More Firearm Thoughts, Post Range Day

If you think a 127 year old design has no place in modern defensive firearm use, watch the following video from "Firearms Thoughts and Perspectives" with H.R. Funk. He demonstrates the ability of anyone, with some practice, to pass the Ohio LEO Tactical Carbine qualification test designed for the modern AR platform while using a Marlin 1894C lever gun in .357 Magnum.

 

Here are the main reasons (in no particular order) that I wanted a Marlin 1894CB (Cowboy with 20" octagon barrel) in .357 Magnum/.38 Special. It is the combination of all these points that made me wait over three years for a brand new one to become available before I bought it. Also why I passed on versions from Henry, Rossi,Winchester (Model 1873), and Uberti (Model 1873).

1). 20" heavy barrel for greater accuracy and higher muzzle velocity (as opposed to the carbine) and no need to port the barrel to control recoil. Porting for shot follow up is unnecessary since you have to work the lever anyway.

2). Side gate loading for SAFE magazine top-off from behind cover (Henry is slowly coming out with them, but only in certain calibers right now)

3). Side ejection and the ease of mounting optics on top of the receiver. Marlin lever guns come drilled and tapped for a scope/optics mount. They put flush fit filler screws in the 4 holes at the factory.

4). A pistol caliber carbine to go with my Ruger GP-161. It shoots .38 Special as well.

5). Not banned in Kommiecticut (at least not yet)

6). Blued receiver; not a bright, pretty shiny one

7). 11 round full capacity (10 + 1)

8). Made in the USA

9). Even with the 20" barrel, it is a very compact rifle, at 37" overall with a 13" length of pull

10). Price was in the lower middle range of all the manufacturers for a lever rifle in the desired caliber.

11). I have had other Marlins that have never let me down.

I have a great gun belt setup for my GP-161 that I refer to as my "Wyoming Deputy Sheriff" rig. A Bianchi thumb-break holster, a Bianchi dual speed loader carrier, two HKS #586 speedloaders, a snap carabiner for my keys, and everything carried on a 1.75" Wilderness Tactical belt. My thought for the 1894CB would be to add a pouch on the belt forward of the revolver to carry loose .357 Magnum rounds in. I'm thinking a solid black dog treat pouch that snaps shut and can be opened and closed with one hand. IMHO, with some practice, that is a lot of firepower.

More about the Smith and Wesson M&P 45 Shield. I'm thinking once I get an additional 7 round magazine (for a total of 3), and a dual magazine carrier, I will probably retire the SR9c for EDC duty. The slightly smaller size (as you will see in the photos) and comparable weight for way more effective firepower is the primary reason (8 rounds of .45 versus 11 rounds of 9mm). Yes, I am one of those that favors .45 over 9mm, so don't bother sending any hate my way! 😆 It perfectly fits the friction-fit holster from the SR9c and the slimmer design sits closer to my body. Since the magazines are not double-stack, those will also sit closer than the Ruger mags currently do. I will certainly keep the Ruger for backup, or maybe if the day comes my wife ever decides to carry. I did some side by side comparisons this morning. 

The Ruger is sporting what should be a 17-round magazine, but is actually a Kommiecticut legal 10

S&W on the left, Ruger on the right. Much slimmer with single stack mags

First overlay photo, with extended mags. The Ruger below is longer.

An overlay shot with the S&W on top, both with smaller mags and lined up by grip

Same overlay as the previous photo, but showing the size difference at the muzzle end

Same overlay, comparing the grip end. Even with the 6 round mag fit and control are good

My brother (who has the Shield in 9mm) asked me yesterday if I thought .45ACP was maybe too much caliber for the size of the gun. While I wrote yesterday that the report definitely seems louder, felt recoil was easily manageable and certainly not unpleasant or painful. I am happy with it so far and will carry it for now around town and other places (not soft-targets) where I don't need to have the extra mags. Some day, maybe ammo availability will be more normal, and I will pick up a spare box or two of the SIG .45ACP Elite V-Crown to run through it.

Range Report 2-26-21

While it is certainly still winter here in the northeast, those of us lifelong cold weather dwellers don't go into hibernation. Yesterday was one of those fantastic late winter days that we don't mind being outside and doing stuff. Bight sunshine, blue skies, dwindling snow pack, no wind, and temps around 40. The sun is making its trek higher in the sky, and even though the air is chilly, those rays are warm. Friday is my normal day off, so I decided it would be a good day for my long overdue trip to the range at my new club a few miles from the house.

