Range Day - Surplus Turkish M2 Ball Ammo Review

Here it is folks, the long awaited and detailed review of the MKE Turkish M2 milsurp. Details of the ammo I purchased can be found in this initial post and this subsequent post. It took me almost two weeks to just do this blog post (even though I put up others in the meantime) because of being busy and simply having no time to edit the video and finish composing the post. Online reviews of this ammo are mixed, and in the Garand Collectors Association issue of this month's GCA Journal, they did a scathing review of some horrible condition rusty/crusty MKE ammo that came in en bloc clips. A link to a PDF of the article is below.

GCA Journal Vol. 37 Issue 3 MKE Ammo Review

Now I understand the GCA's love affair with the CMP, but I have personally given up on them. Their online e-Store has been down for weeks. When the CMP got in their last supply of surplus ammo, I tried for two months to purchase my one allotted 400 round can to no avail. The last time I checked before the store went dark it was all gone. In the article they purposely went cheap, so IMHO they got what they paid for. I on the other hand had much different results.

 

Monday August 28th

Weather conditions were clear and sunny with temps in the low 80's. I don't recall wind conditions, but I was not too concerned about that for this outing. Being a weekday off work I had the range to myself which allowed me to shoot my photos and video undisturbed and go down range to set up as needed. My camera is a Nikon D5600 equipped with a Nikkor 18mm-55mm VR lens mounted on a Garrard video cam tripod for the video. For target photos I humped the camera down range.

The Rifle:

A total of 56 rounds were fired using a 1944 vintage Springfield Armory M-1 placed in a Hy-Skore rifle rest. The rest was used to make sure the rifle held consistently so recoil would have no effect on semi-auto operation. During the entire evolution there was not one FTF or FTE. I was able to recover all of my brass which is boxer primed, meaning easily re-loadable, which I will end up doing at some point when there is no more milsurp M2.

Ready to rock. Empty chamber flag in use even though I was alone

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The range:

Yellow arrow is 100 yard backstop, orange arrow is 200 yard backstop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ammo:

HXP Pyrkal made in Greece headstamp HXP 69 (from CMP I believe about 2012-2013)

(3) 8 round clips

One clip for function test as my known standard and to demonstrate a proper working rifle (video)

One clip at 100 yards with 4 rounds on silhouette and four rounds on the steel gong

One clip at 200 yards with 4 rounds on silhouette and four rounds on the steel gong

Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi Kurumu or MKE for short from Turkey, headstamp MKE 83 (from Tacticalshit.com)

(4) 8 round clips

One clip for function test to ensure proper loading, firing, and ejection (video)

One clip at 100 yards with 4 rounds on silhouette and four rounds on the steel gong

One clip at 200 yards with 4 rounds on silhouette and four rounds on the steel gong

One final clip on 100 and 200 yard gongs (4 rounds each) using a needed slight elevation hold 

Ammo function video:

One clip of Greek HXP, followed by a clip of Turkish MKE. I did this video without a script. Note to self: HAVE NOTES FOR SHOOTING VIDEO NEXT TIME!!

What follows is a series of photos of targets and steel plates from the range session. I need to shoot more often because I can do better. I was also using the rifle rest which doesn't work all that well comfort wise on my club shooting benches. I normally use a sandbag rest.

Four rounds of HXP at 100 yards

Four hits of HXP on a 12" plate at 100 yards

 

Four rounds but only two hits of HXP at 200 yards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Four rounds and three good hits of HXP at 200 yards on a 12" plate

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For some reason I did better hitting the plates than the targets. I think it was because they were easier to see in the shade with fresh white paint against the black sights of the M1. The paper targets had the previous shot holes covered with 3M blue painters tape for the MKE ammo shots. The plates got a freshened coat of white paint. I use the cheapo spray paint from WalMart. Not too long ago it was $0.99 a can. Now about $4 😠

Four rounds of MKE at 100 yards. OK!

Four shots of MKE at the 100 yard plate. One hit? Sheesh!

Four shots of MKE at 200 yards. Low and left. Three hits plus one nick on the edge.

Four shots of MKE at 200 yards. Just one good hit. Arrrrgh!

After viewing the targets and plates through the spotting scope, I loaded and fired one final 8 round clip of MKE using the elevation hold. I fired 4 rounds at the 100 yard plate and 4 rounds at the 200 yard plate. I scored 8 hits out of 8 shots. I quit shooting for the day so I could end on a high note.

 

Final analysis: 

This is good ammo for target practice (but will also kill all enemies, foreign and domestic quite dead) and was a decent price at $335 for 400 rounds from Tacticalshit.com That works out to $0.8375 per round. Barely more expensive than the junk Mr. Toombs purchased for his review. I plan on recouping some of the cost by selling the M1919-A4 MG links to a collector. For me, it doesn't "feel" as hot as the HXP ammo, judged only by recoil, not a chronograph, and it does shoot lower than my standard ammo. But like with any time you change ammo brands, you just have to readjust your sights.  This is plinking and target ammo for me. I will keep the 200 yard battle zero dope handy with the HXP ammo due to it having the steel penetrator (again for killing all enemies, foreign and domestic but especially those wearing body armor) and adjust the sight according to the change for the MKE ammo.

September 5th, back to the range

I had a subsequent range day on this past Tuesday when I had another day off. Since I now have a good supply of Sierra Matchking boolits, I won't be running out of my custom loaded ammo any time soon.

"From a man they did not see, came a sound they did not hear..."

