Cap'n Bob & the Damsel

Firearms

Gun Fun

I know that the guys and gals that participated in the Para Bloggers event at Blackwater had a lot of fun. We’re jealous that we didn’t have that opportunity, but we made do with our weekly trip to the range.

We always have a lot of fun when we go to our local indoor range. We generally start out with the handgun selection, usually 5 guns, one revolver – a .357 magnum or .38 special – and four pistols – two each of 9mm and .45 ACP. We put about fifty rounds – sometimes more – through the 9’s and 45’s and somewhat less through the revolver. At the end of the session, we break out the shotguns and put about 25 rounds through each of those – one 12 and one 20 gauge.

Here Damsel demonstrates her skills with her little S&W 442 .38 special, then with the Para Warthog .45 ACP semi-auto and finally with her 20 gauge Remington 870 express shotgun.

24 Aug 2008 by Firearms

The Girl Guns

This is my current collection of hand guns. I took the picture after cleaning them up from the trip to the range. Clockwise from the top: S&W 908s 9mm, S&W 686 .357 magnum, S&W 442 .38 special and my Para Warthog .45 ACP. Not shown is my Remington 870 20 gauge shotgun.

girl-guns

I say my ‘current collection’ because that may change soon. Stay tuned.

21 Aug 2008 by Firearms

Warthog Courtesy Call

WarthogI got a call today from Kerby Smith, the director of communications and public relations for Para Ordinance Firearms; he called to follow up on Damsel’s Warthog. Kerby arranged a factory return for the pistol after learning about the problems Damsel was having with it.

We talked about several issues concerning short-barrel .45s. We touched on the topics of lube and maintenance, ammunition, shooting procedures and what to do when you get a misfeed. Kerby seemed to be very knowledgeable about his product line and offered suggestions for us to get the best performance from the Warthog.

I have to say that the Warthog requires a little more in the way of TLC, but it is a very nice gun and Damsel loves it in spite of its history. I also have to say that I’m very impressed with Para’s support of their products and the lengths to which Kerby Smith went to make sure Damsel would be happy with the pistol.

Kerby mentioned that he will be participating in the Para-sponsored Bloggers event at Blackwater where Michael Bane, Ahab, Robb Allen, Sebastian, Say Uncle and others are headed this weekend. Have fun, guys and gals, shooting those Para Pistols.

20 Aug 2008 by Blogosphere Firearms

Warthog Report – She’s Looking Good

HawgLast Week I reported on the return of my Para Ordinance Warthog subcompact .45 ACP pistol from factory service. The pistol had feed problems which we could not seem to remedy, so it went to the Para facility in Tennessee for a thorough going-over. In the last report, I tentatively gave the pistol a good to very good performance rating. Today, I’m happy to say that the gun had absolutely NO misfeeds in about 90 rounds.

I took this picture of my little pistol after I cleaned her up following our weekly trip to the range. She’s aways photogenic, but today she behaved as she should, in my opinion, and I’m proud of her.

stovepipeI did have one stovepipe, but my feeling is that I might have flinched or squeezed off the round before I completely braced my grip on the pistol. This photo shows the spent brass stuck in the port with another round positioned to feed more or less properly. I racked the slide and the spent brass fell out while the next round went in the chamber. After that, it operated normally until we exhausted all the ammo we brought.

Another benefit is that without worrying about misfeeds and having that bug you, the pistol pretty much hit the target where I pointed it. Bob shot ten rounds through her and had the same observation that the rounds hit where he pointed the gun.

I owe the Para PR folks and Michael Bane a heartfelt thank you for getting me on track with this delightful little pistol.

17 Aug 2008 by Firearms

Gun Show Report

foamAs part of our usual routine, we took off for the gun show. The big story today wasn’t so much about the gun show, but about the 25 mile journey each way.

Normally, we get on the interstate and head towards the next county where the show is held. Today was no different until we spotted a column of smoke off in the distance. Something was fully engulfed in fire up ahead but we didn’t know what.

We continued down the interstate when it started to become apparent that the smoke was either right next to the road or maybe on it. Traffic started to back up and we eventually slowed to a stop. Stop we did and parked in that very spot for the next 20 to 25 minutes. We tuned to the radio to hear that a big rig and a motorist had been involved in a wreck. We also heard that it was mostly off to the side of the road but that the Highway Patrol was only letting traffic through in the left lane. Eventually, we crept past the incident where the fire department was foaming down the big rig. I got the top photo as we passed the scene. Click for bigger.

This part of the story is about the gun show. There are five buildings that are chock-full of everything from soup to nuts (literally) with the main theme being about guns and ammo. It takes us a couple of hours to browse through the exhibits and negotiate several purchases of targets, ammo and accessories. Our last stop is at the ammo concession since ammo is the heaviest stuff to carry around. We finished up the deal and headed out to pack the truck with our new goodies.

stuck-truckIn the interest of getting home to start preparing dinner, we got on the interstate again and headed back. A couple of miles before we got to the place where the fire occurred, traffic again slowed down. Not because of any obstruction, but because everyone had to rubberneck to see the clean up operations still underway three or more hours after the time of the accident. The three right lanes on the interstate were still closed where a flatbed and a crane truck were getting the burned-up big rig ready to get it off the road.

I snapped this photo as we passed in the opposite direction. Click to enlarge the picture and notice the people gathered in the elevated walkway on the right to watch the clean up operation.

Traffic sped up to normal after we passed, but we saw that the opposite traffic was backed up along the interstate for over 17 miles.

Other than the inconvenience, it was a pretty good day.

16 Aug 2008 by Firearms Travel

The Business End of an 870

business end

I took this perspective photo of the business end of our Remington 870 security shotgun a couple of weeks ago.

We’re off to the gun show in the morning. We’ll have a report afterwards.

15 Aug 2008 by Firearms

Off to the Range

Sunday we took these guns to the range. My two Glocks, a .45 ACP G30 and a 9mm G26 are in the left side of the Pelican 1450 Case. Damsel’s .45 ACP Warthog and 9mm S&W 908s are on the right and her .357 magnum S&W 686 in the center.

off to the range

The case hasn’t been this crowded since before our vacation when Damsel sent the Warthog to the shop. Although you can remove small cubes of foam to customize for a particular item or items, we haven’t removed any because the guns we take from week to week are not always the same. Besides, the foam compresses and the fit is snug. The snug fit keeps the guns firmly separated during transport.

11 Aug 2008 by Firearms Sports

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