First up, was the brand new Smith & Wesson M&P 45 Shield.

Since premium (actually any) ammunition is not available, I was using my handloads. Speer brass, Winchester Magnum Large Primers, Bullseye powder, and Berry's 200 grain flat point copper plated bullets. First thing I noticed, was this pistol is LOUD and my assumption is that it has to do with only having a 3" barrel. I was wearing my hearing protection of course, but the report was noticeable. I hope I never have to fire it in self-defense without hearing protection, because I already have hearing loss and this would cause further permanent damage. I was told by my FFL that Shields tend to shoot low and to the right, and every one he has dealt with required sight adjustment. Not this one. At 7 yards they all dropped in the center black of the NRA 25 yard pistol target I was using. I ran through a couple of more mags, then moved out to 25 yards and the steel. Aimed dead center of the 12 inch plates was a hit every time. I shot a total of about 70 rounds and was satisfied that at close personal defense range, I would have no problem delivering effective center-mass hits. My personal defense ammo for this pistol is SIG Elite V-Crown 230 grain JHP.

 

The only issue I had, I guess could have been classified as a FTF; was twice when the pistol failed to go all the way into battery. The first time I racked the slide and loaded a fresh round. The second time, I used the butt of my left hand against the rear of the slide and then fired. I assume it is a combination of a tight new pistol and possibly slightly under powered handloads. It only happened twice early on and never again. There was not one FTE. All the brass went to my right and was easily recovered. A review complaint on-line is about the aggressive grip stippling. "Waah... it hurts my delicate hands!" Not mine, because I have working man hands. I like it because there is no movement of the grip when I hold it. I mostly fired it with the 7-round magazine with finger extension, but even with the 6-round magazine, hold and control were just as good. I am not one of those shooters that is picky about triggers. If I squeeze it and the gun goes "BANG" every time reliably, then it is a winner. I have many handguns of different type and manufacturer, so I don't expect them to have the same trigger. I think a shooter should be familiar enough with all their EDC firearms enough to be able to pick up any one of them and be effective.

Next up for function testing was my formerly drowned but now cleaned and lubed Ruger LCP. First, 5 rounds of Federal .380 ACP round nose FMJ for function testing, and those went out the muzzle flawlessly. When the pistol went for its swim, it was loaded with 8 rounds of .380 Hornady Critical Defense. The rounds looked fine, but because they were my personal self defense rounds, I did not trust them any longer. I took 2 random rounds out of the 8 for testing. I pulled the bullets with my kinetic puller, they were perfect, and everything inside was dry. I placed the powder in a small pile in a metal pan, lit it with a match and it burned up as expected. I then placed the .380 shells in a vise and struck the primers one at a time with a punch. They popped off just fine. I saved the other six rounds for testing at the range. So yesterday I put those six rounds in a magazine and fired them. Every one went off just fine. I ran a couple of more mags of the Federal target ammo and then put it away.

The next needed firearm to test was my 1 year old Marlin 1894CB in .357 Magnum/.38 Special. Months ago, I had purchased a Skinner peep sight and blank to go where the factory buckhorn sight was on the barrel. I had the peep sight sitting and waiting for installation just before the trip to the range. The reason was, the rifle was sighted in with the factory sight. If I put the peep sight on too soon, I have rendered my rifle useless. Then where would I be in case of an Indian attack or band of marauders? So Thursday night, the factory sight was removed and the blank installed, and the Skinner sight was installed as well.

A closeup of the winged Skinner Peep Sight

The blank installed where the factory buckhorn sight was. Filing and fitting of the blank was necessary.

 

 

Apparently, I hit the mark perfectly as far as windage goes when I installed the peep sight. Windage adjustment is a pain in the ass, requiring you to loosen the mounting screws and slide the whole thing left or right. Elevation only required a couple of turns of the peep assembly to get it dialed in. Zeroing was done with my .357 Magnum handloads consisting of Berry's 158 grain .357 diameter bullets, Remington brass, Winchester small magnum pistol primers, and Hogdgon HS-6 powder. I zeroed at a target at 50 yards then whacked the 50 yard plate a few times. I then struck the 75 and then 100 yard plates repeatedly and easily. Switching to .38 Special ammo only requires holding slightly higher, but is just as effective. Lots of fun and I am ready for Injuns or comancheros!