I have the B-27 and bullseye targets I used that day, but this photo below best demonstrates the accuracy I get. The paint can I used during the ammo review that I had just about emptied painting the plates on this outing. I popped that clean hole through at 200 yards. It looked like it was done with a drill and a long bit. There was hardly any paint left when I hit it. My only indication of a hit was when the can fell over. I was hoping for a big POOF of white paint.

I have decided to stop dicking around with precision shooting, and just stick to the intended purpose this rifle was built for, which it performs quite well... eliminating long range threats to my Freedom out to 500+ yards @ M.O.M. (minute of man).

Especially if the predictions of spicy times in the near future come true.

This was one of the longest and most detailed posts I have ever done. I hope you liked it and please comment below.

Memories To Share

The following post is actually a comment I left at Mostly Cajun, All American and Opinionated about my US Army basic training Drill Sargents the other day.

 

My Army basic training Drill Sargent’s at Fort Dix both made such an impression on 18 year old me I remember their names, faces, and voices clearly 42 years later. Sgt. Cupp was white and built like a human fire hydrant. He took no guff but had a quirky sense of humor. One day, we came out of noon chow and began loosely forming up behind our web gear and steel pots. He hollered out “Smoke ’em if you got ’em, and if you don’t then simulate! I began simulating toking on a bone. Sgt. Cupp sees me and come straight over to where I am standing and gives me a sideways stinkeye. “Get on the ground and give me 20, then ask for 20 more!” I drop into the front leaning rest position and knock them out, then ask for 20 more. “Knock ’em out! he says which I do. This repeated until I was at 100 and he told me to recover.

Sgt. Cumberbatch was black, a handsome guy with a great mustache, and he was cut. He was only a little taller than Sgt. Cupp but the guy was super fit. He had a great voice for calling cadence and shouting commands. I didn’t have a whole lot of personal interaction with him. Although I believe it was he that taught us the Claymore. We were all sitting in a classroom as he demonstrates setting one up and explaining the steps as he does. “THIS SIDE TOWARDS ENEMY” was facing us recruits on the front table. He sticks in the blasting cap and starts uncoiling the wires walking backwards away from the Claymore still explaining the steps as he connects the wires to the trigger. Everyone is visibly looking around nervously. “Bye-bye boys!” he yells out and hits the trigger. The blasting cap goes off with a loud pop and everyone jumps and he laughs himself silly. I’m sure that is a gag that was pulled on many recruit classes before and after. Near the end of boot camp, we are out on bivouac. After camp was setup, evening chow was done, and well after dark, a fire was lit and the boombox came out. For the next two hours, Sgt. Cumberbatch oversaw a breakdance party of both black and white participants. I just watched, but it was a heckuva stress reliever for everyone.

Until writing this, I haven’t thought about those guys in years. Thanks for triggering the memories.

The Claymore was obviously a dummy training aid, but the blasting cap and trigger were the real deal. To this day I have a similar type gag I use on fire service newbies. We have to do initial and then annual SCBA mask fitting. This is done using a USB connected device on a dedicated desktop computer. The device then connects to our SCBA mask with a filter assembly and hoses. The person being tested puts on and seals their mask.  Then I attach and lock on the filter assembly and start the test program. Whenever I have a first timer, just as I lock the filter onto their mask, I say, "I will give you a wave just before the poison gas comes on" to which I get the dinner plate sized eyes and look of fear. Then I bust out laughing and they breathe a sigh of relief.

The only photo I have of my Drill Sargents is this platoon graduation group photo for Fort Dix A-2-3-2 on May 1, 1981. For those never in the military, A-2-3-2 stood for Alpha Company, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Platoon. Sgt. Cupp on the left, Sgt. Cumberbatch on the right. They are flanked by our squad leaders who were all older and more mature than us 18 year old punks. The squad leader all the way to the right was our platoon PT champion, Pvt. Greggory Heiney. The back of the photos were signed by everyone there. I only remember a handful of faces to go with the names. I am between Mazzarela on the left and Neff on the right. The guy 3 over from me to the right is Edward "Morris the Cat" Morris from Washington state. My family and girlfriend drove down for graduation and he had the hots for my sister. The black guy on the right in the middle of the top row was my friend from Mississippi Carlvet Lee. We were like Forrest Gump and Bubba. He was larger than me and I once carried him just like Forrest carried Bubba for practice for 100 yards. I have a whole story about him and I that took place Memorial Day weekend 1981 and involved me getting fucked on KP. I'll save it for another post.

Click it to big it. Pvt. Dropem circled in yellow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me So Happy!!

After two years of trying to get the bullets I use for my sniper precision rifle, an order for 500 Sierra Matchking 174gr .311" BTFMJHP bullets are on their way from Precision Reloading. I used to get them directly from Sierra, but they have been unavailable and Sierra has no mechanism for consumers to place a back-order to create demand. I had a pending back order from Optics Planet since 2021 that I cancelled this morning right after I placed my new order.

 

I load my ammo precisely using hand polished with 0000 steel wool, fire-formed brass and have the cartridge O.A.L. set .005" off the lands of the rifling based upon the chamber length measurement. I use Hogdgon Varget powder and Winchester Large Rifle primers. The primers and bullets are sealed with red enamel paint. I currently have 70 rounds loaded and 100 bullets ready to load. I have not been shooting my rifle since last year trying to conserve my ammo. The next range outing will be checking the 100 yard zero, and then adjusting the scope turrets for 200 for some slow fire bullseye.

