A) means––
`(i) any handgun; or
`(ii) any semiautomatic firearm that can accept any detachable ammunition feeding device; and
`(B) does not include any antique.'.
TITLE I––LICENSING
SEC. 101. LICENSING REQUIREMENT.
Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(aa) Firearm Licensing Requirement-
`(1) IN GENERAL- It shall be unlawful for any person other than a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector to possess a qualifying firearm on or after the applicable date, unless that person has been issued a firearm license––
`(A) under title I of Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009, which license has not been invalidated or revoked under that title; or
`(B) pursuant to a State firearm licensing and record of sale system certified under section 602 of Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009, which license has not been invalidated or revoked under State law.
`(2) APPLICABLE DATE- In this subsection, the term `applicable date' means––
`(A) with respect to a qualifying firearm that is acquired by the person before the date of the enactment of Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009, 2 years after such date of enactment; and
`(B) with respect to a qualifying firearm that is acquired by the person on or after the date of the enactment of Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009, 1 year after such date of enactment.'.
SEC. 102. APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.
(a) In General- In order to be issued a firearm license under this title, an individual shall submit to the Attorney General (in accordance with the regulations promulgated under subsection (b)) an application, which shall include––
(1) a current, passport-sized photograph of the applicant that provides a clear, accurate likeness of the applicant;
(2) the name, address, and date and place of birth of the applicant;
(3) any other name that the applicant has ever used or by which the applicant has ever been known;
(4) a clear thumb print of the applicant, which shall be made when, and in the presence of the entity to whom, the application is submitted;
(5) with respect to each category of person prohibited by Federal law, or by the law of the State of residence of the applicant, from obtaining a firearm, a statement that the individual is not a person prohibited from obtaining a firearm;
(6) a certification by the applicant that the applicant will keep any firearm owned by the applicant safely stored and out of the possession of persons who have not attained 18 years of age;
(7) a certificate attesting to the completion at the time of application of a written firearms examination, which shall test the knowledge and ability of the applicant regarding––
(A) the safe storage of firearms, particularly in the vicinity of persons who have not attained 18 years of age;
(B) the safe handling of firearms;
(C) the use of firearms in the home and the risks associated with such use;
(D) the legal responsibilities of firearms owners, including Federal, State, and local laws relating to requirements for the possession and storage of firearms, and relating to reporting requirements with respect to firearms; and
(E) any other subjects, as the Attorney General determines to be appropriate;
(8) an authorization by the applicant to release to the Attorney General or an authorized representative of the Attorney General any mental health records pertaining to the applicant;
(9) the date on which the application was submitted; and
(10) the signature of the applicant.
(b) Regulations Governing Submission- The Attorney General shall promulgate regulations specifying procedures for the submission of applications to the Attorney General under this section, which regulations shall––
(1) provide for submission of the application through a licensed dealer or an office or agency of the Federal Government designated by the Attorney General;
(2) require the applicant to provide a valid identification document (as defined in section 1028(d)(2) of title 18, United States Code) of the applicant, containing a photograph of the applicant, to the licensed dealer or to the office or agency of the Federal Government, as applicable, at the time of submission of the application to that dealer, office, or agency; and
(3) require that a completed application be forwarded to the Attorney General not later than 48 hours after the application is submitted to the licensed dealer or office or agency of the Federal Government, as applicable.
(c) Fees-
(1) IN GENERAL- The Attorney General shall charge and collect from each applicant for a license under this title a fee in an amount determined in accordance with paragraph (2).
(2) FEE AMOUNT- The amount of the fee collected under this subsection shall be not less than the amount determined by the Attorney General to be necessary to ensure that the total amount of all fees collected under this subsection during a fiscal year is sufficient to cover the costs of carrying out this title during that fiscal year, except that such amount shall not exceed $25.
SEC. 103. ISSUANCE OF LICENSE.
(a) In General- The Attorney General shall issue a firearm license to an applicant who has submitted an application that meets the requirements of section 102 of this Act, if the Attorney General ascertains that the individual is not prohibited by subsection (g) or (n) of section 922 of title 18, United States Code, from receiving a firearm.
(b) Effect of Issuance to Prohibited Person- A firearm license issued under this section shall be null and void if issued to a person who is prohibited by subsection (g) or (n) of section 922 of title 18, United States Code, from receiving a firearm.
(c) Form of License- A firearm license issued under this section shall be in the form of a tamper-resistant card, and shall include––
(1) the photograph of the licensed individual submitted with the application;
(2) the address of the licensed individual;
(3) the date of birth of the licensed individual;
(4) a license number, unique to each licensed individual;
(5) the expiration date of the license, which shall be the date that is 5 years after the initial anniversary of the date of birth of the licensed individual following the date on which the license is issued (or in the case of a license renewal, following the date on which the license is renewed under section 104);
(6) the signature of the licensed individual provided on the application, or a facsimile of the application; and
(7) centered at the top of the license, capitalized, and in boldface type, the following:
`FIREARM LICENSE––NOT VALID FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE'.
SEC. 104. RENEWAL OF LICENSE.
(a) Application for Renewal-
(1) IN GENERAL- In order to renew a firearm license issued under this title, not later than 30 days before the expiration date of the license, the licensed individual shall submit to the Attorney General (in accordance with the regulations promulgated under paragraph (3)), in a form approved by the Attorney General, an application for renewal of the license.
(2) CONTENTS- An application submitted under paragraph (1) shall include––
(A) a current, passport-sized photograph of the applicant that provides a clear, accurate likeness of the applicant;
(B) current proof of identity of the licensed individual; and
(C) the address of the licensed individual.
(3) REGULATIONS GOVERNING SUBMISSION- The Attorney General shall promulgate regulations specifying procedures for the submission of applications under this subsection.
(b) Issuance of Renewed License- Upon approval of an application submitted under subsection (a) of this section, the Attorney General shall issue a renewed license, which shall meet the requirements of section 103(c), except that the license shall include the current photograph and address of the licensed individual, as provided in the application submitted under this section, and the expiration date of the renewed license, as provided in section 103(c)(5).
SEC. 105. REVOCATION OF LICENSE.
(a) In General- If an individual to whom a license has been issued under this title subsequently becomes a person who is prohibited by subsection (g) or (n) of section 922 of title 18, United States Code, from receiving a firearm––
(1) the license is revoked; and
(2) the individual shall promptly return the license to the Attorney General.
(b) Administrative Action- Upon receipt by the Attorney General of notice that an individual to whom a license has been issued under this title has become a person described in subsection (a), the Attorney General shall ensure that the individual promptly returns the license to the Attorney General.
TITLE II––RECORD OF SALE OR TRANSFER
SEC. 201. SALE OR TRANSFER REQUIREMENTS FOR QUALIFYING FIREARMS.
Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, as amended by section 101 of this Act, is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(bb) Unauthorized Sale or Transfer of a Qualifying Firearm- It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, deliver, or otherwise transfer a qualifying firearm to, or for, any person who is not a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector, or to receive a qualifying firearm from a person who is not a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector, unless, at the time and place of the transfer or receipt––
`(1) the transferee presents to a licensed dealer a valid firearm license issued to the transferee––
`(A) under title I of Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009; or
`(B) pursuant to a State firearm licensing and record of sale system certified under section 602 of Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009 established by the State in which the transfer or receipt occurs;
`(2) the licensed dealer contacts the Attorney General or the head of the State agency that administers the certified system described in paragraph (1)(B), as applicable, and receives notice that the transferee has been issued a firearm license described in paragraph (1) and that the license remains valid; and
`(3) the licensed dealer records on a document (which, in the case of a sale, shall be the sales receipt) a tracking authorization number provided by the Attorney General or the head of the State agency, as applicable, as evidence that the licensed dealer has verified the validity of the license.'.
SEC. 202. FIREARM RECORDS.