I ended the day with some plinking with my Ruger GP-161 in both .38 Special and .357 Magnum. Banging plates at 25 yards was effortless, 50 yards a little more challenging, and I could even hit the one at 75 yards. 50 and 75 were hit firing single action. I still have a quantity of ammo left in .38 and .357. Last up was an EDC I haven't fired in a while, my Ruger SR9c in 9mm. I burned up some 9mm handloads from a few years ago and at the seven yard stand, placed all my rounds exactly where I wanted them. I used the last 10 rounds on the 25 yard plates.

The club I belong to is small, only 90 total members. This means that if I keep planning my range outings for Fridays during the day, I will always have the place to myself. After 3 PM, guys may start showing up after work like they did yesterday (I could hear them from my house). The rules say no shooting before 10 A.M. or after sunset and during the summer, the range is active just about every week day in the evening.

Not Anyone's President, Actually

Beyond the FACTS that the election was rife with cheating in the battleground states, where state election laws were blatantly violated. I am going with the left's own mantra of "NOT MY PRESIDENT!!" and "THE ELECTION WAS STOLEN!!" that was perfectly OK during the 1st term of President Trump (and both terms of W, and the one of his father for that matter). But apparently so are over 30 Demon-Craps, because they don't want Gropey Joe to be the only one able to launch nukes. See more here from Legal Insurrection. The excuse given is nothing more than an extension of Trump Derangement Syndrome, that Trump was so unstable he should not have been allowed "The Football." It needs to be a consensus. HA! The title is COMMANDER IN CHIEF for a reason. The working theory I've heard is that Gropey Joe is not quite with it anymore, and this is a prelude to enacting the 25th Amendment to install Heels Up Harris.

Where am I? Is it num-num time yet? I think I need a nap.

Another gleaming example

Gropey-Dopey Joe suckles on Dr. Jill's finger as she introduces him at a 2020 campaign event

The burning question is, who is really controlling the puppet strings of the current administration?

Deplatforming "Right-Wing" Media

Being pushed by the ass-clowns at Media Matters and gaining ground with #LIBTARDS nationwide. As someone who has been temporarily cancelled once, I am very familiar with how these assholes operate. Article link to story at The Right Scoop.

CANCEL CULTURE: House Democrats now trying to deplatform Fox News, Newsmax and OANN/

Their beef is that they shouldn't have to pay for content they hate and never watch getting delivered to their TV. You know what... I AGREE!! Let's make ALL cable and satellite systems total "ala carte" and I will ditch all the woke sports channels, CNN, MSNBC, BET, OWN, Lifetime, PBS... you get the picture. Then we'll see what networks survive with customers willing to pay for content.

Then while we're at it, add the checkbox on my 1040 form that allows me to withhold taxpayer dollars from infanticide factories.

Eligible Again - NFW!

At Governor "Jolly" Ned Lamont's COVID press conference yesterday afternoon, he announced the latest "vaccine" schedule. 55 and over can get jabbed starting March 1st. It will be the second time I am eligible, and this time I won't just say "NO!!!" but "FUCK NO!!"

The Brain-Washed Sheep Among Us

Tonight after work, I went over to the local convenience store for a gallon of milk. I followed in a young mother and her 4-5 year old daughter. As usual, since I am a FREE CITIZEN, I did not wear a mask of oppression, but they were both wearing one. I followed them over to the dairy case, and since they were out of whatever the mother was looking for, they moved to another part of the store to get other stuff . I noticed the little girl eyeballing me as they walked by. I grabbed my gallon of milk and headed to the register. The young mom and kid were already there, so I stood back the required 6 feet. Now the kid is staring at me, and tugging on mom, repeatedly saying, "mommy... mommy... mommy..." Finally mom says, "what?" and the kid points at me and says, "that man isn't wearing a mask!" Mom kind of ignored her but the kid kept staring and pointing, even as they walked by me to leave. I made a big eyed face and pointed right back at the kid as they walked by.

It took less than a year to brainwash the young `uns into state mandated compliance. Is it much of a leap before they start turning people in? Now, where have I heard about that situation before? Oh yeah, Nazi Germany, North Korea, Cuba, the old Soviet Union, east Germany, the entire Warsaw Pact and the Balkans. Everywhere that commies and dictators run the country. I found it quite sickening, and if that was an adult, they would have left my presence in tears.

