I finally got the production run of 200 rounds of 9mm done yesterday that I wanted to do these past two Wednesday evenings, but something came up both times preventing me from loading. This past Wednesday was a late day structure fire a couple of towns away that we got called to for station coverage. Oh well, 2 more hours overtime.... CHA-CHING!! Since I was off yesterday and my plans to do a tire rotation on wifey's RAV-4 went out the window because she was going to be out, I had a few hours to myself to get my reloading done. Unlike the recent easy run of 200 .357 Magnum rounds, I ran into some issues. These have happened before and I finally solved the root cause. I then had a powder mishap with using my new Lee Pro Auto-Disk dispenser, caused by my inexperience with the newer model I recently bought. The bad news; I had to burn off a quantity of contaminated powder (what a waste) to dispose of it. The good news; I am not blind or burned, the house is still standing, and I have all my fingers. I will explain below.
The Lee Pro-1000 set up for 9mm, ready for the next tube of shells
It seems like I have had problems with loading 9mm before, but didn't remember the details until I got into it yesterday. As the shell plate carrier comes down on the operating lever upstroke, the primer gets seated in the primer pocket, and you can feel it seat. I occasionally did not really feel it seat and when the completed round cycled out into the bin, it seemed to have a dimpled primer in it and it was slightly sticking out. As I carefully watched the operation of the press from another angle, I discovered the problem. The resizing die and de-capping pin were out of adjustment, meaning the old primer was occasionally not being pushed all the way out of the primer pocket. Thankfully, the protruding primer prevented a new one from coming down the chute, otherwise a new primer would get crushed against the old one, probably making a loud sound. I shut off the powder, emptied the primer chute, and cleared the shell drop tube. The sizing die was removed, the de-capping pin adjustment lengthened slightly, and the die reseated on the turret plate. Running a few shells through to only resize and de-prime resulted in a 100% success rate. Those shells were put into an empty shell drop tube by themselves for the restart of production. The powder was turned on, primers reloaded in the Lee Auto Prime, and I began cranking the operating lever. There were no more hiccups and the 200 rounds were finished.
The powder mishap occurred as I was clearing the press of powder and primers. The primers always go away first, since they could be an ignition source. I remove the feed tray then clear the chute. There is no easy way to do this, but I have it down to a science. Because of the way the new powder dispenser is constructed, you can remove the hopper and leave the base in place. This allows you to change disks to increase or decrease your powder charge for a different caliber using the same powder. This is perfect for me since I use Alliant Bullseye for 9mm, .38 Special, .45 ACP, and .45 Long Colt. So I thought I would try removing the hopper and dumping the powder back into the container. When I experimented with the new dispenser the other day, I filled it and then emptied it. Once you turn off the hopper valve, you have to cycle the dispenser a few times to clear the charging disk. I did this by putting an appropriate shell in the shell carrier, and then short stroking the operating lever to move the shell into position below the charging die. I operated the lever fully to charge the shell with powder. When the shell filled with powder gets to where it would flip off into the catch bin, I carefully removed it by hand, and then dumped the powder back into the hopper. I would have to do this 3 or 4 times to get all the powder out. It seemed to work fine that way. Unfortunately, I had a total brain fart and forgot about that whole procedure. Instead I unscrewed the knurled knobs holding the powder hopper onto the base and lifted it off. Of course, powder poured out of the hopper unabated and all over the press. I twisted the hopper to "OFF" and stopped any more from pouring out. What a fucking IDIOT!! Oh it gets better... as I went to put the hopper full of powder aside, it tipped over and the cover got hooked on the side of my toolbox, popping it off and spilling an even larger quantity of powder all over the case of my vernier caliper and bench top. So as not to start a fire or blow myself up, I used a hand broom and dust pan with an aerosol duster instead of a shop vac. It took the better part of an hour to clean it all up completely. I have an old coffee can I use for bad powder, so I took it out to the gravel driveway, dumped it out, and lit it up. It made a nice bright orange flame about 2 feet high for about 3 seconds and it was all gone. I will not make that mistake again. Once everything was clean, I set the press up for a quick 100 round run of .38 Special I'll do maybe later today. That will give me 200 rounds each of all my target ammo; .45 ACP, 9mm, .38 Special, and .357 Magnum.
Local Fiber Installation
Well, my question of whether they were going to run the new fiber down my back country road got answered. They did.