 

Thanks to a heads up from Chris at Last Stand On Zombie Island I also scored some machine gun linked Turkish 150 gr 30 Caliber M2 Ball from TacticalShit.com. All the millions of Ethiopian returned M2 U.S. 30 caliber ammo at The CMP vaporized before I could buy my allotted single can of 400 rounds. I've had 30 Caliber machine gun ammo before that had a little corrosion from metal links and it cleaned up easy and shot fine out of a WWII vintage M1.

(100) 4-round linked assemblies in a case. The missing 5th round was the tracer

I had not purchased from The CMP since 2013 and my credentials had expired. For two months I tried faxing and emailing the required credentials, and phone calls went to voicemail with no response. I must have sent the paperwork a dozen times to no avail. A gun bud of mine familiar with The CMP told me today that they play favorites. Ammo for themselves, donors, and friends but none for average Joe Blow. I guess will only buy from them in the future if I can make it to Anniston, Alabama to purchase in person. With the 12% off coupon they offer on the Tactical Shit site and no Kommiecticut sales tax, I got the 400 rounds for $231.60 to my door. I will de-link and then clean them with 0000 steel wool if necessary. I may sell the MG links to also help offset some cost because I hate to throw them away.

Chris asked if I could review the ammo when I receive it and shoot some. I will post my review on this blog and send the link to Chris for cross posting.

Memorial Day Weekend Activities

Yesterday there was a Patriot Guard mission to place flags on all the graves at the two state veterans cemeteries. Since my father in law is a Vietnam veteran and spending the summer with us from Florida, I asked him to come along. Our plan was to go to the larger cemetery in Middletown. Since we would have to leave around 8 AM for the hour drive down, I suggested coffee brewed at home and breakfast sandwiches with hash browns from Cumberland Farms. My wife had a dog agility event Saturday, so we were all up to get out early. While watching the 7 AM news on Fox 61 CT they reported about the flag placing event, and encouraged viewers to be in Middletown at 9 AM. There are 13,000 graves that needed flags so come and help. We grabbed our breakfast and hit the highway. 

While traveling down I-91 south through Wethersfield, I had a thought. Everyone always focuses on the big cemetery in Middletown, forgetting about the smaller one in Rocky Hill across from the veterans home and hospital. I told my father in law there was a change in plan, that we were going to Rocky Hill instead and why. He was fine with that. The graves in that cemetery are mostly veterans that died at the veterans home or hospital.

We got there to initially find a lone cemetery worker and two other Patriot Guard members. By 9 o'clock about another dozen volunteers showed up, including a couple of families with kids. Promptly at 9 AM we started placing flags and were done by 09:35. All 1,713 graves were adorned with a small American flag. The kids all did a good job and were respectful and quiet, no running around and being obnoxious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was happy that my father in law and I got to do something directly related to the true meaning of Memorial Day. After we were done in Rocky Hill we did go down to Middletown to see if maybe they needed more help. Nope, they were done too. My father in law drove through that area of Middletown for 35 years while working at Pratt & Whitney and never knew the cemetery was there. I took him on a drive through the whole cemetery and he agreed it was a beautiful place. 

To most people they need this little reminder to at least stop and think about what the day means.

I wish I had thought of doing this for the ride to and from the cemetery, but it was too late and I didn't have time before we left. But I did it when I got home and have been driving it around since yesterday. I had one guy come up to me and tell me he had Stephen's dad as a baseball coach (so did I) and about playing on the athletic fields named in his honor at Ellington High School. I told the guy I knew Stephen well and his family well.

As a refresher about PFC Tingley, read this post from last fall. He was a child hood friend that was killed in the Beirut barracks bombing on October 23, 1983

Amazingly, he made the November 1983 cover of Soldier of Fortune magazine that came out right after he was killed. That's him right on front holding his M16 and M203 in full ruck. This is a photo of my copy I got off eBay.

This is my tribute patch on my biker vest

The other person I think about on this day died in Vietnam when I was in second grade, Whitney T. Ferguson, III. I wrote about him recently in this page about visiting "The Wall" in Washington, DC. He was killed in action in Tay Ninh Province on 03/11/1969. Older friends of mine went to school with him. He was the only person from Vernon to die in Vietnam.

Whitney T. Ferguson, III

Tomorrow morning at dawn, in accordance with USC 4 Section 7 Paragraph (m) my flag will be lowered to half-staff until noon, when it will be raised back to full staff with the POW/MIA flag below it. My telescoping flagpole requires the second flag to be removed, and the US Flag placed on the second spot to accommodate half-staff display. I will fly the POW/MIA flag until next weekend and then again in November for Veterans Day.

All You Need To Know

That your (p)Resident is more willing to use the military he commands to go after political opposition, than to shoot down an unauthorized intrusion into our nation's sovereign air space.

I'm sure it was tracked well before it reached the continental U.S., and should have been downed immediately over the Pacific as a threat.

UPDATE 08:48 The fucking moron Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is headed for China. If I were in charge of the country, I would shoot that fucking thing down and have Mr. Blinken deliver the wreckage directly to Winnie The Pooh. He should drop it at his feet and say "I believe this is yours. Next time it will be delivered on a vapor cloud of nuclear fallout, YOU FUCK!"

I have been asked by the town Republican Committee to run for office. Now you see why I have refused.

Winter Wind Therapy

Yup. Got out on The Beast this afternoon. Roads were 99% dry, it was partly cloudy, and temps close to 60.

"The Beast" taken in the driveway during warmer weather.

 

Even in the above freezing weather we've had the past few days, the iceberg at the bottom of the driveway was persisting. I really did not want to attempt crossing it especially while turning. When I got home from my morning errands, I stopped at the bottom of the driveway and attacked it with the shovel I keep in the truck bed. I easily removed more than half of it, which was plenty of room to get in and out safely on the bike.