(a) Submission of Sale or Transfer Reports- Not later than 14 days after the date on which the transfer of qualifying firearm is processed by a licensed dealer under section 922(bb) of title 18, United States Code (as added by section 201 of this Act), the licensed dealer shall submit to the Attorney General (or, in the case of a licensed dealer located in a State that has a State firearm licensing and record of sale system certified under section 602 of this Act, to the head of the State agency that administers that system) a report of that transfer, which shall include information relating to––
(1) the manufacturer of the firearm;
(2) the model name or number of the firearm;
(3) the serial number of the firearm;
(4) the date on which the firearm was received by the transferee;
(5) the number of a valid firearm license issued to the transferee under title I of this Act; and
(6) the name and address of the individual who transferred the firearm to the transferee.
(b) Federal Record of Sale System- Not later than 9 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall establish and maintain a Federal record of sale system, which shall include the information included in each report submitted to the Attorney General under subsection (a).
(c) Elimination of Prohibition on Establishment of System of Registration- Section 926(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking the second sentence.
TITLE III––ADDITIONAL PROHIBITIONS
SEC. 301. UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECK REQUIREMENT.
Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, as amended by sections 101 and 201 of this Act, is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(cc) Universal Background Check Requirement-
`(1) REQUIREMENT- Except as provided in paragraph (2), it shall be unlawful for any person other than a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector to sell, deliver, or otherwise transfer a firearm to any person other than such a licensee, unless the transfer is processed through a licensed dealer in accordance with subsection (t).
`(2) EXCEPTION- Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the infrequent transfer of a firearm by gift, bequest, intestate succession or other means by an individual to a parent, child, grandparent, or grandchild of the individual, or to any loan of a firearm for any lawful purpose for not more than 30 days between persons who are personally known to each other.'.
------------------------------------
Letters will be going out to the congresscritters tomorrow.
Everyone who touches this for any reason other than to denounce and villify it deserves to be hung from a lamp pole, their bodies left to be used for target practice.
(a) Short Title- This Act may be cited as `Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009'.
(b) Table of Contents- The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings and purposes.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
TITLE I––LICENSING
Sec. 101. Licensing requirement.
Sec. 102. Application requirements.
Sec. 103. Issuance of license.
Sec. 104. Renewal of license.
Sec. 105. Revocation of license.
TITLE II––RECORD OF SALE OR TRANSFER
Sec. 201. Sale or transfer requirements for qualifying firearms.
Sec. 202. Firearm records.
TITLE III––ADDITIONAL PROHIBITIONS
Sec. 301. Universal background check requirement.
Sec. 302. Failure to maintain or permit inspection of records.
Sec. 303. Failure to report loss or theft of firearm.
Sec. 304. Failure to provide notice of change of address.
Sec. 305. Child access prevention.
TITLE IV––ENFORCEMENT
Sec. 401. Criminal penalties.
Sec. 402. Regulations.
Sec. 403. Inspections.
Sec. 404. Orders.
Sec. 405. Injunctive enforcement.
TITLE V––FIREARM INJURY INFORMATION AND RESEARCH
Sec. 501. Duties of the Attorney General.
TITLE VI––EFFECT ON STATE LAW
Sec. 601. Effect on State law.
Sec. 602. Certification of State firearm licensing systems and State firearm record of sale systems.
TITLE VII––RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAW
Sec. 701. Subordination to Arms Export Control Act.
TITLE VIII––INAPPLICABILITY
Sec. 801. Inapplicability to governmental authorities.
TITLE IX––EFFECTIVE DATE
Sec. 901. Effective date of amendments.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) Findings- Congress finds that––
(1) the manufacture, distribution, and importation of firearms is inherently commercial in nature;
(2) firearms regularly move in interstate commerce;
(3) to the extent that firearms trafficking is intrastate in nature, it arises out of and is substantially connected with a commercial transaction, which, when viewed in the aggregate, substantially affects interstate commerce;
(4) because the intrastate and interstate trafficking of firearms are so commingled, full regulation of interstate commerce requires the incidental regulation of intrastate commerce;
(5) gun violence in the United States is associated with the majority of homicides, over half the suicides, and two-thirds of non-fatal violent injuries; and
(6) on the afternoon of May 10, 2007, Blair Holt, a junior at Julian High School in Chicago, was killed on a public bus riding home from school when he used his body to shield a girl who was in the line of fire after a young man boarded the bus and started shooting.
(b) Sense of the Congress- It is the sense of the Congress that––
(1) firearms trafficking is prevalent and widespread in and among the States, and it is usually impossible to distinguish between intrastate trafficking and interstate trafficking; and
(2) it is in the national interest and within the role of the Federal Government to ensure that the regulation of firearms is uniform among the States, that law enforcement can quickly and effectively trace firearms used in crime, and that firearms owners know how to use and safely store their firearms.
(c) Purposes- The purposes of this Act and the amendments made by this Act are––
(1) to protect the public against the unreasonable risk of injury and death associated with the unrecorded sale or transfer of qualifying firearms to criminals and youth;
(2) to ensure that owners of qualifying firearms are knowledgeable in the safe use, handling, and storage of those firearms;
(3) to restrict the availability of qualifying firearms to criminals, youth, and other persons prohibited by Federal law from receiving firearms; and
(4) to facilitate the tracing of qualifying firearms used in crime by Federal and State law enforcement agencies.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
(a) In General- In this Act:
(1) FIREARM; LICENSED DEALER; LICENSED MANUFACTURER; STATE- The terms `firearm', `licensed dealer', `licensed manufacturer', and `State' have the meanings given those terms in section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code.
(2) QUALIFYING FIREARM- The term `qualifying firearm' has the meaning given the term in section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code, as amended by subsection (b) of this section.
(b) Amendment to Title 18, United States Code- Section 921(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(36) The term `qualifying firearm'––
`(A) means––
`(i) any handgun; or
`(ii) any semiautomatic firearm that can accept any detachable ammunition feeding device; and
`(B) does not include any antique.'.
TITLE I––LICENSING
SEC. 101. LICENSING REQUIREMENT.
Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(aa) Firearm Licensing Requirement-
`(1) IN GENERAL- It shall be unlawful for any person other than a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector to possess a qualifying firearm on or after the applicable date, unless that person has been issued a firearm license––
`(A) under title I of Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009, which license has not been invalidated or revoked under that title; or
`(B) pursuant to a State firearm licensing and record of sale system certified under section 602 of Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009, which license has not been invalidated or revoked under State law.
`(2) APPLICABLE DATE- In this subsection, the term `applicable date' means––
`(A) with respect to a qualifying firearm that is acquired by the person before the date of the enactment of Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009, 2 years after such date of enactment; and
`(B) with respect to a qualifying firearm that is acquired by the person on or after the date of the enactment of Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009, 1 year after such date of enactment.'.
SEC. 102. APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.
(a) In General- In order to be issued a firearm license under this title, an individual shall submit to the Attorney General (in accordance with the regulations promulgated under subsection (b)) an application, which shall include––
(1) a current, passport-sized photograph of the applicant that provides a clear, accurate likeness of the applicant;
(2) the name, address, and date and place of birth of the applicant;
(3) any other name that the applicant has ever used or by which the applicant has ever been known;
(4) a clear thumb print of the applicant, which shall be made when, and in the presence of the entity to whom, the application is submitted;
(5) with respect to each category of person prohibited by Federal law, or by the law of the State of residence of the applicant, from obtaining a firearm, a statement that the individual is not a person prohibited from obtaining a firearm;
(6) a certification by the applicant that the applicant will keep any firearm owned by the applicant safely stored and out of the possession of persons who have not attained 18 years of age;
(7) a certificate attesting to the completion at the time of application of a written firearms examination, which shall test the knowledge and ability of the applicant regarding––
(A) the safe storage of firearms, particularly in the vicinity of persons who have not attained 18 years of age;
(B) the safe handling of firearms;
(C) the use of firearms in the home and the risks associated with such use;
(D) the legal responsibilities of firearms owners, including Federal, State, and local laws relating to requirements for the possession and storage of firearms, and relating to reporting requirements with respect to firearms; and
(E) any other subjects, as the Attorney General determines to be appropriate;
(8) an authorization by the applicant to release to the Attorney General or an authorized representative of the Attorney General any mental health records pertaining to the applicant;
(9) the date on which the application was submitted; and
(10) the signature of the applicant.