New fiber strung and hung waiting for splicing
This pole is located at the right front corner of my property. My house is up the hill to the left. As I said in this post the other day, that ship has sailed. Frontier can just suck it if they think I would EVER go back to them. I don't care what kind of promotional rates they are offering. As with AT&T's old fiber internet and U-Verse TV, even though there are light strands on poles, doesn't necessarily mean they will put in the fiber boxes required to activate it all. Those are expensive to install and maintain, and they won't appear unless there is enough demand.
I hope they don't bother bringing it up to the pole in my driveway, because I am sure my neighbor that shares the driveway and utility pole won't be interested either.
While I have served in the military, I was never in combat. That said, working in the fire service for over 30 years, I have seen more than my share of horrific things. Gore, death, people dying in my presence, severe burns, trauma, etc. I don't do the George Costanza "Serenity NOW!" thing of burying things deep in my mind only to manifest themselves later in a horrific way, but I don't sit and dwell on it either. I believe I strike the right balance of knowing and remembering what I do and continue to do the best job I can.
The coping mechanism we use is the black humor. It occurs back at the station and only amongst ourselves, NEVER in public. I once dealt with a guy that accidentally set himself on fire. Rather than do what we are taught from a young age of "STOP-DROP-AND ROLL" he ran out of the house and down the road. Neighbors reported him to be a giant screaming fireball when they tackled him and put him out with pots of water from their houses. It was one of our first aeromed transports by LifeStar helicopter and I was in charge of the L.Z. The EMT's were bringing the PT up the road on the stretcher to meet the bird already on the ground. Have you ever burned a hotdog on the grill? That is exactly what this guy looked like.... all blackened and his skin split open all over his body. They loaded him up and flew off to a trauma center. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
When we got back to the firehouse it started out with everyone kind of quiet, then they started talking about what we just went through. It did not take long for the "crispy critter" comment to come out, and from there it was a free for all of jokes and laughter. I said I was going to be off grilled hotdogs for a while. More laughter. That's just how it is. We do it. Cops do it. Hospital personnel do it. The military does it. It must be done privately among ourselves because publicly it would be disrespectful and hurtful if family members overheard it. But believe me, it is very beneficial to us.
The CGA (Connecticut General Assembly) is a bicameral body consisting of a State House of Representatives and a State Senate. Both are controlled by a majority of The Evil Party, and the minority members of The Stupid Party are powerless to stop their march to full blown socialism. And of course, the head #LIBTURD member of The Evil Party is Gov. "Jolly Ned" Lamont, who will eagerly sign into law any unconstitutional infringement the CGA passes. As a member of the C.C.D.L. (CT Citizens Defense League) I receive the alerts when it is time to submit written testimony for the public hearings, and the C.C.D.L. will recommend whether to oppose or support a proposed bill and is always on the side of the right to keep and bear arms.
The first alert I received the other day was for House Bill #5653 (tagged on the CGA website as HB5653), which is to institute a punitive "sin tax" on all ammunition purchases to supposedly pay for something called "Community Gun Violence and Intervention Program Grants." They want to charge $0.02 per .22 caliber round, and $0.05 per round for everything else. Below is my [redacted] submitted testimony.
Oppose
HB5653
My name is XXXX XXXXXX, and I have been involved
with civilian firearms ownership since 1980. I also served in the U.S. Army
from 1981 to 1987 earning my “EXPERT” marksmanship badge with the M16. I have
held my CT state pistol permit since 1983 right after turning 21. I have
competed in many firearms events in both rifle and pistol. I load my own pistol
and rifle ammunition using standardized recipes and have developed and tested
my own. I perform my own basic gunsmithing, fabrication, modification, and
repairs. I have introduced and instructed many “firearms curious” individuals
to their first firearms experience as well as an introduction to reloading
while stressing safety at all times. I belong to the N.R.A., The CT Citizen’s
Defense League, The XXXXXX XXXXXX Club, The Garand Collector’s
Association, and am an authorized purchaser through the Civilian Marksmanship
Program. I consider myself to have more firearm experience than the average
firearm owner, and certainly more experience than the majority of members of
the CT General Assembly, Administration, state bureaucrats, and sadly to say
from experience, most law enforcement.
The
U.S. Constitution; Second Amendment
A
well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the
right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Constitution
of the State of Connecticut; Article First, Section 15
Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and
the state.
