Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Firearms

Read the Fine Print

fine-print.jpgLast summer, we bought some Winchester© shotshells in both 12 and 20 gauge in, 2¾”, #8 shot. They were a bargain at Wal-Mart, so why not? We got 250 rounds of 12 gauge and 20 gauge. They were packaged as Winchester “Universal” loads.

When we finally took them to the range and started using them for target practice, both gauges gave us problems with jamming in the barrel, misfeeding, failing to eject and generally a nuisance to deal with at the range. We used all three of our Remington 870s and experienced the same problems with each.

Image right: the fine print – click to enlarge.

This was printed on the box:

Universal loads are a great value, ideal for dove, quail, grouse and recreational target shooting.
…
Try Universal ammunition for fun and practice. Then, when you’re ready to do some serious hunting or target shooting, pick up a box of Winchester Super-X®, Supreme® or our famous AA® Target Loads.

Let me see . . . “When you’re ready … serious …” – get some real ammo?

I did some research and found that in the forums here and there, shooters out there had the same problems. No more “universal” for us. No fun shooting with so many mishaps.

Remington and Estate game loads (number 7, 7½ or 8 shot) have seldom, if ever, given us problems.

01 Oct 2008 by Firearms

Hen and Chicks with Gun

Check out this interesting still-life that Damsel composed last April. I have been looking through some of the old photos as I transfer them to a recently-acquired mass storage external drive. I saw this one among them and thought it was quite nice. Click for the wallpaper/screen-saver size.

hen-chix-boom.jpg

29 Sep 2008 by Firearms Home & Garden Photography

Pete Talk

Pete Brownell, the third-generation Brownell to be president of Brownell’s, a major gunsmithing and firearms supply firm, posts an important message for firearms enthusiasts.

September 26, 2008
Pete Talk About Guns

Dear Folks,

pete-b.jpgThis year we’re facing one of the most pivotal Presidential elections in our country’s history and certainly one of the most hotly contested races in modern memory. These next 2 weeks are weeks of “Last Chances” as the election comes even closer on November 4. As all of you know, if you’re not registered you can’t vote. (Some states do allow same-day registration but to stay on the safe side, I’d go ahead and get it done if you haven’t already.)

If the past two Presidential elections are any indication, this years race will almost certainly come right down to the wire once again. The days of Reaganesque landslides are over. When you hear folks say that they don’t vote because their one vote won’t make a difference well…they do and just a handful of votes have decided who won the Presidency. Get out and register: it doesn’t matter if you affiliate yourself with the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, the Independents or any other party. Register and take a good hard look at each candidates views on the issues that impact you, and our industry the most. One of the most valuable items you’ll ever receive in your lifetime is that voter registration card.

Read the rest of Pete’s remarks.

Get your fellow sportsmen and shooters to register and vote – It’s really important this time.

Cross-posted at The Wandering Minstrel.

27 Sep 2008 by Firearms Second Amendment

Range Report

We missed our weekly trip to the shooting range last week since we were out of town. This week, however, we made up for the missed fun last week.

Firearms Inventory

  • Glock 30 .45ACP
  • Para Warthog .45ACP
  • Glock 26 9x19mm
  • Smith & Wesson 908 9x19mm
  • Smith & Wesson 686 .357 magnum
  • Remington 870 20 gauge
  • Remington 870 12 gauge

We brought both .38 special and .357 magnum ammo for the revolver. We put up a target and started off with the revolver. We then mixed it up with all the handguns. I think we shot a total of 90 rounds of 9mm through both the S&W 908 and the Glock 26, about the same number of .45ACP through the Para Warthog and Glock 30. We also put 20 rounds of .38 special and 20 rounds of .357 magnum through the 686. At the end of the session, we each put 25 rounds through each of the Remingtons.

The Para Warthog did very well today. Towards the end of the session, she got a little dry and one round failed to feed. A quick drop of oil on the top of the receiver and racking it a few times fixed that problem and she fed the rest of the session without incident.