(b) Regulations Governing Submission- The Attorney General shall promulgate regulations specifying procedures for the submission of applications to the Attorney General under this section, which regulations shall––
(1) provide for submission of the application through a licensed dealer or an office or agency of the Federal Government designated by the Attorney General;
(2) require the applicant to provide a valid identification document (as defined in section 1028(d)(2) of title 18, United States Code) of the applicant, containing a photograph of the applicant, to the licensed dealer or to the office or agency of the Federal Government, as applicable, at the time of submission of the application to that dealer, office, or agency; and
(3) require that a completed application be forwarded to the Attorney General not later than 48 hours after the application is submitted to the licensed dealer or office or agency of the Federal Government, as applicable.
(c) Fees-
(1) IN GENERAL- The Attorney General shall charge and collect from each applicant for a license under this title a fee in an amount determined in accordance with paragraph (2).
(2) FEE AMOUNT- The amount of the fee collected under this subsection shall be not less than the amount determined by the Attorney General to be necessary to ensure that the total amount of all fees collected under this subsection during a fiscal year is sufficient to cover the costs of carrying out this title during that fiscal year, except that such amount shall not exceed $25.
SEC. 103. ISSUANCE OF LICENSE.
(a) In General- The Attorney General shall issue a firearm license to an applicant who has submitted an application that meets the requirements of section 102 of this Act, if the Attorney General ascertains that the individual is not prohibited by subsection (g) or (n) of section 922 of title 18, United States Code, from receiving a firearm.
(b) Effect of Issuance to Prohibited Person- A firearm license issued under this section shall be null and void if issued to a person who is prohibited by subsection (g) or (n) of section 922 of title 18, United States Code, from receiving a firearm.
(c) Form of License- A firearm license issued under this section shall be in the form of a tamper-resistant card, and shall include––
(1) the photograph of the licensed individual submitted with the application;
(2) the address of the licensed individual;
(3) the date of birth of the licensed individual;
(4) a license number, unique to each licensed individual;
(5) the expiration date of the license, which shall be the date that is 5 years after the initial anniversary of the date of birth of the licensed individual following the date on which the license is issued (or in the case of a license renewal, following the date on which the license is renewed under section 104);
(6) the signature of the licensed individual provided on the application, or a facsimile of the application; and
(7) centered at the top of the license, capitalized, and in boldface type, the following:
`FIREARM LICENSE––NOT VALID FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE'.
SEC. 104. RENEWAL OF LICENSE.
(a) Application for Renewal-
(1) IN GENERAL- In order to renew a firearm license issued under this title, not later than 30 days before the expiration date of the license, the licensed individual shall submit to the Attorney General (in accordance with the regulations promulgated under paragraph (3)), in a form approved by the Attorney General, an application for renewal of the license.
(2) CONTENTS- An application submitted under paragraph (1) shall include––
(A) a current, passport-sized photograph of the applicant that provides a clear, accurate likeness of the applicant;
(B) current proof of identity of the licensed individual; and
(C) the address of the licensed individual.
(3) REGULATIONS GOVERNING SUBMISSION- The Attorney General shall promulgate regulations specifying procedures for the submission of applications under this subsection.
(b) Issuance of Renewed License- Upon approval of an application submitted under subsection (a) of this section, the Attorney General shall issue a renewed license, which shall meet the requirements of section 103(c), except that the license shall include the current photograph and address of the licensed individual, as provided in the application submitted under this section, and the expiration date of the renewed license, as provided in section 103(c)(5).
SEC. 105. REVOCATION OF LICENSE.
(a) In General- If an individual to whom a license has been issued under this title subsequently becomes a person who is prohibited by subsection (g) or (n) of section 922 of title 18, United States Code, from receiving a firearm––
(1) the license is revoked; and
(2) the individual shall promptly return the license to the Attorney General.
(b) Administrative Action- Upon receipt by the Attorney General of notice that an individual to whom a license has been issued under this title has become a person described in subsection (a), the Attorney General shall ensure that the individual promptly returns the license to the Attorney General.
TITLE II––RECORD OF SALE OR TRANSFER
SEC. 201. SALE OR TRANSFER REQUIREMENTS FOR QUALIFYING FIREARMS.
Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, as amended by section 101 of this Act, is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(bb) Unauthorized Sale or Transfer of a Qualifying Firearm- It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, deliver, or otherwise transfer a qualifying firearm to, or for, any person who is not a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector, or to receive a qualifying firearm from a person who is not a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector, unless, at the time and place of the transfer or receipt––
`(1) the transferee presents to a licensed dealer a valid firearm license issued to the transferee––
`(A) under title I of Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009; or
`(B) pursuant to a State firearm licensing and record of sale system certified under section 602 of Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009 established by the State in which the transfer or receipt occurs;
`(2) the licensed dealer contacts the Attorney General or the head of the State agency that administers the certified system described in paragraph (1)(B), as applicable, and receives notice that the transferee has been issued a firearm license described in paragraph (1) and that the license remains valid; and
`(3) the licensed dealer records on a document (which, in the case of a sale, shall be the sales receipt) a tracking authorization number provided by the Attorney General or the head of the State agency, as applicable, as evidence that the licensed dealer has verified the validity of the license.'.
SEC. 202. FIREARM RECORDS.
(a) Submission of Sale or Transfer Reports- Not later than 14 days after the date on which the transfer of qualifying firearm is processed by a licensed dealer under section 922(bb) of title 18, United States Code (as added by section 201 of this Act), the licensed dealer shall submit to the Attorney General (or, in the case of a licensed dealer located in a State that has a State firearm licensing and record of sale system certified under section 602 of this Act, to the head of the State agency that administers that system) a report of that transfer, which shall include information relating to––
(1) the manufacturer of the firearm;
(2) the model name or number of the firearm;
(3) the serial number of the firearm;
(4) the date on which the firearm was received by the transferee;
(5) the number of a valid firearm license issued to the transferee under title I of this Act; and
(6) the name and address of the individual who transferred the firearm to the transferee.
(b) Federal Record of Sale System- Not later than 9 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Attorney General shall establish and maintain a Federal record of sale system, which shall include the information included in each report submitted to the Attorney General under subsection (a).
(c) Elimination of Prohibition on Establishment of System of Registration- Section 926(a) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking the second sentence.
TITLE III––ADDITIONAL PROHIBITIONS
SEC. 301. UNIVERSAL BACKGROUND CHECK REQUIREMENT.
Section 922 of title 18, United States Code, as amended by sections 101 and 201 of this Act, is amended by adding at the end the following:
`(cc) Universal Background Check Requirement-
`(1) REQUIREMENT- Except as provided in paragraph (2), it shall be unlawful for any person other than a licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, licensed dealer, or licensed collector to sell, deliver, or otherwise transfer a firearm to any person other than such a licensee, unless the transfer is processed through a licensed dealer in accordance with subsection (t).
`(2) EXCEPTION- Paragraph (1) shall not apply to the infrequent transfer of a firearm by gift, bequest, intestate succession or other means by an individual to a parent, child, grandparent, or grandchild of the individual, or to any loan of a firearm for any lawful purpose for not more than 30 days between persons who are personally known to each other.'.
------------------------------------
Letters will be going out to the congresscritters tomorrow.
Everyone who touches this for any reason other than to denounce and villify it deserves to be hung from a lamp pole, their bodies left to be used for target practice.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Shooty Goodness
Coworker and I went to the range today. Took my built-battle-rifle, Jim Doyle, and Paul Nelson (USPC9 and SIG220, for those that don't remember the names).
First up was 60 rounds through the rifle, 5 per person at the 50yard target. My friend got 5 out of thirty on a sheet of paper, I got 30 out of 30. Iron sights only. Pretty damn good. One weird malfunction, the gun failed to chamber a round like 2/3s through the second mag. Broke it open, made sure nothing was jammed, put it back together, lit up the target again.
Next up was the SIG 220. I brought 16 rounds per person, a mag and ammo for a reload. First shot was a bullseye, and I tore a grouping about 2in by 3in just below the center. My friend did equally well, grouping the shots lower but all together. I like this pistol more and more every time I shoot it.