I figured I'd take a ride out to the big shopping area in the Dayville section of Killingly on RT. 101, but first I had to stop at the firehouse to torment my normal shift partner who was working today. I received the expected response from him because he was stuck inside and I was riding. Anyways, I needed to go to Lowe's to get some batteries for my stockpile and figured I would grab lunch too. I also wanted to get an LED headlamp that clips on the visor of my ball caps. First lunch at Taco Bell, or so I thought. They have the dining room closed with only the drive-thru open. Yeah, that doesn't work on a bike, so FUCK YOU! I decided to try my luck at the McDonald's next to Lowe's. I have not eaten anything there except coffee or breakfast (a McGriddle and hash brown) in many years. I got a 10 piece chicken nugget meal. OMG! it was sooooo good I couldn't believe it and it came out piping hot! I saddled up without my helmet or gloves to shoot across the parking lot to Lowe's.

I have stated previously that I do not normally park in the "Reserved For Veteran's" parking spaces at Lowe's or anywhere else that has them, leaving them for a vet that may be elderly or otherwise disabled. Three out of four of those spaces were open, so because I was on the bike and wearing my leathers with my military stuff on it, as well as the PGR and military decals on the bike I parked in one. I wasn't going to be there very long to grab what I needed anyway. I went to the only open register with a cashier, got my 10% military discount and got out of there. FYI... until retail outlets give me a discount for scanning and cashing myself out, I refuse to use it... BFYTW!

The ride home was nice and uneventful. The outside temp on the bike said "61." I saw a handful of other bikes out and waved to them all. I got home and put it back into full storage mode; topping off the stabilized fuel, putting it on the center and front stands, plugging in the Battery Tender, and putting on the cover. I am hoping to get out on Sunday New Year's Day for the traditional ride, but it depends on how quick the rain we're supposed to get Saturday night clears out. At least if I don't get out the bike is ready for a winter slumber.

Wreaths Across America 2022

Up and out early this past Saturday morning to the Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam, MA. My parents and several other family members are interred there. The Patriot Guard Riders nationwide play a huge role in this event. The truck convoy carrying the wreaths gets an escort. We stand flag lines for the ceremonies in the cemeteries as well as lay wreaths, and in January assist cemetery crews and other volunteers with picking them all up for recycling. I join the CT P.G.R. at the state cemetery in Middletown for wreath pickup. Because of the recent crummy weather only a couple of local MA guys had their bikes, everyone else was on four wheels.

Because this event has grown so large, parking for most volunteers is remote and they get brought in by shuttle bus. Six Flags New England provided the parking lots and free shuttle buses. The P.G.R. had our own coned off parking area because we were doing a police escorted procession to the cemetery. The ceremony was to begin at 10:00 so at 09:15 we did our procession, got parked, and assembled our flag lines. A lot of citizen volunteers were already in the cemetery so they got to see us roll in. We parked, assembled our flags, and lined up. We had a service flag held by a P.G.R. member behind the respective service monument as well a a POW/MIA and Gold Star flag. The rest of us had U.S. flags and formed a semi-circle behind the speaker's platform.

The ceremony was short and sweet, covered heavily by local media, and I heard several crowd estimates of 500+. It was opened by the singing of The Star Spangled Banner and Pledge of Allegiance performed by a local Army veteran. There was a guy that was the M.C., a short speech by the event organizer, and a short speech by the cemetery director. There were several politicians in attendance that were recognized but not allowed to speak. The rifle volleys were fired and taps was played by two local high school students. The ceremony concluded and it was time to lay wreaths. I missed last year and was told that this year was run differently and was structured to make sure no one bailed on the ceremony. Also, distribution of wreaths was much more controlled. Sounds like last year was a free for all.

I stowed my flag and quickly hoofed up the hill to get a wreath for my parent's grave. Their grave is located to the rear of the section so the chance of their grave already having a wreath on it was slim. I got to their stone, and in a loud voice recited Dad's name, service branch, rank, and era served. As I placed the wreath and stepped back to salute, the tears welled up. I bent down and kissed the back of the stone where Mom's name is and headed back down the hill. I procured another wreath to place on a random grave and placed it on the grave of one Francis J Murphy that was also a Navy veteran of Korea like my Dad.

Dad's older brother and my aunt are buried in the first section used when the cemetery was opened. Since their grave is only four rows back it normally gets a wreath quickly. Not this year. The wreath pickup was too far away, so I asked woman nearby if she wouldn't mind laying one of her wreaths on my uncle's grave. She was more than happy to, and I loudly read his details. He was a Marine in WWII and Korea. I also bent down and kissed the back of the stone where my aunt's name is inscribed.

There are 3 more family members buried there, but their graves are all over the cemetery so I just let others place the wreaths. When I am there for a P.G.R. mission, I visit them all and leave a shiny penny on the stone showing the graves were visited.

 

Remembering 23 October 1983

From Military.com:

"Between 1975 and 1990, Lebanon was embroiled in a country-wide civil war that saw its rival religious, ethnic and nationalist populations form armed militias and shifting alliances. The fighting inflamed regional tensions and provoked international responses.

One of these was a peacekeeping mission of American, British, French and Italian forces called the ​​Multinational Force in Lebanon (MNF). Deployed as part of an agreed cease-fire after a Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) attack on Israel and Israel's subsequent invasion of Lebanon in 1983, the MNF spent almost a year and a half in the Lebanese capital.

