Random Shit From The Past Few Days

Here is some stuff I thought you'd like to read about because I am oh so important and interesting. I actually started composing this Thursday evening but didn't get too far because I haven't had the keyboard time. Now this post spans several days.

Wednesday March 16th:  A mid-week day off for me but wifey had to work. I made myself a big breakfast (spam and cheese 3-egg omelette with an English muffin). When the early morning fog cleared and the sun came out temps went from the 30's to the 50's pretty quick. I took my Ridgeback boy for a nice 3 mile walk/hike. When I get up to the stop sign at the top of my road, there is no through traffic to the right. He comes off leash at that point. We then head up a colonial era dirt road that the town doesn't maintain in the winter and barely keeps it passable through the other three seasons. There are old stone foundations from homesteads from the colonial days if you know where to look.

The only remaining live utility is the CATV that feeds my road

 

While my walk was 3 miles, the dog did about 4 running on ahead, then running back to me, as well as all the exploring he did in the woods and fields. When we get back to the intersection at the top of my road he goes back on leash for the last 1/2 mile to home. When we got home he was pooped for the rest of the day. I got busy getting stuff together to go to the range.

As usual I had the range to myself since it was a weekday afternoon. An assortment of rifles , a couple of pistols, ammo, paper targets, and some 1 gallon water jugs. I also had some small bottles of sterile water from the ambulance that were expired and were going to be thrown away, but I grabbed them. A .22LR makes them explode pretty well. Punching holes in paper, popping water jugs, and whacking the fixed steel gongs at ranges from 50 to 200 yards. After that I moved to my handguns.

At my old club, drawing and shooting from a holster was forbidden. Not at my present club. I set up a full sized silhouette target at 7 yards and repeatedly drew and fired a doubletap to the chest, and one to the head. I did that several times, and then reloaded to a full compliment. I then did the "Hearts and Minds" shot again, and then did a mag dump on the steel plates at 25 yards behind the silhouette, dropped the empty, reloaded and banged all the plates again.  I did this evolution first with my Glock 21 then my S & W 45 Shield. When I was finished I packed up and headed for home to put everything away. Since the handguns both see carry duty, they were cleaned and put away. The rifles I will get to in the next several days.

Thursday March 17th: One of the big post Chi-Com Xi Flu Dem-panic and lockdown concerns is mental health, especially among children due to the isolation and face diaper wearing. We took in a juvenile on a law enforcement emergency committal. Related to Chi-Com Xi Flu or not, those calls always break my heart. My partner and I are both Dads, so we usually calm the situation by the time we get to the hospital. The patient was crying uncontrollably at the house, but calm and kind of smiling upon arrival. The very next day our department got another call for another juvenile psych, same age and sex but from a different address. Jeezus!

While waiting for a room assignment in the ER staging area, in came another town's ambulance with another psych case. This patient was in restraints and surrounded by two state troopers and four hospital security guards. I don't know what they did on scene to warrant the restraints, but the patient was calm and talking to someone on a cell phone while sitting on the stretcher. While I was standing near the nurses station, I noticed one of their computers was in screen saver mode. The hospital screen saver are like PSA's and reminders. One caught my eye, and I mad sure of what it said when it came around again

"Be sure to assess vaccine status, and vaccinate as indicated."

Yeah... fuck you! I had to go to that ER a year ago. I don't remember if they asked or not (the double doses of morphine makes my memory a little foggy), but I know for a fact I was not jabbed while there. I went alone and would not have been able to sign anything after the morphine, and no one was there to authorize anything on my behalf. The last couple of medical visits when asked about being jabbed, my answer has been "NO FREAKIN' WAY!" They just check the appropriate box on the paperwork and that's it.

I have noticed gas prices down some, but still over $4 per gallon. At the station I drive by the most in town, it is down to $4.39/gallon, down from the high about 2 weeks ago of $4.65/gallon. Since my commute is less than 4 miles round trip per day, my gas lasts a long time, and I only buy my gas out of town where it is even cheaper.

Friday March 18th: Another day off, but an 08:15 AM appointment for my annual FD physical and my DOT medical card. I passed the interior firefighter physical for the last time, because next year I will be over 60. That department policy may change though, because we have hardly any active interior firefighters and to lose another will be tough. The other problem is that the medical facility is holding up my DOT medical card. Because I have hereditary hypertension that is controlled with medication, I have to get an annual DOT card, not the normal biannual. Apparently, for the last three years, my doctor has not sent in the paperwork that verifies my blood pressure is under control and I am compliant with my meds. They faxed one to the doctor's office while I was still there, and I got a copy to hand deliver on my way home. My current DOT card expired today, so I will be on them every day this week until I receive it.