Next, we loaded 5 rounds a piece into each of the magazines for the USPC9 and went to town. Less accurate, which was not my last experience with the gun. Grouped nice, but grouped in a different place every mag. Still kept them all on the paper, which is good for a carry gun at 15 yards.
I've introduced 3 people to shooting this year. Next year we try for 5.
First up was 60 rounds through the rifle, 5 per person at the 50yard target. My friend got 5 out of thirty on a sheet of paper, I got 30 out of 30. Iron sights only. Pretty damn good. One weird malfunction, the gun failed to chamber a round like 2/3s through the second mag. Broke it open, made sure nothing was jammed, put it back together, lit up the target again.
Next up was the SIG 220. I brought 16 rounds per person, a mag and ammo for a reload. First shot was a bullseye, and I tore a grouping about 2in by 3in just below the center. My friend did equally well, grouping the shots lower but all together. I like this pistol more and more every time I shoot it.
Next, we loaded 5 rounds a piece into each of the magazines for the USPC9 and went to town. Less accurate, which was not my last experience with the gun. Grouped nice, but grouped in a different place every mag. Still kept them all on the paper, which is good for a carry gun at 15 yards.
I've introduced 3 people to shooting this year. Next year we try for 5.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Shooty Goodness
Recently got a .308 HK style battle rifle on the cheap. Also recently got a friend into the shooting sports, and he keeps asking if I want to go to the range. These things can be combined profitably, so today I load up varying examples of my rifles, and my Paul Nelson Commemorative Sig220 (Hey Paul, I've got a .45 with your name on it!), and we headed out to the range in really sub freezing weather.
First up is the rifle I built last month. We put targets up at 50 yards and go to work. From the lack of rounds on paper and the 2 fliers at the top of the target holder, I discover that in sighting it in at 25 yards last time meant it was WAY high at fifty. Took us +30 rounds firing 3 at a time and cranking it down and right to get it onto target, at which point we started getting really accurate. Now I need to remember it shoots low right at 25. Great gun, even better knowing I assembled it w/ no knowledge.
Next up was my primary style of battle-rifle. Adjustable sights? What are those? Lit up the target at fifty yards, and did quite well. Normall I don't take this rifle out that far - the front post is about as big as a sheet of typing paper at that range. I was really grouping my shots nicely, no fliers or misses.
Next up, my friend took Paul Nelson over to the pistol range. It's a proud moment when I realize the guy I taught has become a better shooter than me. Short(er) .45 pistol, first time firing anything bigger than a 9mm, he pounds out a cluster of 15 out of 16 in a tight group w/ 4 bullseyes. A classic scene, shooter in a perfect stance, the pistol perfectly black and defined against the snow.
Next up is the HK. I say a prayer, rock in a mag, charge it, and fire it from the hip just to make sure if it blows up, it doesn't take out my face. Blows all the snow off the table, sways me back like I'm in a windstorm. I put the gun down, say "Holy crap! I need to think about that for a minute." I cowboy up, put the gun to my shoulder, and touch off another round. Loud. Really loud. Minimal recoil. Seriously, it feels like shooting a supersoaker, there's just this straight back push and a loud noise. The working out must be helping. Loving this gun, really. I can see this being my primary weapon.
Unfortunately, we had multiple instances of 2 of the most amazing jams I've ever seen. Bolt closing on round nosing up at a severe angle into the chamber roof, with a fired case jammed backwards in at the same time. Next up was another severe nose-to-the-roof jam, but with another life case nosing down at the back of the mag, creating a messed up V shape of unfired rounds pushing the rest of the mag down. Never seen anything like it. The guys at Gander are getting it back to work on, and I have photographic proof of this oddity if they question my sanity.
Friend is planning on getting a membership to the range and a battle rifle soon. America wins again.
First up is the rifle I built last month. We put targets up at 50 yards and go to work. From the lack of rounds on paper and the 2 fliers at the top of the target holder, I discover that in sighting it in at 25 yards last time meant it was WAY high at fifty. Took us +30 rounds firing 3 at a time and cranking it down and right to get it onto target, at which point we started getting really accurate. Now I need to remember it shoots low right at 25. Great gun, even better knowing I assembled it w/ no knowledge.
Next up was my primary style of battle-rifle. Adjustable sights? What are those? Lit up the target at fifty yards, and did quite well. Normall I don't take this rifle out that far - the front post is about as big as a sheet of typing paper at that range. I was really grouping my shots nicely, no fliers or misses.
Next up, my friend took Paul Nelson over to the pistol range. It's a proud moment when I realize the guy I taught has become a better shooter than me. Short(er) .45 pistol, first time firing anything bigger than a 9mm, he pounds out a cluster of 15 out of 16 in a tight group w/ 4 bullseyes. A classic scene, shooter in a perfect stance, the pistol perfectly black and defined against the snow.
Next up is the HK. I say a prayer, rock in a mag, charge it, and fire it from the hip just to make sure if it blows up, it doesn't take out my face. Blows all the snow off the table, sways me back like I'm in a windstorm. I put the gun down, say "Holy crap! I need to think about that for a minute." I cowboy up, put the gun to my shoulder, and touch off another round. Loud. Really loud. Minimal recoil. Seriously, it feels like shooting a supersoaker, there's just this straight back push and a loud noise. The working out must be helping. Loving this gun, really. I can see this being my primary weapon.
Unfortunately, we had multiple instances of 2 of the most amazing jams I've ever seen. Bolt closing on round nosing up at a severe angle into the chamber roof, with a fired case jammed backwards in at the same time. Next up was another severe nose-to-the-roof jam, but with another life case nosing down at the back of the mag, creating a messed up V shape of unfired rounds pushing the rest of the mag down. Never seen anything like it. The guys at Gander are getting it back to work on, and I have photographic proof of this oddity if they question my sanity.
Friend is planning on getting a membership to the range and a battle rifle soon. America wins again.
Sunday, November 09, 2008
New Shooter Report
Took another coworker out to the range. Hunter, but a fudd. Hasn't shot the fun stuff before. We took 2 of my battle rifles, my Jim Doyle commemorative edition USP9C, my shotgun, and a .22.
He liked the battle rifles (my brother liked the lower caliber rifle especially), and LOVED the USP9C. Before we'd even left, he'd said he wanted to go again and get a couple more boxes of 9mm to shoot (I only brought 50rds).
5 rounds of 12ga went through the shotgun. Accurate and destructive. We hit the shotgun range last and spent most of the time firing with the stock folded. Again, I find this to be a devasting close range weapon. Were I to ever be tasked with clearing a building, I'd open the gun up to the biggest setting, put it a high-cap magazine of #4, and not even bother about the action battering itself to an early death. This IS the ultimate close quarters weapon.
As is my requirement, my coworker talked up his range trip with other coworkers, and now one of my bosses, a soldier in the Coast Guard, wants to go too.
That's four people introduced to civilian ownership of military firearms, and everyone I've taken has been asking me to take them out again. I need to start getting pictures.
I win. America wins. Freedom wins. Liberalism loses.
He liked the battle rifles (my brother liked the lower caliber rifle especially), and LOVED the USP9C. Before we'd even left, he'd said he wanted to go again and get a couple more boxes of 9mm to shoot (I only brought 50rds).
5 rounds of 12ga went through the shotgun. Accurate and destructive. We hit the shotgun range last and spent most of the time firing with the stock folded. Again, I find this to be a devasting close range weapon. Were I to ever be tasked with clearing a building, I'd open the gun up to the biggest setting, put it a high-cap magazine of #4, and not even bother about the action battering itself to an early death. This IS the ultimate close quarters weapon.
As is my requirement, my coworker talked up his range trip with other coworkers, and now one of my bosses, a soldier in the Coast Guard, wants to go too.
That's four people introduced to civilian ownership of military firearms, and everyone I've taken has been asking me to take them out again. I need to start getting pictures.
I win. America wins. Freedom wins. Liberalism loses.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Shooty Goodness
Took a coworker (who's a hunter) out to shoot some military weapons. He's never shot a military style weapon before, so this was a new and interesting experience for him. Took out my new assault rifle, my military style shotgun, and my Beretta 92.
