Looking through some of the photos I took last month at the Orchid Show, I found this one of these three very delicate and beautiful blooms. Click to enlarge.
Range Report for 10/05/2008
We haven’t been shooting for a couple of weeks, so today was especially enjoyable. Our gunography consisted of my Glocks (G26 and G30 ) and Damsel’s “Girls,” the Warthog, the S&W 908s and her S&W 686. I also took my ancient Ithaca single-shot 20 gauge shotgun, our 12 gauge security gun and Damsel’s 20 gauge, the latter two being versions of Remington’s 870 series.
We have come to the conclusion that the sights need to be adjusted on the revolver; everything else seemed to hit where we aimed (more or less) but the revolver consistently shot below the target.
The Warthog performed flawlessly for the first 49 rounds. The very last round in the last magazine stuck on its way into the chamber. After clearing the round and re-inserting into the mag, she fired fine. On inspecting, it appeared that the friction spot on top of the barrel was a little dry, possibly contributing to the misfeed.
The Glocks both worked like “Glockwork” for a total of fifty rounds each. I lost count of the .357 rounds through the 686, but it was probably somewhere around fifty as well. The other S&W pistol saw a similar number of rounds and worked just fine.
The old Ithaca only got five rounds of 20 gauge since that was all I brought for it. The Remingtons each saw twenty-five rounds.
Canyonlands Panorama
These bizarre towers sculpted by nature are in South Canyonlands National Park. This canyon is the trailhead for the hike to the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers, just about five miles from this Southern Utah location. At the far right extremity of this panorama, you can see the Damsel as she prepares to set up for her next photographic masterpiece.
Click to view in the image viewer full-size.
CO2 Truth-Alert
One important issue that has been eclipsed by the mortgage crisis and presidential politics is the issue of Global Warming and the effects of CO2 on the environment. One of my favorite websites, CO2 Science, has a “Truth Alert” archive that now features videos on these still-important topics. This one is about Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent lies put forth by climate ‘experts.’
Hurricane Katrina: (Uploaded 2 October 2008)
Shortly after making landfall in late August of 2005 – and causing massive destruction and death along the Gulf Coast of the United States – several prominent scientists and a host of climate alarmists began claiming that hurricane Katrina was a product of CO2-induced global warming. Is there any scientific truth to this claim?
The West Side of the Casino
I took this shot of the famous Catalina Casino from the Descanso Beach side – a side not regularly seen since this is not visible in the town of Avalon. Click for the big picture.
Read the Fine Print
Last 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.
The Orchid Slide Show
Out of the photo album from last weekend, I present the Orchid Slide Show. Sadly, this is but a few of the many beautiful orchids that we saw at the show.