I had done a couple of errands on the way home, but forgot one. My wife's RAV-4 needed a new headlight. I only use Sylvania Silverstar Ultra in all my vehicles and needed to run back out to get one. Hey... that's a small errand, perfect for taking my bike instead of my big honkin' pickup truck! What a beautiful afternoon for a ride, 75 and sunny. I topped off the tire pressure, hooked up my cell phone for music streaming, and headed out. First, I had to stop at the firehouse to torment my normal shift partner. I pulled into the parking lot, and started doing circles in front of the day room window, music and horn blaring. I saw the vertical blinds part, and saw his hand giving me the proper salute I expected. Now before you call me a dick, this is a constant back and forth between he and I. On nice days when he is off riding and I am at work, I get a constant stream of photo text messages of every stop he makes while out riding. So this was a little payback for him. I took a little longer route to the auto parts store and back, but it was a nice 30 mile loop.

Back from the ride. This was just before I put the cover back on. Not sure when the next one will be

BTW... that spot under my bike is an old stain from the rear end of the classic car I once had. This is a Honda... no fluids come out unless I let them out.

Saturday March 19th: While getting ready to go to the town dump, I heard shooting coming from up over the hill at my other neighbor's range, and behind Mrs. Bitchy McBitchy Bitchface's house. It was pretty loud, so she must have been going apeshit! I finished loading up my trash and decided I would head up his range access road in my truck to see what he was up to.

I have permission to be on his property. Some horse people have asked if they could ride up there but he has turned them down. He has it posted with no trespassing signs that say there is an active shooting range. I have shot with him before on his old range, but not on this new one. I hiked up there a week ago and was amazed. He has modeled his range after youtuber Hickok45, just not as many targets.

 

 

 

The far targets are across a gully, with the hill as a backstop

Homemade shooting benches

To the rear of the shooting area. The bottles are plastic and full of water for targets

I met him on the access road in his side-by-side. He was all done shooting and on his way back. We parked nose to nose, and I got out to chat with him. He was surprised I got up the road because it is a little steep and there was a soupy spot. I told him I have good all-terrain tires, just eased through it steadily, and then climbed the hills gently so I didn't rip up his road. He appreciated that and we bullshitted out there for a good 40 minutes. Afterwards, I got myself turned around and followed him out of the woods. I went to the dump and then came straight home.

When I got home, wifey informs me her brother and wife were coming over for dinner and to play marbles (the board game). She insists she told me, but she did not. I informed her we are out of beer, and that I need to make a beer and wine run to Yankee Spirits up in Sturbridge, MA. I race up there, get the beer and wine, and top off my truck with gas. I get back before they arrive. They show up about a half hour later and the few beers I threw in the freezer were nice and cold. We ordered pizza and had dinner. Then spent the next few hours playing marbles. We always play guys against girls, and it was the girl's night to win every freakin' game. They left around 11.

Today was puttering in the garage (I had to test fit a borrowed car top carrier and roof rack rails on the wife's RAV-4). She is going away on a dog event weekend in Maryland next month, so I didn't want to wait until last minute to find out there was a problem. It all fits fine. I then spent a couple of hours moving heavy wet leaves left over from the fall that I didn't get picked up before the snow fell. The last load on my 9' x 12'  tarp weighed about 300 pounds, and I had to drag it about 70' to the woods to dump it. The pile is considerably smaller, and now that the top layers are gone, it can dry out over the next couple of days. I'll pick away at it after work each night.

Hmmmm?

While watching the 10 PM news on Fox 61 a few minutes ago, their lead story was about skyrocketing gas prices. They played a video clip of (p)Resident Joey Poopy-Pants blaming the entire high fuel price problem on Putin, which got me thinking....

I have not seen one sticker on a gas pump with Vladimir Putin's picture and the caption, "I did that!" on it. In fact, I haven't even seen such a thing offered for sale. But there sure are plenty featuring the Demon-Craps, and especially (p)Resident Joey Poopy-Pants.

I guess that means no one believes the dementia fueled bullshit coming out of his drooling pie hole, or being repeated by L'il Red Lyin' Hood.