He shot the 92 way better than I did. 22 rounds on target vs 18 rounds on target. Eventually found that Wolf was shooting low, did much better after that. My favorite pistol, seriously.
We shot through more than a hundred rounds of Brown Bear .223. No malfunctions, very good accuracy. This rifle is fantastic, smooth shooting, no recoil, I can't imagine a better gun.
Shotgun did just fine, but not nearly as fun. Fired it from the hip with the stock folded. Held tightly, the low brass birdshot cycled just fine. Fired from the shoulder, there was very little muzzle rise. I can see where using this without the stock would be very effective when it comes to saving space, and where it would be a formidable weapon. Maximum stopping power in a very small package. I know pistol grip only shotguns aren't too useful, but I'm starting to change that opinion.
He enjoyed the trip tremendously and asked that we go again some time, with a mutual friend. I'd like to do some team fire exercises.
Got a day picked out next week to go to the range with another friend, yet another person who hasn't yet experienced the join of military style weapons. With luck, there'll be more friends and coworkers going to the range after that.
He shot the 92 way better than I did. 22 rounds on target vs 18 rounds on target. Eventually found that Wolf was shooting low, did much better after that. My favorite pistol, seriously.
We shot through more than a hundred rounds of Brown Bear .223. No malfunctions, very good accuracy. This rifle is fantastic, smooth shooting, no recoil, I can't imagine a better gun.
Shotgun did just fine, but not nearly as fun. Fired it from the hip with the stock folded. Held tightly, the low brass birdshot cycled just fine. Fired from the shoulder, there was very little muzzle rise. I can see where using this without the stock would be very effective when it comes to saving space, and where it would be a formidable weapon. Maximum stopping power in a very small package. I know pistol grip only shotguns aren't too useful, but I'm starting to change that opinion.
He enjoyed the trip tremendously and asked that we go again some time, with a mutual friend. I'd like to do some team fire exercises.
Got a day picked out next week to go to the range with another friend, yet another person who hasn't yet experienced the join of military style weapons. With luck, there'll be more friends and coworkers going to the range after that.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Shooty Goodness
My dad and I ook my new assault rifle, my Sig 220, and my dad's 1911 out to the range last week.
1911 had one catastrophic FTF that we think was caused by the horribly gritty Wolf ammo. Other than that, it shot admirably through about 200 rounds. My Sig 220 did well too, and my fast-reload drills have really been paying off. *bang* *click* *drop* *pull* *slap* *yank* Fun stuff, and I do it best with the Sig, which I don't get. Smaller magwell, smaller target to hit with the mag, but it seems harder with my USP or Beretta.
My assault rifle shot well. Really well. Probably a hundred rounds of horribly cheap Russian ammo, through the cheapest mags available, with nary a hiccup. Good accuracy too, though a little low and right. Low's better than high though, in a defensive situaiton.
1911 had one catastrophic FTF that we think was caused by the horribly gritty Wolf ammo. Other than that, it shot admirably through about 200 rounds. My Sig 220 did well too, and my fast-reload drills have really been paying off. *bang* *click* *drop* *pull* *slap* *yank* Fun stuff, and I do it best with the Sig, which I don't get. Smaller magwell, smaller target to hit with the mag, but it seems harder with my USP or Beretta.
My assault rifle shot well. Really well. Probably a hundred rounds of horribly cheap Russian ammo, through the cheapest mags available, with nary a hiccup. Good accuracy too, though a little low and right. Low's better than high though, in a defensive situaiton.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Movie Marathon
As is my tradition, I purchased a large quantity of rifle ammunition and some magazines, and got some movies for my fall movie marathon. Every year, when the local high school has their homecoming dance (and in the spring, Prom), I stay up late with movies and GI 30cal ammo cans and stockpile ammunition. Yeah it's weird, I know. It's what I do. Never was much for group participation in school, and now that I'm out it's like a...celebration of the difference.
I had 2600 rounds of rifle ammunition to pack round by round into boxes, so obviously I had to spread it out over two nights. Usually the theme is "War movies" but as I've kind of exhausted that field of decent entries, this time around I switched to cop movies. Movie reviews below:
Night 1:
Dark Blue: Like a made-for-TV-movie with more swearing and brief nudity. Kurt Russell is like Steven Seagal, but with a little more self-respect. Decent plot of corrupt police officers coming clean during the Rodney King riots, but it was made ho-hum by weak acting, a couple of lame storylines, and a lack of action. 5 stars out of 10.
Narc: Jason Patric is a disgraced police officer teamed with Ray Liotta to solve the murder of Ray Liotta's partner. Patric's looking for the murderers, Liotta's looking for...something else. This is the most depressing movie I've ever seen, bar none. White, black, and pale blue are really the only colors used. The settings are authentically run down, and the movie paints Detroit as a horrible looking ghetto. The characters are tragic or corrupt, no exceptions. The profanity is blinding in intensity, eclipsed only by The Boondock Saints. Very gritty and authentic. Ray Liotta is terrifying. Again, not an action movie, though billed as such. Worth watching. Despite the seriousness of the scene, I laughed at the two rounds fired from a 1911 with the hammer forward. I'd be willing to be a technical consultant for free in Hollywood, just to make sure they didn't make mistakes like that. 7 stars out of 10.
Night 2:
Harsh Times:Again, Christian Bale gives a fantastic performance, though this time he succeeds in making the audience hate him. He's a wacked out ex-soldier out to make sure everyone around him has a terrible day. By the time he dies in the end of the movie, you say "FINALLY!" He combines the worst traits of all the soldiers I've ever known, and reminds me in his physique and mannerisms of at least one. Decently filmed, but lacking in any real depth of plot. Not worth watching, and it seems to drag on forever, making you hate Bale that much more. 3 stars out of 10.
Assault On Precinct 13: Decent opening scene, promises a lot for the rest of the movie. Can't really say much about this one, it was solid but unremarkable. Fishburne once more plays the elegant criminal. Ethan Hawke seems like a low-rent Tom Cruise, even down to his voice, which is not a bad thing. He does a good job, but his character's psychological issues could've been dealt with much better than the glossing over they got. The movie gets points for unexpectedly killing major characters, lending an air of realism and danger. The movie loses points for a lack of magazine changes during battle scenes, though I can forgive the +8 rounds fired through a 1911, because in one of the final scenes we see it's a Para double-stack. Worth watching. 7 stars out of 10.
I stayed up until 3am both nights, watching movies and packing away ammo, round by round. As always, I wondered as I placed the boxes on the stack next to their brethren, who will I be when I open those boxes again, and why will I be opening them. It's sobering to think such things.
I had 2600 rounds of rifle ammunition to pack round by round into boxes, so obviously I had to spread it out over two nights. Usually the theme is "War movies" but as I've kind of exhausted that field of decent entries, this time around I switched to cop movies. Movie reviews below:
Night 1:
Dark Blue: Like a made-for-TV-movie with more swearing and brief nudity. Kurt Russell is like Steven Seagal, but with a little more self-respect. Decent plot of corrupt police officers coming clean during the Rodney King riots, but it was made ho-hum by weak acting, a couple of lame storylines, and a lack of action. 5 stars out of 10.
Narc: Jason Patric is a disgraced police officer teamed with Ray Liotta to solve the murder of Ray Liotta's partner. Patric's looking for the murderers, Liotta's looking for...something else. This is the most depressing movie I've ever seen, bar none. White, black, and pale blue are really the only colors used. The settings are authentically run down, and the movie paints Detroit as a horrible looking ghetto. The characters are tragic or corrupt, no exceptions. The profanity is blinding in intensity, eclipsed only by The Boondock Saints. Very gritty and authentic. Ray Liotta is terrifying. Again, not an action movie, though billed as such. Worth watching. Despite the seriousness of the scene, I laughed at the two rounds fired from a 1911 with the hammer forward. I'd be willing to be a technical consultant for free in Hollywood, just to make sure they didn't make mistakes like that. 7 stars out of 10.