21 Sep 2008 by Firearms Sports

Packin’ Heat for Catalina Island

This year for our trip to Catalina Island, we took a flight to the island on Island Express Helicopters, just as we did last year. I took some video of the last trip that you can see at this link. Damsel took some stills this year which I stitched together in the composite below – the helicopter arrival at the helipad – the departure over Los Angeles Harbor – Passing Avalon Bay – on the pad at Pebbly Beach.

Catalina by air

However, we did something this year that we have never done before – we took firearms. I made a couple of calls to Island Express and Catalina Express (the boat coming back) to inquire about the policies for bringing firearms for non-CCW private citizens. (We have the Utah CCW but the idiots in the California Legislature deem that to be worthless here).

The helicopter folks told us to declare the firearms to the attendant who would ensure that they were packed in the baggage compartment. We were instructed to pack the ammo in separate luggage.

The boat people said to present the weapons to the Captain of the vessel before boarding and the same admonition for packing ammo as before.

Since we didn’t want to take the guns with us during the day while we were touring and dining, we had the hotel clerk lock them in a safe compartment for which I was presented the only key.

We packed the guns (S&W 686 and 442) in their original cases with padlocks. To avoid blatantly carrying gun cases in the terminals and around the streets of Avalon, I packed both cases in a paper supermarket shopping bag which I kept with me at all times until surrendering to the transportation agents.

Lessons learned – we can get both revolvers into a single case since the 442 is very small and the 686 has a short barrel. The safe boxes do not have any padding, so there was metal-to-metal contact during storage and handling of the box. Next time we will put the guns in a pouch or padded gun case when we put them into the safe.

18 Sep 2008 by Aviation California Firearms Travel

Sunday Target Practice

Sunday is our day for the range. In spite of the fact that we’re great NFL junkies (yes, both of us), we go off to the range while the early games are still underway (they start at 10AM here on the west coast). We miss the first half, but make it home to clean the guns while watching the second half.

We didn’t bring the shotguns today because we were going to use the session to try and improve our marksmanship with the handguns. We made a little headway on that by trying out some of the grips and tips posted by the gunbloggers that went to Blackwater to train with Todd Jarrett. We both noticed a little improvement, but we have a way to go.

Damsel shoots her Warthog and S&W 686 in the video I spliced together today. At one point while shooting the Warthog, she turns to tell me that the hole pattern on the target looked like a happy face. Remember Mel Gibson’s session at the range in Lethal Weapon? In the other part of the video, it looks like only a couple of the seven .38 special rounds produced a nice plume. Actually, they all did, it’s just that the 30 frame per second rate on my camera sometimes misses the millisecond duration of the plumes.

As always, it was fun.

07 Sep 2008 by Firearms Sports

Today’s Mail

ccwmap.gifThe postman delivered a couple of things in the mail that weren’t the usual ‘opportunities’ for low-interest credit cards, ‘answer this important survey and send money’ or ‘call now for information on cremation.’ Yes, those came today, as usual, but today I received two items I actually enjoyed getting.

First, my Utah CCW permit came in the mail today. Not that it does me any good in California. It’s sort of like when Ralphie of the classic “A Christmas Story” gets his long-awaited “Little Orphan Annie Decoder Ring” only to find out that the decoded messages were only “crummy commercials.” At least my “decoder” works in a lot of other states that I visit. We generally plan our vacations to places where we can carry.

nra-life-member.jpgThe second item was a packet of materials and a certificate declaring that I am now a Distinguished Life Member of the National Rifle Association. The last time I renewed my membership, I only renewed for two years since it would only take that long to become eligible for the “Distinguished” part of the membership. You see, “distinguished” means that you have to be over 65 years old.

Maybe “Extinguished” would be a better word . . .

. . . just kidding. I’m proud of my age and proud of my continued vitality. I still feel 25 years old most of the time without the associated reckless abandon and that’s a good thing.

02 Sep 2008 by Firearms Second Amendment

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