Finally Getting To It

A Smith & Wesson M&P 2.0 Shield 45. No external safety and tritium night sights that I ordered back in November, and finally picked up last week. It was on the employee purchase program through S&W where my niece works. It was a comedy of errors that delayed me in receiving my new gun. Subsequent (if any) purchases I make should go much easier.

New in the box with all the goodies

A close up of just the pistol. SWEET!

 

I am one of those that reads instruction/owners manuals. It says to field strip and give a thorough cleaning and fresh lube before loading and firing. Done.

Field stripping is like most striker-fired pistols. No trigger pull is necessary

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like pistols that can be field stripped by hand. My Colt 1911, Glock 21 and Ruger S9c are that way. This one requires a small flat blade screwdriver to reach into the lower receiver once the slide is locked back, to flip down a small lever. Then you rotate the external take down lever 90 degrees clockwise, pull the slide back to release the catch, and ease the slide forward and off the lower receiver. Remove the spring assembly and barrel and you're done.

After I put it together, I filled the magazine with my hand loads. I use a Berry's 200 grain copper plated flat point bullet, and wanted to make sure they fed OK at least by hand. All 7 rounds fed and ejected by hand perfectly. I am now ready for an afternoon at the range. Once I know how and where it shoots, it will get another cleaning and then be ready for EDC. I will post up a range report and review, hopefully by the  weekend.

In a standard reply to gun grabbers, we all like to say how our guns were all lost in a tragic boating accident, "Sorry, nothing to turn in Mr. ATF." Well, I actually lost my Ruger LCP in a kayak dump this past Memorial Day weekend, and the gun spent two days submerged on the bottom of a river before being recovered. Since then, it has been in a oil bath awaiting a deep cleaning. I started it back in June, but lost the firing pin (it launched to parts unknown in my basement) and after an exhaustive search put it aside... until tonight. When I loaded and ejected those .45 rounds mentioned above, a couple rolled around the bench and went behind some stuff. When I moved said stuff... LOOKY HERE!! THE MISSING FIRING PIN!! So, when I finished with the 45 Shield, I tackled the LCP. It is all cleaned and lubed and ready for summertime EDC duty when wearing nothing but shorts and a t-shirt.

Bummed

Because I love cold weather motorcycling, but not in wintry weather. My driveway is all snow covered because I use a snowblower and the driveway is gravel. The roads are all sloppy and covered in the sand/salt mix from the storm that pulled out of here last night. So this is where "The Beast" remains, as it has since right after the New Years Day ride.

 

A full tank of treated gas. Hooked up to the Battery Tender smart charger. Up on the center stand and a homemade oak front fork stand to keep the weight off the brand new tires. And finally covered up with a full cover from Wingstuff.com to keep the dust off. The garage door opener for the bike is locked out so no one accidentally opens the door and lets a blizzard in.

My biker bud and I have been out at least once a month since April 2019. It is looking like we will have to miss out on February.

R.I.P. Mr. Limbaugh

They say remembering the first time you heard Rush on the radio equates to remembering where you were when you heard about JFK's assassination, or watched the moon landing. For me, that is absolutely true.

I have a lifelong friend that for years warned me of how dangerous #LIBTARDS and their ideology is, as well as the dangers of big government. I would tell him I didn't care and it doesn't matter, because they were gonna do what they were gonna do, and we couldn't stop them. Sure, I would vote in every election, but felt like I was just pissing into the wind. That changed in February 1991, exactly 30 years ago.

At the height of the 1st Gulf War in February 1991, every day at noon eastern time, General Norman "Stormin' Norman" Schwarzkopf would give a live press conference from The Pentagon on the previous actions against the Iraqis. It was broadcast locally on WPOP News Talk 1410 in Hartford and was my workday lunch time entertainment. The rest of the day I listened to nothing but hard rock as I drove around to different customer sites. This one particular day I went to lunch a little late. I parked my company truck at the WaWa Market in Wethersfield, CT to buy a sandwich, and shut my truck off as General Schwarzkopf was wrapping up the press conference. When I came out and restarted my truck, there was talking going on but I wasn't paying close attention, I was busy getting my lunch unwrapped to eat. After a few minutes, I realized that was not the press conference, it was something else. I turned up the volume to hear better.