Night 2:
Harsh Times:Again, Christian Bale gives a fantastic performance, though this time he succeeds in making the audience hate him. He's a wacked out ex-soldier out to make sure everyone around him has a terrible day. By the time he dies in the end of the movie, you say "FINALLY!" He combines the worst traits of all the soldiers I've ever known, and reminds me in his physique and mannerisms of at least one. Decently filmed, but lacking in any real depth of plot. Not worth watching, and it seems to drag on forever, making you hate Bale that much more. 3 stars out of 10.
Assault On Precinct 13: Decent opening scene, promises a lot for the rest of the movie. Can't really say much about this one, it was solid but unremarkable. Fishburne once more plays the elegant criminal. Ethan Hawke seems like a low-rent Tom Cruise, even down to his voice, which is not a bad thing. He does a good job, but his character's psychological issues could've been dealt with much better than the glossing over they got. The movie gets points for unexpectedly killing major characters, lending an air of realism and danger. The movie loses points for a lack of magazine changes during battle scenes, though I can forgive the +8 rounds fired through a 1911, because in one of the final scenes we see it's a Para double-stack. Worth watching. 7 stars out of 10.
I stayed up until 3am both nights, watching movies and packing away ammo, round by round. As always, I wondered as I placed the boxes on the stack next to their brethren, who will I be when I open those boxes again, and why will I be opening them. It's sobering to think such things.
Monday, September 08, 2008
Shooty Goodness
Haven't been to the range for a few weeks, mostly because work started again and I'm in my final semester of college. And I've got to coordinate my schedule with my friend who also has an interest in going to the range.
Since I've blogged last, I bought a new rifle. $1300, very modern, very slick. I'd call it the best rifle on the market, and I know a lot of other people would too. Last week I picked up a variety of magazines for it, 300 rounds of ammo in a variety of brands (Wolf Camo, Wolf Black, and Brown Bear).
It's a well known fact this rifle possesses the WORST iron sights ever included on a rifle. So I was less than sanguine about trying it out today...I knew I had to function test the mags and ammo to decide what to stockpile, but I didn't want to just burn through $100 worth of ammo just blazing away without hitting anything.
Even with the worst irons ever invent, this rifle is still more accurate than I am. A little low and right, just a hair, but from a rest it grouped beautifully at 25 yards. Without a rest it grouped beautifully at 25 yards. Moved it out to 50 yards (a distance I don't usually shoot with my rifles, but which I'm attempting to learn) and it grouped nicely there too.
I can now safely say that I'm confident in stockpiling the absolute cheapest ammunition manufactured, because I know it will function perfectly, and be as accurate as I need it to be.
The magazines were interesting. The cheap magazines functioned perfectly. The worlds-best polymer magazines functioned perfectly. The most expensive magazines didn't lock the bolt back once, and wanted to skew the rounds as I loaded them. Not cool. I trust the magazine, having run it a second time, but I will not buy another.
Also ran 47 rounds of S&B 9mm through my Beretta 92, shooting at 25 yards. Good accuracy from that - which I didn't expect, usually I have trouble hitting the 25 yard target with a pistol. Now I need to function test the Wolf 9mm again. If it continues to give me problems, I have to rotate my entire 9mm stockpile out, replacing it with S&B. Like I needed one more thing to spend my money on...
A fun day was had by all.
Since I've blogged last, I bought a new rifle. $1300, very modern, very slick. I'd call it the best rifle on the market, and I know a lot of other people would too. Last week I picked up a variety of magazines for it, 300 rounds of ammo in a variety of brands (Wolf Camo, Wolf Black, and Brown Bear).
It's a well known fact this rifle possesses the WORST iron sights ever included on a rifle. So I was less than sanguine about trying it out today...I knew I had to function test the mags and ammo to decide what to stockpile, but I didn't want to just burn through $100 worth of ammo just blazing away without hitting anything.
Even with the worst irons ever invent, this rifle is still more accurate than I am. A little low and right, just a hair, but from a rest it grouped beautifully at 25 yards. Without a rest it grouped beautifully at 25 yards. Moved it out to 50 yards (a distance I don't usually shoot with my rifles, but which I'm attempting to learn) and it grouped nicely there too.
I can now safely say that I'm confident in stockpiling the absolute cheapest ammunition manufactured, because I know it will function perfectly, and be as accurate as I need it to be.
The magazines were interesting. The cheap magazines functioned perfectly. The worlds-best polymer magazines functioned perfectly. The most expensive magazines didn't lock the bolt back once, and wanted to skew the rounds as I loaded them. Not cool. I trust the magazine, having run it a second time, but I will not buy another.
Also ran 47 rounds of S&B 9mm through my Beretta 92, shooting at 25 yards. Good accuracy from that - which I didn't expect, usually I have trouble hitting the 25 yard target with a pistol. Now I need to function test the Wolf 9mm again. If it continues to give me problems, I have to rotate my entire 9mm stockpile out, replacing it with S&B. Like I needed one more thing to spend my money on...
A fun day was had by all.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Shooty Goodness
Went out to the range on Monday with my new shooter friend. Scoped .22, my evil black shotgun, a battle-rifle, and my Jim Doyle Edition USP Compact all came with us.
Though initially scared of the shotgun, my friend did quite well with it, remarking that it was fun and had way less recoil than he'd thought. Moving on to the rifle range, he and I did some work with the scoped .22 at 25 yards (he is a new shooter) before he set a target out to 100 yards and I went over to the nearby pistol range to get to know Jim Doyle a little better.
I loaded up a couple magazines with 5 rounds a piece and started shooting it off a rest. Grouped nice, but shot down and to the left. 50 rounds shot that way really confirmed that.
Meanwhile, my friend is banging away at 100 yards with that .22. For kicks we put the guns down and check our targets. Mine is the same as I can see from the firing line (but with a lot more touching holes than I had originally thought). His target from 100 yards is scary. The black target is a little larger than an orange, and I've got way better eyesight than he does. Despite this, he's got just a handful of fliers on the paper from getting the range, and then all the rest are in target. Headshot quality.
Next I run 5 rounds off through my battle-rifle, and then give it over to him. He did poorly, though I don't think he was aiming correctly. We'll have to work on that next time.
Back to the .22 for him, and I went back to my USP. Now I try it standing. Still grouping good, But now high right. Perhaps because I'm overcompensating for the low left. Now I try doing reload drills. 5 shots, as accurately as I can, drop the mag as I pull the gun in towards my waist, pull another from the holder on my belt, plug it in, rack the slide overhand as I bring it up. Over and over again. At first I was fumbling, but about 35 rounds later I was going a little faster. It's an enjoyable drill. And I can (and do) practice it in my house with empty mags.
My friend's final targets were very good for a beginner. Standing with the .22 rifle he'd placed all his shots inside a 1.5-2inch target at 25 yards. Seated with the same rifle at the same distance, he'd put so many shots inside the target the black was almost gone.
A fun time was had by all. My school/work schedule and his look to coincide to a degree that will allow us to do this nearly every Monday morning. And he's started to offer financial support for the ammo, which is good.
Though initially scared of the shotgun, my friend did quite well with it, remarking that it was fun and had way less recoil than he'd thought. Moving on to the rifle range, he and I did some work with the scoped .22 at 25 yards (he is a new shooter) before he set a target out to 100 yards and I went over to the nearby pistol range to get to know Jim Doyle a little better.
I loaded up a couple magazines with 5 rounds a piece and started shooting it off a rest. Grouped nice, but shot down and to the left. 50 rounds shot that way really confirmed that.
Meanwhile, my friend is banging away at 100 yards with that .22. For kicks we put the guns down and check our targets. Mine is the same as I can see from the firing line (but with a lot more touching holes than I had originally thought). His target from 100 yards is scary. The black target is a little larger than an orange, and I've got way better eyesight than he does. Despite this, he's got just a handful of fliers on the paper from getting the range, and then all the rest are in target. Headshot quality.
Next I run 5 rounds off through my battle-rifle, and then give it over to him. He did poorly, though I don't think he was aiming correctly. We'll have to work on that next time.