The MNF was responsible for training the Lebanese military, restoring the country's central government in Beirut and overseeing the withdrawal of all foreign forces in Lebanon. A massive suicide bomber attack on the Marine Corps Barracks in October 1983 wiped away any success the MNF could claim, and led to the eventual withdrawal of American forces in March 1984."

From The Marine Corps Times - "The BLT Building is gone!!"

This date holds special significance for me. At the time, I was serving in the US Army Reserve and sleeping comfortably in my own bed at night, every night. I reported for duty one weekend a month to Westover AFB in Chicopee, MA and went on a two week "summer camp" every year. I was not on watch 7/24/365 in some shithole country of ingrates somewhere. I had been married just a little over two months, and my wife was out of state for the funeral of her uncle Gary in Austin, Texas. When I heard the news of who was killed when the names were released I was devastated, and remember crying myself to sleep that night. I mean deep wracking sobs that left me out of breath and my eyes burning so bad they hurt to close.

 

 

Stephen was a childhood friend I had known since the fourth grade. When he first came to my elementary school, he was in a set of leg braces to stabilize his weak hips. The brace went from his waist, down both legs keeping them straight, with a cross-bar between his feet. His feet rested on steel plates with thick rubber treads for traction. He "walked" by using a pair of arm brace crutches and kind of skipped along. He was a clown and smart ass and he and I got into a lot of mischief together. In middle school he no longer needed the braces and from then on and in early high school we played Senior League baseball together. His Dad was the football and baseball coach at Rockville High School and our Senior League baseball coach. Because we went to different high schools, we lost touch, but I always heard about his athletic exploits, especially in baseball. It was no surprise that Stephen would join the Marines right out of high school.

His funeral service was an impromptu reunion of old school chums, but certainly not joyful. No one spoke to each other, just glances and silent nods of recognition. We followed the horse drawn caisson on foot from the church to the cemetery, where full military honors were rendered. It was my first exposure to Taps played at a funeral service, and is why to this day while doing a Patriot Guard mission for a perfect stranger, I get a little tug at the old heartstrings and a little choked up.

The athletic fields at Ellington High School were named in his honor a few years later with a permanent stone monument placed in one corner. I wear this patch on my biker vest in his honor.

Years later, his parents bought the house in the cul-de-sac two doors down from my parents, and his sister Nancy already lived a few houses down in the other direction. I had gone to the cemetery trying to find Stephen's grave, but could not. I went over to his dad's house to inquire where his grave was. All he would say is that Stephen had been cremated, which lead me to believe they kept his ashes. Rather than push the subject, I wished his father a good afternoon and simply left. I never had the guts to go ask his sister. Last I knew, Stephen's parents were living the retired life somewhere in Florida.

As a side note, my own cousin Steven is a Marine veteran a week younger than I am. He was part of the MNF in Beirut, Lebanon but I believe he had rotated out before the bombing. I don't know if he was in those barracks or somewhere else. But I do remember him remarking what a beautiful country those animals destroyed.

 

Stephen Tingley's death is the reason I get so miffed at the way people view and "celebrate" Memorial Day as the "1st Day of Summer" or National BBQ Day. It is also one of the many reasons I am a Patriot Guard Rider.

When There Is Nothing to Lose...

 Lifted from Western Rifle Shooters Association.

This is the mindset required when you, a working class family man, has lost everything you loved and worked a lifetime for due to the actions of the tyrants. Your life as you knew it is over, so work to end the lives of as many tyrants and armed goons as you can. I say a man with nothing to lose, should fight like a man with nothing to lose.

The New Surrender Response

For almost 80 years, the classic defiant response to being offered a chance to surrender was "Nuts!" as presented by General Anthony McAuliffe to the German command at Bastogne on December 22, 1944.

Now, thanks to 13 brave and defiant Ukranian (and dead) soldiers on Snake Island, the new defiant response to an opportunity to surrender is "GO FUCK YOURSELF!" While certainly a death sentence for those 13 soldiers, just how much inspiration and morale boosting do you think this will give to the average Ukranian citizen fighting trained Russian soldiers on the streets to defend their country? I'll bet a lot!

I will permanently add that in my list of responses to those that would oppress or otherwise cause me harm. So, let me start here... directed at every level of government:

"GO FUCK YOURSELF!"

 

Tell Me Again....

What POTUS is Putin's stooge? 

Sorry LIBTURDS and "Never-Trumpers," guess again. (Hint: it never was Donald J. Trump)

It is current (p)Resident Dopey Gropey Joe Xiden. HE IS THE "FECKLESS CUNT" (h/t to TBS' Samantha Bee for that description she used for Ivana Trump on her TV show) for displaying weakness not seen from a world leader since before WWII.

But don't worry. Later today Jen "Little Red Lyin' Hood" Psaki will tell us (p)Resident Dopey Gropey Joe Xiden's weak foreign policy had NOTHING TO DO with any of this. They'll blame it all on Chi-Com Xi Flu, like they did with high fuel and transportation costs, the broken supply chain, as well as the ongoing violent crime wave.

The Market Will Determine Their Existence

Smart Guns Finally Arriving in U.S., Seeking To Shake Up Firearms Market

They will ONLY be marginally successful with government mandates and/or taxpayer funded subsidies. Let's see how many military units and police departments jump on board for these pieces of shit. My guess is none will. Smith & Wesson learned a hard lesson by being boycotted for working on this concept in 1999, so hopefully all manufacturers will learn from that lesson and stay away from such stupidity.