My experience with AM talk radio of the time was BO-RIIIIIIIING! I equate it to what NPR sounds like today. Or it was sports, mostly baseball. This was neither. This was a guy saying things I thought and agreed with, and it sounded like he was talking to just me! He was loud, bombastic, and confident in what he said. I was intrigued and continued listening for the next few days. Then I discovered he was on more than just WPOP, he was on several stations at once in the New England area, so I could pick him up clearly no matter where I was. That was weird, because most talk shows were one guy on one station and blathered about gardening or local issues. He was taking on national topics and government and he was fearless. Those days turned into weeks, then months, then 30 years. 

Because of the nature of my job, for most of the last 30 years I did not get to listen to every hour every day. Since my career change in 2016, I did get to listen to him more and am now able to listen at work on my down time until I get an emergency call. Thanks to Rush's changing the landscape of talk radio, I listen to conservative talk radio in large chunks of time from 09:00 to 21:00 Monday through Friday. At 09:00 to 12:00 I stream Pastor Will Marrotti on WTIC AM 1080. Then Rush's show until 15:00. From 15:00 until 18:00 it is Todd Feinburg on WTIC AM 1080. After I get home it is "The Great One" Mark Levin from 18:00 until 21:00 on iHeart Radio. Pastor Will and Todd Feinburg are CT shows dealing with CT issues, while the other two are obviously national.

While I feel a great deal of loss for Rush, because he seemed like an old friend; he had a cadre of great substitute hosts. Tonight on Newsmax, Greg Kelly interviewed President Trump, and asked him if he thought about being the new host. President Trump praised Rush's ability to talk for three hours every day, as well as all the hard work Rush did for show prep. He said he wasn't interested because he didn't think he could do what Rush did. You can watch the whole interview here.

The show will go on. It must.

You Keep Using That Word

And that word is "VACCINE."

The definition from Dictionary.com:

"any preparation used as a preventive inoculation to confer immunity against a specific disease, usually employing an innocuous form of the disease agent, as killed or weakened bacteria or viruses, to stimulate antibody production."

The purpose of a true vaccine is to prevent becoming infected, passing an infection, and gaining immunity to future infection and illness. It is accomplished by creating a vaccine with either weakened virus or dead virus, which your immune system will create a response to. You will then end up with an immune system that knows how to fight the virus if it sees it again. This experimental mRNA nonsense is a set of instructions "telling" your cells what to look for, which explains why you can repeatedly become infected and spread it around. The current batch of what is being touted as a COVID-19 vaccine is a pre-treatment that ONLY prevents the recipient from getting a severe case of Wuhan Flu. It doesn't prevent infection, infection spread, or getting a mild case of Wuhan Flu. I have read it may only be good for 3 months anyway, but who knows what the permanent physical damage could be? By the way, the keyword here is EXPERIMENTAL... meaning by taking the jab you agree to be a guinea pig in their laboratory. If things go bad later on you are on your own with no recourse for compensation, unlike a standard licensed vaccine. All this for an illness with a survival rate of:

Age 0-19: 99.997%
Age 20-49: 99.98%
Age 50-69: 99.5%
Age 70+: 94.6%

Therefore, we are being lied to about how important it is to get jabbed when it is your turn. My turn came and went and I passed with no regrets. In fact, the more I find out, the more intense my opposition to it is.

Change My Mind...

Feel free to copy and distribute my artwork at will

 

Blatantly stealing the idea of a "Doomsday Clock" from the old hippies and the anti-nuke days.

Between the actions of the scum on both sides of the aisle in the cesspool known as congress, the endless pile of executive orders from President "Gropey Joe" Asterisk, and the threatened actions coming from both... is it any wonder why the country is where it is?

Soap Box - They don't listen when you write them or call them. They ignore you when you engage in peaceful protest. They ignore you when you engage in violent protest.

Ballot Box - It used to be their biggest fear. Now that they have figured out how to rig elections they're assured election and re-election.

Jury Box - Courts so full of left-wing activist judges, that the cases just get summarily dismissed as soon as they are filed. That way they don't even have to rely on a jury decision.

Cartridge Box - It might just be the final solution to take our country back to the Constitutional Republic it was founded to be.