Back to the .22 for him, and I went back to my USP. Now I try it standing. Still grouping good, But now high right. Perhaps because I'm overcompensating for the low left. Now I try doing reload drills. 5 shots, as accurately as I can, drop the mag as I pull the gun in towards my waist, pull another from the holder on my belt, plug it in, rack the slide overhand as I bring it up. Over and over again. At first I was fumbling, but about 35 rounds later I was going a little faster. It's an enjoyable drill. And I can (and do) practice it in my house with empty mags.
My friend's final targets were very good for a beginner. Standing with the .22 rifle he'd placed all his shots inside a 1.5-2inch target at 25 yards. Seated with the same rifle at the same distance, he'd put so many shots inside the target the black was almost gone.
A fun time was had by all. My school/work schedule and his look to coincide to a degree that will allow us to do this nearly every Monday morning. And he's started to offer financial support for the ammo, which is good.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
New Shooter Report
Took a friend out to the range yesterday. 2 days ago actually, given the time.
His politics range from "don't care" to "liberal," but he's willing to give it a shot (pun intended). Comes over at 10 in the morning, and we go through the weaponry I have available to bring. I discard the idea of taking my assault rifles, focusing instead on lower recoil. .22, 9mm Beretta 92, and the Beretta Storm. I take my new shotgun along just in case we decide to hit that range.
We go through all the safety steps out at the range, all the ways the guns work. Then I load up the .22 and shoot through a magazine at 10 yards. Reload and let my friend have a try. Once he gets used to the sights, he's grouping them nicely. We go through probably 100 rounds of 22 that way, shooting 7 rounds off per magazine.
Next up is the Beretta Storm. Again I try a few rounds, and hand it over. Again, he's putting them all pretty much together. Not a hard feat at 10 yards, but that's all right.
Then we go on to the Beretta 92. Out of 50 rounds, probably had 30 malfunctions. It shot better with a nice, hard, squared-to-the-target stance, but even then was problematic. Probably the Wolf ammo, which makes no sense because it worked in the Storm. My friend manages to get some nice groups with the 92 despite the malfunctions. He doesn't think he's shooting well, but I assure him a piece of printer paper is a fine place to put all your shots.
Then it's over to the 25 yard range for some more of the .22 and the Storm. Probably 150 rounds of .22 and 50-75 more of the 9mm, and my friend is quite the sharpshooter. Put the majority of the 9mm in one ragged hole on the target. From a rest of course.
While he was practicing with the .22, I took the Storm and fired some offhand groups. 30 rounds in a measuring cup, about an inch above and to the right of the bullseye.
Didn't get a chance to run the shotgun as it started raining. Got home and had a few Cokes. My friend kept his targets, wants to go out again, take the assault rifles and the shotgun. Hoping to go again with another friend on Friday.
I am blessed enough to love my work.
His politics range from "don't care" to "liberal," but he's willing to give it a shot (pun intended). Comes over at 10 in the morning, and we go through the weaponry I have available to bring. I discard the idea of taking my assault rifles, focusing instead on lower recoil. .22, 9mm Beretta 92, and the Beretta Storm. I take my new shotgun along just in case we decide to hit that range.
We go through all the safety steps out at the range, all the ways the guns work. Then I load up the .22 and shoot through a magazine at 10 yards. Reload and let my friend have a try. Once he gets used to the sights, he's grouping them nicely. We go through probably 100 rounds of 22 that way, shooting 7 rounds off per magazine.
Next up is the Beretta Storm. Again I try a few rounds, and hand it over. Again, he's putting them all pretty much together. Not a hard feat at 10 yards, but that's all right.
Then we go on to the Beretta 92. Out of 50 rounds, probably had 30 malfunctions. It shot better with a nice, hard, squared-to-the-target stance, but even then was problematic. Probably the Wolf ammo, which makes no sense because it worked in the Storm. My friend manages to get some nice groups with the 92 despite the malfunctions. He doesn't think he's shooting well, but I assure him a piece of printer paper is a fine place to put all your shots.
Then it's over to the 25 yard range for some more of the .22 and the Storm. Probably 150 rounds of .22 and 50-75 more of the 9mm, and my friend is quite the sharpshooter. Put the majority of the 9mm in one ragged hole on the target. From a rest of course.
While he was practicing with the .22, I took the Storm and fired some offhand groups. 30 rounds in a measuring cup, about an inch above and to the right of the bullseye.
Didn't get a chance to run the shotgun as it started raining. Got home and had a few Cokes. My friend kept his targets, wants to go out again, take the assault rifles and the shotgun. Hoping to go again with another friend on Friday.
I am blessed enough to love my work.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Shooty Goodness
So a couple of months ago, I bought a shotgun. Very nice piece, in a rather benign configuration. Innocent looking.
Innocent doesn't always translate into "easy to handle," so my dad and I decided to take on a father/son project involving metalworking, dremels, and about $300 worth of parts.
Lots of complications ensue. Parts don't go together right, the teeth on the dremel cutting wheel get shaved down, the grinding wheel eventually is discarded for a squirt bottle and a metal file, and various holes have to be drilled in various places where one shouldn't have to drill holes.
Getting the trigger back together was a chore and a half.
In its new configuration, it has a pistol grip and a folding stock (w/ rubber pad that is a godsend over the metal plate it had before). Took us roughly 10 hours total over 2 days, and that's pretty dang good.
Took it out today with 25 rounds of lowbrass bird and 5 slugs. Didn't cross myself before shooting it, like I have every other time.
And...it works. Something my dad and I built, with absolutely no experience, half-@$$ed directions, over the weekend, is now identical to something built by major custom gunshops selling for $1700.
The birdshot was actually fun - the recoil was nice, as recoil goes.
Then we hit the rifle range for the slugs. I fired the first one from a bench (@ 25 yards), my elbows on the table. BOOM! Pushed me back so hard it tore up my elbows on the carpetting. Shot the next four off-hand, two doubletaps.
Painful. Accurate, but painful.
The slugs grouped together in a size smaller than a pie plate (and definitely smaller than the target) at 25 yards. Seeing as I only stock slugs for that end-of-the-world scenario involving vehicles, that's good accuracy. Minute of pie-plate at 25 definitely equals minute of SUV.
On the other hand, my right hand goes numb now every time I touch my shoulder, and there's something grinding below the skin.
I'll keep an eye on this.
Innocent doesn't always translate into "easy to handle," so my dad and I decided to take on a father/son project involving metalworking, dremels, and about $300 worth of parts.
Lots of complications ensue. Parts don't go together right, the teeth on the dremel cutting wheel get shaved down, the grinding wheel eventually is discarded for a squirt bottle and a metal file, and various holes have to be drilled in various places where one shouldn't have to drill holes.
Getting the trigger back together was a chore and a half.
In its new configuration, it has a pistol grip and a folding stock (w/ rubber pad that is a godsend over the metal plate it had before). Took us roughly 10 hours total over 2 days, and that's pretty dang good.
Took it out today with 25 rounds of lowbrass bird and 5 slugs. Didn't cross myself before shooting it, like I have every other time.
And...it works. Something my dad and I built, with absolutely no experience, half-@$$ed directions, over the weekend, is now identical to something built by major custom gunshops selling for $1700.
The birdshot was actually fun - the recoil was nice, as recoil goes.
Then we hit the rifle range for the slugs. I fired the first one from a bench (@ 25 yards), my elbows on the table. BOOM! Pushed me back so hard it tore up my elbows on the carpetting. Shot the next four off-hand, two doubletaps.
Painful. Accurate, but painful.
The slugs grouped together in a size smaller than a pie plate (and definitely smaller than the target) at 25 yards. Seeing as I only stock slugs for that end-of-the-world scenario involving vehicles, that's good accuracy. Minute of pie-plate at 25 definitely equals minute of SUV.
On the other hand, my right hand goes numb now every time I touch my shoulder, and there's something grinding below the skin.
I'll keep an eye on this.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
We Won!
Today, at about 9:14 my time, while I was madly refreshing Arfcom, I scrolled to the bottom of my recently refreshed thread and saw one word that gave me hope, just a little, but hope still, that the Republic is not lost.
Affirmed.