Shitty Day Outside? I Spent It Reloading

After today, I still have half a spam can of corrosive EVIL Russian (GASP!) surplus 7.62x54r that needs my conversion to non-corrosive. Also, the ammo is loaded in copper-washed steel cases... basically junk to a reloader.

The organized chaos that is my gun bench, which is made from an old base kitchen cabinet

I know, just super-duper clean your rifle afterwards and shoot the ammo as is, right? Nope. I don't even want that crap chambered in my rifles because I despise steel ammo (except some decent Hungarian made stuff I have that is zinc plated). So I recover the bullets and powder and replace it in my own primed brass cases. Labor intensive? Sure, but 50 rounds of ammo through a bolt action rifle lasts me for a couple of range outings. Plus, I enjoy reloading as much as actually shooting, so there's that. So for your reading pleasure, here is my procedure in great detail. (I used to write technical documentation, so that is part of my fun).

 

                       Military Surplus Ammunition Component Recovery and Loading

 

 

1.    Case Preparation

1.1. Assemble rifle ammo reloading platform and components.

1.2. Visually inspect all cases. Polish all case exteriors with steel wool using Lee Zip Trim. Clean all remnants of steel wool from cases and reloading area.

1.3. Lubricate all case exteriors, and inside the case mouth with a Q-Tip using Lee Resizing Lubricant.

1.4. Properly install Lee Case decapper/resizer die on Lee Reloader Press.

1.5. Decap and resize all lubricated cases (this resizes the ENTIRE case to factory ammo specs)

1.6. Use the Lee Primer Pocket Tool to clean residue out of the primer pocket. Tap the case bottom on a hard surface to remove loose debris.

1.7. Trim to length and chamfer all resized cases, using the Lee Zip Trim, Lee Large Case Trimmer, and Lee Case Chamfer tool. Tap the case mouth on the wooden bench to remove loos brass shavings. Clean up all brass shavings from cases and reloading area.

 

2.     Russian Mil-Surp Ammo Preperation

2.1. Use caution removing 20 round packs from the spam can. Edges are sharp.

2.2. Remove original packaging from cartridges and discard.

2.3. Visually inspect cartridges for corrosion or damage.

 

3.    Disassembly

3.1. Mount cartridge in kinetic bullet hammer

3.2. Strike hammer lightly several times against vise anvil to loosen the bullet. Monitor progress of bullet as it begins to separate from the case. Do not allow the bullet to completely dislodge.

3.3. Carefully remove cartridge from kinetic puller. Try to ensure the cartridge does not fall apart.

3.4. Holding cartridge vertical to prevent powder spillage, carefully remove bullet by hand. It should come free with some effort. With practice this will become easier to master.

3.5. Set pulled bullets aside for cleaning, and primed/charged shells in case holder to prevent spilled powder.

3.6. If this is the first time disassembling a particular type of cartridge, take the time to weigh a couple of powder charges to verify the charge and document. This will be important if the powder is stored for future reloading.

 

4.    Cleaning

4.1. Since this is military ammo, the bullets have a ring of lacquer paint around the bullet where it met the top of the original case. Use a rag and lacquer thinner to remove so the ring of paint does not interfere with seating the bullet.

5.    Loading

5.1. The press will need to have the bullet seating die installed and set for proper case O.A.L. before proceeding. Test fit bullets for O.A.L. using spare cases.

5.2. Insert the small powder funnel in the mouth of the case to be loaded. Carefully dump the powder from one of the mil-surp cases into the funnel. Tap the side of the case the powder came out of to ensure it all came out. Push any remaining powder grains down the funnel into the case. Remove the funnel.

5.3. Mount the freshly charged case on the press in the case holder.

5.4. Set one of the recovered and cleaned bullets on top of the case in the press, then operate the press.

5.5. Remove the new cartridge from the press and set in the cartridge tray.

5.6. Repeat the process for as many cartridges that will be loaded in this session.

5.7. When finished, remove the bullet seating die from the press.

6.    Crimping

6.1. Install the crimping die in the press before proceeding

6.2. Set a newly completed cartridge in the case holder, and operate the press for crimping. Repeat for all newly completed cartridges.

7.    Finishing

7.1. The leftover shells still have live primers that must be detonated. Because of the corrosive primers, DO NOT USE A RIFLE. DO NOT DO INDOORS. WEAR HEARING PROTECTION.