As for me... yeah, no thanks. I'll stick with a gun that reliably goes bang when I pull a mechanical trigger. Especially if my life is on the line. There are hundreds of millions of firearms out there, so there will never be a need to purchase a smart gun. Last week they were talking about putting "kill switches" in future new cars. Who doesn't think they would be able to do the same with smart guns? Imagine entire areas flooded with smart gun jammer signals, because GUNS BAD! All my firearms are already absolutely safe, providing anyone handling them observes the Four Rules of Gun Safety. 

I'm An Idiot!

I thought there was a Patriot Guard Riders funeral mission today. I got an email from the MA Patriot Guard for the cemetery in Agawam on October 25th. We were to meet in the usual spot on Main Street at 12:45. Problem was, I thought today was the 25th. I didn't realize I was off a day until I pulled into the lot at 12:47 and was the only one there. I pulled my phone out and checked the email and it said the 25th at 12:45. Then I looked at my watch. Shit! Oh well, it was a beautiful day for a ride. I went to the cemetery anyway and placed a brand new shiny penny on all my relative's gravestones. Then on the way home I stopped at a friend's house that had been after me to stop by. He and his wife live in a lake community in his grandmother's old house. Next door to him was a totally dilapidated seasonal house that was falling down for decades. He had pursued buying the property for many years, but the family refused to sell. They finally had to sell and he bought it. He put up a nice garage/workshop/man cave where the house had been. I didn't stick around too long because they were headed out for lunch.

The other thing about today turned out to be a quick dry run of bringing a handgun in and out of The Peoples Republik on Massachusetts. Rather than carry it locked and loaded on my hip as I normally do, it was unloaded and secured with a cable type lock in the hidden compartment in the trunk. The magazine and ammo were locked in a separate compartment in the fairing. Carrying this way is a test of FOPA, since the bike is locked when parked and would only be searched if I wrecked, in which case I would be travelling through MA to a state where my firearm is legal. When I got to the convenience store near home to get a snack, I got some practice strapping on my holster, loading my pistol, and placing it in the holster right out in the open unnoticed. I then went in the store for some junk food and a soda. When I headed out for home, my gun was in the holster under my leathers as usual.

Honored To Be A Part Of It

I have been an active member of the Patriot Guard Riders since 2018 and try to attend as many missions as I can. Today's mission was one of those that was extra special.

**HONOR MISSION** 8 UNCLAIMED MILITARY VETERANS ROCKY HILL/ MIDDLETOWN, CT FRIDAY 10/01/2021 845AM STAGE

Posted: 28 Sep 2021 05:19 PM PDT

**HONOR MISSION**

8 UNCLAIMED MILITARY VETERANS

 

VICTOR H ANDERSON USMC KOREA

ORVILLE K DAVIS US ARMY WW II

STEPHEN Y FORRESTER US ARMY VIETNAM

JOSEPH P GALIPEAU US ARMY WW II

LAWRENCE W JORDAN US ARMY WW I

BERNARD J LAFLEUR US NAVY WW II

GEORGE D PARKER US NAVY WW II

LAWRENCE E TEFFT US COAST GUARD/MERCHANT MARINE WW II

 

ESCORT STAGE

CT DEPT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 

287 WEST ST

ROCKY HILL CT 06067

FRIDAY 10/01/2021

845AM STAGE

 

CEMETERY STAGE

CT STATE VETERANS CEMETERY

317 BOW LA

MIDDLETOWN, CT  06457

FRIDAY 10/01/2021

930AM STAGE

Patriot Guard and Associates;

We have been invited by DVA Commissioner Thomas Saadi to participate in the Escort and Final Military Honors for 8 Unclaimed Military Veterans.

CT PGR along with the CT Funeral Directors Association, CT State Police, Local Law Enforcement, will Escort these Veterans to their final resting place at the CT State Veterans Cemetery in Middletown.

CT PGR will now be the family for these Veterans.

A flagged Vehicle Escort has been requested.

ASC Skip Petras (XXX-XXX-XXXX) will be RCIC for the escort.

We will Stand a Flag Line for the Cemetery Ceremony and Military Honors.

RC Gregg Karal (XXX-XXX-XXXX) will be RCIC at the Cemetery with flags on site.

Any RC that will be attending are requested to bring their flags to the cemetery.

Members are reminded that Personal Weapons are not Permitted on State Property.

Masks are encouraged by the DVA though not required. Members may make their own choice.

God Bless America, Our Troops and Our First Responders.

 

Every time one of these has come up in the past, I was unable to serve for whatever reason but today's occurred on my regular day off and the weather was absolutely beautiful. It was a somber but joyous ceremony, for eight men whose remains have been in storage at various funeral homes because they were unclaimed. One of them since 1976. Here is a couple of news stories covering the event. If you knew where/when to look... yes indeed... Glypto's mug and bike is there to see. For PERSEC though, I will not give it away.