DC lost in DC vs. Heller. Scalia gave the 4 traitors who voted to deny Americans the right of self defense the worst legalese horsewhipping I have ever seen. Words like "absurdity" and "groteseque" are now preserved in American call, used appropriately to denounce the side of liberalism.
This is not "machine guns for all." Unfortunately. This means the forces of freedom have taken on small beach-head in the war against tyranny, and now it's time for the REST of the good guys to come sweeping in behind. If my math is right, exactly 1 minute after I read "Affirmed," the NRA filed suit against Chicago and Illinois, challenging THEIR gun bans.
It's nice to be on the offensive for a change. Yes, I know, Feinstein, Shumer, and Boxer have not been hung by the neck until dead, but this is the first time in history that I've heard of a gun law being struck down.
Here we go.
I close with a note from Ted Nugent:
---------------------------------------------
A “SUPREME” COURT? I CAN DO BETTER
by Ted Nugent
It is glaringly obvious that a critical lesson in history 101 is due in America, for it appears that not only does a lunatic fringe of anti-freedom Americans dismiss our founding fathers’ clear declaration of independence and succinct enumeration of our God-given individual rights, but some Americans have the arrogance and audacity to question whether the right to self-defense is indeed one of these individual rights. Dear God in heaven, who could be this soulless? How about 4 out of the 9 so called “Supreme” justices of the land. God help us all.
Who could be so asinine as to believe that a free man has no such right to keep and bear arms for self-defense? What kind of low-life scoundrel would know that courageous heroes of the U.S. Military would volunteer over and over again to sacrifice and die for such self-evident truths, then turn around and spit on their graves by discounting the very freedoms that these brave men and women have died to protect?
Will these supreme legal scholars also affirm an individual right to choose the religion of our individual choice? Do they authorize our individual freedom of speech? Can you imagine? Them is fighting words my friends, and the line drawn in the sand has never been more outrageous.
Recent USA Today and Gallup polls showed a whopping 73% of good Americans know damn well that we are all created equal, and that we each have an individual right to protect our life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. What kind of jackass doesn’t know this? Allow the guitar player to translate for the soul-dead among us.
Keep-this means the gun is mine and you can’t have it. This does not mean I will register it with a government agency. The government works for “we the people,” not the other way around, regardless of what Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Hitler, Mao Tse Tung, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein or Barack Hussein Obama or 4 supreme justices may try to tell you.
Bear-this means I’ve got it right here, on me, either in my grasp or damn near. This does not mean locked away in a safe, trigger-locked or stored at the local sporting club.
Shall not be infringed-this of course is another way of saying Don’t tread on me, for we will not be your willing crime victims, subjects, servants or slaves, so don’t even think about it.
When the evil King’s gangsters came to collect unfair taxes from Americans, we tossed their tea into the drink. When they came to disarm us into helplessness against their old world tyrannical ways, we met them at Concord Bridge and shot them dead till they quit treading on us. Any questions children? I didn’t think so.
Corrupt men cannot be trusted, hence the right of “the people” to choose the individual church of our choice, to speak our individual ideas and beliefs, to have individual freedom from unwarranted searches and seizures, and ultimately, to exercise our individual right to keep and bear arms so that evildoers cannot do unto us that which we would not do unto them. Get it? I would love to meet the human being who would argue these points with us. We would be looking at a fascist, and of course fascists, by all historical and empirical evidence, must be eliminated.
If you value the American Way, if you believe in the words and spirit of the US Constitution and our sacred Bill of Rights, if you know in your heart that you have the right, the duty, the spiritual obligation to protect yourself and your loved ones from evil in all of its forms, then you had best contact each and every one of your elected officials right away and let them know that you know exactly what the Second Amendment says and stands for. Remind them about the “shall not be infringed” clause.
It will not be the fault of the rotten anti-Americans out there who don’t believe in individual rights that rape and pillage our Constitution, it will be the fault of those who know better but failed to speak up. Now is the time to fortify America, and we better inform the Supreme Court just who truly is the “Supreme” Court of America-We the people. Individual people with individual, God given rights. The real America. Live free or die.
Affirmed.
DC lost in DC vs. Heller. Scalia gave the 4 traitors who voted to deny Americans the right of self defense the worst legalese horsewhipping I have ever seen. Words like "absurdity" and "groteseque" are now preserved in American call, used appropriately to denounce the side of liberalism.
This is not "machine guns for all." Unfortunately. This means the forces of freedom have taken on small beach-head in the war against tyranny, and now it's time for the REST of the good guys to come sweeping in behind. If my math is right, exactly 1 minute after I read "Affirmed," the NRA filed suit against Chicago and Illinois, challenging THEIR gun bans.
It's nice to be on the offensive for a change. Yes, I know, Feinstein, Shumer, and Boxer have not been hung by the neck until dead, but this is the first time in history that I've heard of a gun law being struck down.
Here we go.
I close with a note from Ted Nugent:
---------------------------------------------
A “SUPREME” COURT? I CAN DO BETTER
by Ted Nugent
It is glaringly obvious that a critical lesson in history 101 is due in America, for it appears that not only does a lunatic fringe of anti-freedom Americans dismiss our founding fathers’ clear declaration of independence and succinct enumeration of our God-given individual rights, but some Americans have the arrogance and audacity to question whether the right to self-defense is indeed one of these individual rights. Dear God in heaven, who could be this soulless? How about 4 out of the 9 so called “Supreme” justices of the land. God help us all.
Who could be so asinine as to believe that a free man has no such right to keep and bear arms for self-defense? What kind of low-life scoundrel would know that courageous heroes of the U.S. Military would volunteer over and over again to sacrifice and die for such self-evident truths, then turn around and spit on their graves by discounting the very freedoms that these brave men and women have died to protect?
Will these supreme legal scholars also affirm an individual right to choose the religion of our individual choice? Do they authorize our individual freedom of speech? Can you imagine? Them is fighting words my friends, and the line drawn in the sand has never been more outrageous.
Recent USA Today and Gallup polls showed a whopping 73% of good Americans know damn well that we are all created equal, and that we each have an individual right to protect our life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. What kind of jackass doesn’t know this? Allow the guitar player to translate for the soul-dead among us.
Keep-this means the gun is mine and you can’t have it. This does not mean I will register it with a government agency. The government works for “we the people,” not the other way around, regardless of what Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Hitler, Mao Tse Tung, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein or Barack Hussein Obama or 4 supreme justices may try to tell you.
Bear-this means I’ve got it right here, on me, either in my grasp or damn near. This does not mean locked away in a safe, trigger-locked or stored at the local sporting club.
Shall not be infringed-this of course is another way of saying Don’t tread on me, for we will not be your willing crime victims, subjects, servants or slaves, so don’t even think about it.
When the evil King’s gangsters came to collect unfair taxes from Americans, we tossed their tea into the drink. When they came to disarm us into helplessness against their old world tyrannical ways, we met them at Concord Bridge and shot them dead till they quit treading on us. Any questions children? I didn’t think so.
Corrupt men cannot be trusted, hence the right of “the people” to choose the individual church of our choice, to speak our individual ideas and beliefs, to have individual freedom from unwarranted searches and seizures, and ultimately, to exercise our individual right to keep and bear arms so that evildoers cannot do unto us that which we would not do unto them. Get it? I would love to meet the human being who would argue these points with us. We would be looking at a fascist, and of course fascists, by all historical and empirical evidence, must be eliminated.
If you value the American Way, if you believe in the words and spirit of the US Constitution and our sacred Bill of Rights, if you know in your heart that you have the right, the duty, the spiritual obligation to protect yourself and your loved ones from evil in all of its forms, then you had best contact each and every one of your elected officials right away and let them know that you know exactly what the Second Amendment says and stands for. Remind them about the “shall not be infringed” clause.
It will not be the fault of the rotten anti-Americans out there who don’t believe in individual rights that rape and pillage our Constitution, it will be the fault of those who know better but failed to speak up. Now is the time to fortify America, and we better inform the Supreme Court just who truly is the “Supreme” Court of America-We the people. Individual people with individual, God given rights. The real America. Live free or die.
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