7.2. Mount the shells in a steel plate with a hole drilled in it, facing down towards the ground. Lightly strike the primer with a prick punch and hammer to set it off. Repeat until all primers are dead.

7.3. The dead cases can be discarded or drilled to make dummy rounds for training.

 

      The finished product is pictured below, next to the Lee 7.62x54r Four Die Set. I should get 2 to 4 more loadings out of these.

    

50 completed rounds and the Lee die set

The by-product of today's endeavor is this tray of fun, guaranteed to piss off my gun-hating neighbor, Mrs. Bitchy McBitchy Bitchface (H/T to Mr. Garabaldi for that little nickname).

The now empty but still primed steel cases

What I normally do is blow off all the primers which are just slightly louder than a .22LR. I will wait until I know that COTHO* is home and preferably outside before banging them off. She'll have no idea where it is coming from and hopefully look stupid once again by calling state police for someone shooting near her house. My front porch should be a good spot with cover from the forsythia bush.

After the primers are all rendered safe, the empty cases will be scattered all around my property to throw off anyone snooping with a metal detector. Even after the steel cases are gone, the leftover copper will be there and show up as a false positive.

*COTHO = Cunt of The Highest Order

Review - On Your 6 Designs Dual Mag Carrier

I decided I needed a better dual magazine carrier for my Glock 21 Gen 3 than the one I had. Made by Bianchi out of cordura nylon, it used flaps and velcro to hold the mags in place and IMHO the flaps need to be at least 1/2" longer to catch the velcro solidly. It also sat on my belt completely flat, letting me know it was there sitting all the way back in a chair or in the drivers seat of my truck. Searching for something new online, I found the offerings from On Your 6 Designs. They make holsters and mag carriers out of kydex in 12 colors and for every major manufacture. The dual mag carrier is curved to fit close to the wearer's body. And they are reasonably priced.

On March 1st I placed an order with On Your 6 Designs for a dual mag carrier, gun model Glock 20/21, left hand side, OWB, bullets facing forward, and in black, item #305013. It came to $34.01 with the 15% off first order coupon. It arrived quickly on Monday March 7th from San Antonio, TX. Since I was not off until Wednesday I had to wait until then to try it out.

I was pleased at how snug the magazines fit and click into place. When they mold it, they include indentations where the magazine catch slots are. This is my first experience with a kydex mag carrier, so they all probably do that. It comes with two sets of belt loops, 1.5" (mounted) and 1.75" in a bag with hardware. The only downside to the loops is that they are closed loops that have to be threaded onto your belt, you can't clip it on. On the other hand, it can't pop off. The loops are adjustable for cant if you wish. Me, I like it straight the way it comes. I put it on my belt and popped in 2 loaded 10 round magazines.

I wore it all day. The rig is definitey heavier (31 rounds of 230 grain JHP) than the same loadout with my Ruger SR9c compact 9mm with 3 magazines (31 rounds of 115 grain JHP), but it felt the the same because it carries so much better. I definitely like it.

Because I am so satisfied with the carrier, late yesterday I ordered a holster and dual mag carrier for the SR9c. My current mag carrier is a leather DeSantis version which does work well, but the generic leather holster for the SR9c leaves a lot to be desired. It is friction fit and has loosened up over the years. I had a $100 VISA gift card from a couple of Christmases ago and by having my cart open without checking out for so long, the standard 10% coupon became 20% off. So the holster and mag carrier came to $72.32 including shipping. I expect to see my order by the middle of next week. I'll do another review post after I wear and use the new holster and mag carrier.

New Ad For Pfizer

So not content to earn the billions for their jab(s) of DNA changing gene therapy poison being pushed by complicit bureaucrats and medical tyrants, Pfizer is now pushing their new COVID pill called Paxlovid. The jist of the commercial I heard and saw to push the pill by continuing the panic porn was this; If you are sick, even with just a cold, go get a Chi-Com Xi Flu test and then go see your doctor to get Paxlovid. I guess the sheep are no longer rushing out to get themselves and their kids jabbed. I heard that here in Kommiecticut thousands of doses are going to expire unused and have to be destroyed. Aw, that's so sad AWESOME!

No fucking way, Jack. At the height of the moronic variant, I had minor cold symptoms starting the morning of December 27th and ending the evening of December 29th. I continued working and did not even consider getting tested, because I refused to be a statistic in the panic porn and simply did not care since the symptoms are exactly the same as the common cold. The Branch-Covidians can play along, I will not.