Fox 61 CT CT Veterans Military Funeral

 

 

NBC 30 CT Veterans Military Funeral

It was 40 degrees when I left my house so I had on some cold weather gear. We met at the VA Home and Hospital in Rocky Hill. Unlike most PGR missions, there was no waiting around in staging to have coffee or to bullshit with the other members. This was a joint effort between the state VA and the CT Funeral Directors Association. It also involved the CT State Police, Rocky Hill Police, Cromwell Police, Middletown Police, Middletown FD, and military honor guards. All 8 cremated remains arrived in a single hearse, but there were three others provided. Each hearse had the magnetic branch insignia on the drivers door for the respective service branches, so the urns needed to be moved according to the deceased's branch of service. This was done by members of the PGR and the Combat Vet Motorcycle Association, including yours truly. We lined up at the rear of the main hearse, and the president of the CFDA distributed the urns to us. Slowly and deliberately, the CFDA president would pick up an urn, bring it face to face to the waiting personnel. The person receiving the urn would render a salute, do a left face, walk several steps, do another left face, and slowly walk to to appropriate waiting hearse. I walked in a similar way to the Honor Guards at The Tomb of The Unknown at Arlington... that slow and deliberate walk. I did a left face, 3 or 4 steps, then a final left face to hand the urn to the funeral director waiting at the back of the hearse. After the urns were all properly placed, everyone posed for photos in front of the cannons and flagpole in front of the admin building. It was soon time to saddle up for the police escorted procession. There were 2 flagged pickup trucks (one in front, one in the rear) and about 22 bikes in between, followed by the four hearses and the CT State Police motorcycle troopers running as roaming road guards. The town police in Rocky Hill, Cromwell, and Middletown were waiting for us at the larger intersections. We had to do a short hop on the RT. 9 state highway, which was shut down for us to enter and exit unimpeded.

We arrived safely at the cemetery and had a parking area set aside for the escort vehicles and bikes. We parked and headed over to the cemetery Ride Captain's truck to get our flags for the flag line. We lined up about 25 feet from the large tent that was set up behind the speaker's podium. The line was one of the longest I've seen in a while, about 45 participants since there were quite a few PGR members that either don't have bikes or chose not to ride today and were waiting there for us.

In attendance were many veterans groups from around the region. American Legion, VFW, The Marine Corps League, DAV, CT State Honor Guard and others that I couldn't quite tell who they were. The hearses were brought up one at a time to the rear of the tent, and military honor guards brought the urns up one at a time and set them on a special table each with a folded flag. When all were in place, we recited the Pledge of Allegiance, sang the National Anthem, and bowed our heads for the invocation prayer. The Master of Ceremony was state DVA Commissioner Saadi. There were 6 speeches including his that were nice and short. Military honors were rendered for all 8 deceased at once, and the Army Honor Guard ceremoniously folded a US Flag. That flag was presented to Commissioner Saadi. It concluded with a closing and a benediction prayer and it was done. We did the usual PGR exit. We stayed in our line, called to attention, did a right face, and marched off single file holding our flags. Only when we get to the RC vehicle to we break rank and disassemble our flags. I have heard directly from mourners over the years that the march off impresses the hell out of them.

You may have missed in the mission notice the reminder "Members are reminded that Personal Weapons are not Permitted on State Property." Well guess what, as usual I was armed. You see, by attending these missions unarmed, not only am I disarmed at the mission (which isn't a big deal since there is usually a police presence), but traveling to and from and while making any stops. I had errands to run afterwards today, so I was not going all the way home to get an EDC and then back out to do my errand. Nor am I going anywhere disarmed. My compromise was having my gun and holster locked in the trunk of "The Beast" while at the VA, riding in the escort, and while standing a flag line. However, after the conclusion of the ceremony and while no one was looking, I strapped on my holster and placed my 45 Shield in it. Since it had warmed up, I ditched my leather jacket, neck covering, and winter gloves. The gun was immediately covered by my vest and disappeared. I rode out right past police in the cemetery and no one was the wiser. Like I always say, my gun sitting safely in my holster harms no one. I do not discuss this issue with any PGR members, and let them all just think I am being a good boy.

Planning On Doing A PGR Mission Tomorrow

USAF Senior Airman Deanna K. Richards bridge dedication.

She passed away in January 2017, and the PGR was already committed so they could not render honors at her funeral. The bridge dedication was cancelled last year because of C-O-O-O-O-VID!! 

The very first PGR mission I did was the naming of the Bristol, RI Post Office in honor of the highly decorated Green Beret 1SGT Andrew McKenna who was KIA in Afghanistan. That was 3 years ago yesterday.  It's a nice change to do a mission that is not a funeral.

I wonder how 1SGT McKenna's family feels about the fucked up retreat from "The Rockpile" after their son made so many sacrifices there?

Snerk!

 

More fun with General Pinochet

UPDATE: About the song in the video "Mi General Augusto Pinochet" with lyrics and translation.

"Deal's Off, Jihadi Scum!"

Photo of the broadcast of FOX News from 13:25 today

If I were all of a sudden the C.I.C., a crushing force of all branches of the U.S. Military would be immediately on the way.

But then if I were C.I.C. all along, this would have never happened, and the word "Taliban" would be stricken from all language. Anyone claiming to be a member would be summarily executed.

UPDATE: 14:10  NOW REPORTED 10 U.S. SERVICEMEN DEAD!

WHAT.THE.HOLY FUCK?

UPDATE: 14:42 THE AMERICAN DEATH TOLL CONTINUES TO CLIMB.

 

ATTENTION TALIBAN!

Sell me some U.S. small arms weapons and gear that was left behind by (p)Resident Gropey Joe. One of everything, please. Use the contact form on the right side of my blog. I will send you U.S. cash dollars in small bills upon delivery to me.

Do we gave a deal? 

Challenge Issued

First let me say that with every passing day, the distrust, disdain, and outright hatred I feel for government officials, elected or appointed from either party burns hotter than the surface of the sun. The local CBS affiliate has a half-hour political talk show, and the final segment was with the idiotic Jahana Hayes from the Kommiecticut 5th district. Her only qualifications were being a female, of color, that won a teacher of the year award. She is as dumb as they come yet there she is, in congress (sorry for the redundancy). But there she was on TV, advocating for get the jab or WE WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE HELL IN OH SO MANY WAYS!

Well yours truly doesn't take such things lightly. So I say, let's get this party started because I am sick of listening to your bullshit and threats. I will ignore your lockdown and face diaper diktats. Make it a condition of employment and I will file a religious exemption. Deny the exemption and I will force them to terminate me. Terminate me, and I will join every class action lawsuit there is. I WILL NEVER take your jab of poison, so go ahead and send your armed jab goons to try and administer one. I guarantee a body count. In fact...

I TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU!

A Story For The Times

This is a work in progress and the story will be continued as these "vaccine ambassadors" begin going door to door nationwide. We'll see just how violent this story gets. It will be quite graphic if it does. I have not written fiction since I was in school and it is a great mind exercise to write like this. Lemme know what you all think.

CHAPTER 1

 

Paul and Heather Morris were the classic empty nesters. They lived in their modest house on a few wooded acres about a mile off the state road. The road they lived on was paved and carried very little traffic. On a normal weekday, a dozen or so cars in the early morning of folks that worked out of town. The few cars during the day could be spaced out by a couple of hours each. Then in the evening, the commuters from the morning returning home from work. Late in the evening traffic was next to nothing. On the weekends, cars passed the Morris house on a semi steady basis throughout the day, and even the occasional group of motorcycles venturing up the road just for a nice ride. Paul worked from home as an I.T. consultant and was a first responder with the local volunteer fire department. Heather worked as a veterinary technician at a small practice out of town. Initially, neither one were going to get the jab, but Heather gave in and got the J & J shot so she would have no problem flying out to visit her father. It really knocked her on her ass the day she got it and she recovered. Paul was disappointed with Heather’s decision, but still adamant he was never going to get poked with what he viewed as an experimental medical procedure. They both believed they had COVID in early 2020 but had never gotten tested, and they just got over it. Over the last year, Paul was up close and personal, getting exposed multiple times to COVID positive patients on medical calls, but neither even got a case of the sniffles since he and Heather had been sick.

Paul was wafting in and out of consciousness as he sat in his favorite chair with the TV on. He was tuned to FXX on satellite, watching the movie "The 5th Element" for like the hundredth time, and watching TV always seemed to make him sleepy. The sweat on the bottle of the half-finished beer on the end table ran down to the coaster he had always remembered to use. Every window in the house was open, and Paul was enjoying the warm, sunny, Saturday afternoon with the little breeze now and then. Heather was out of town with her girlfriend at a winery. That was when he heard the unmistakable sound of tires on gravel. He was instantly wide awake now as the alert for his security camera dinged his phone. The driveway was at the other end of the house where the attached garage was, so it was impossible to see approaching vehicles. As he listened, he thought sure he heard more than one vehicle's tires moving on the gravel echoing off the trees. The gun he always carried had been lying on the table next to his beer so he could be more comfortable sitting in his chair. A Smith & Wesson M&P 45 Shield, it was now tucked safely in its holster, the 2 spare mags still in their carrier on his belt. Paul always kept a spare remote for the automatic door opener handy in the kitchen and he grabbed it as he headed towards the door leading to the garage. He waited until he was in position to see but not be seen in the garage before he punched the button to lift the door.

There was more than one vehicle, in fact there were three. The lead one was an unassuming light blue Ford Escape with regular passenger plates. Behind it was a maroon Chevy Malibu with US Government plates, but it was the third vehicle that really raised Paul's hackles... a military Humvee. From the first vehicle exited a man and woman in casual business attire. From the Chevy were two obvious male government types in dark suits complete with the earbud on a little curly cord coming out of their collars. And out of the Humvee came two apparently unarmed U.S. soldiers in camo fatigues. From the dark corner of the garage where Paul stood, he already had his hand on his pistol and had made his target selections in order. He ordered them to stop where they were; that they were uninvited trespassers, and to state their business. They all stopped in their tracks because they still could not see Paul and his voice had an authoritative almost threatening tone to it. "We're from the North Central Health District" the woman called out, "and we'd like to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine with you. Are you Paul Morris?"

Paul had seen the news stories that this was coming, although he didn’t think he would personally experience it so soon. The leaked government procedures for these “vaccine ambassadors” laid out how they were going to proceed, some of the scripts, and to ignore “No Soliciting” signage. In preparation for such a visit, Paul had put up a couple of prominent NO TRESPASSING signs at the bottom of the driveway and on the garage. Heather thought he was overreacting, but Paul knew he would be at a better advantage in kicking these people off his property with proper signs. He chose his response carefully, so as not to confirm his identity from the dark garage interior. “You are all trespassing! Leave this property IMMEDIATELY!” Paul knew they had probably confirmed property ownership from tax records, who resided there, and had photos of both he and Heather before arriving. The woman tried to engage Paul further. “My name is Linda Chalmers and this is my co-worker Steve Glynn. Could you step outside and talk to us?” Paul was having none of it, wanting to maintain OPSEC, PERSEC, and INFOSEC. “You are trespassing! Leave this property immediately, and do not return without a warrant!” he yelled from his concealed vantage point. The G-men and soldiers had maintained their distance staying in the background near their vehicles the entire time without making any type of tactical type moves or potential reaching for weapons. Ms. Chalmers made a hand gesture in the air and everyone returned to their vehicles. As she got in the Escape, she hollered out, “We’ll be back!” One at a time, the vehicles backed down the driveway to the road, and then headed out in the direction of the main state road. Paul closed the garage door only after he made sure they left and kept going out of sight. Being a little shaky and jacked on adrenaline from the encounter, Paul went back in to finish his beer and then grab another.