Neither of these statements confer any
right to arms, but instead exist to PREVENT government from denying a
right to be armed. These rights come from God the Almighty to Americans by
birth, not granted by any government entity. That would be a “privilege” not a
right.
The pro-civilian firearm disarmament
element in the state government are once again targeting the peaceable gun
owners of the state, this time by desiring to levy a punitive tax on ammunition
purchases. Ammunition and magazines are as much a part of “arms” as stated in
both constitutions as a firearm itself.
As anyone with a shred of common
sense should know, the criminal element does not and cannot waltz into WalMart,
Hoffman's, Cabelas, or the other smaller sporting goods retailers in the state
and purchase the ammunition for their criminal activities (seenote 1). They are
forced to steal it or buy it on the black market. None of those type of transactions
provide any type of revenue stream from taxes; sales tax or otherwise. Do you
know what happens if I were to walk into such a retailer in CT to buy
ammunition and didn’t have my pistol permit on me? I would be denied the
purchase, no ifs or buts. Funny how the criminal element doesn’t seem to have such
a problem and no law can fix that. Therefore such proposed legislation as HB
5653, which is nothing more than placing a "sin tax" on constitutionally
protected activities, is yet one more infringement against The Second Amendment
and State Constitution. It is so unfortunate that our state seems to have this
bad habit of passing such infringements knowing they will end up in court, and
then state officials crying like little children when they are sued (like right
now with the multiple pending lawsuits). I will personally be more than happy
to again voluntarily contribute to any court costs and attorney fees to fight
such poor legislation should it pass. Penalizing the peaceable citizen for the
actions of criminals and forcing them to pay for the prevention of those criminal
activities is wrong… legally and morally. As far as “community gun violence” is
concerned, my community of XXXXXXX (in fact most of rural Windham County) has
high per capita firearms ownership and use. Yet the little violent crime that does
happen out here is usually caused by those that don’t live here. The nightly
news stories I see of “gun violence” comes out of Hartford, New Haven,
Bridgeport, etc. I suggest you unleash law enforcement and target those
“communities”…. and hard.
How about this novel idea? Crack
down on criminals using or caught with firearms and ammunition like the
original laws state. I’d be happy with search and seizure of person and
property upon arrest, no bail, no plea downs, and no reduced sentences.
FOR THE RECORD: I OPPOSE HB
5653
Note
1
Sec. 29-38m.
Sale of ammunition or ammunition magazine. (a) For the purposes of this
section and sections 29-38n to 29-38p, inclusive, “ammunition” means a loaded
cartridge, consisting of a primed case, propellant or projectile, designed for
use in any firearm, “firearm” has the meaning provided in section 53a-3, and
“magazine” means any firearm magazine, belt, drum, feed strip or similar device
that accepts ammunition.
(b) No person, firm or
corporation shall sell ammunition or an ammunition magazine to any person under
eighteen years of age.
(c) On and after October 1, 2013,
no person, firm or corporation shall sell ammunition or an ammunition magazine
to any person unless such person holds a valid permit to carry a pistol or
revolver issued pursuant to subsection (b) of section 29-28, a valid permit to
sell at retail a pistol or revolver issued pursuant to subsection (a) of
section 29-28, a valid eligibility certificate for a pistol or revolver issued
pursuant to section 29-36f or a valid long gun eligibility certificate issued
pursuant to section 29-37p and presents to the transfer or such permit or
certificate, or unless such person holds a valid ammunition certificate issued
pursuant to section 29-38n and presents to the transfer or such certificate and
such person's motor vehicle operator's license, passport or other valid form of
identification issued by the federal government or a state or municipal
government that contains such person's date of birth and photograph.
(d) The provisions of subsection
(c) of this section shall not apply to the sale of ammunition to (1) the
Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, police departments, the
Department of Correction, the Division of Criminal Justice, the Department of
Motor Vehicles, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection or the
military or naval forces of this state or of the United States; (2) a sworn and
duly certified member of an organized police department, the Division of State
Police within the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection or the
Department of Correction, a chief inspector or inspector in the Division of
Criminal Justice, a salaried inspector of motor vehicles designated by the
Commissioner of Motor Vehicles, a conservation officer or special conservation
officer appointed by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection
pursuant to section 26-5, or a constable who is certified by the Police Officer
Standards and Training Council and appointed by the chief executive authority
of a town, city or borough to perform criminal law enforcement duties, for use
by such sworn member, inspector, officer or constable in the discharge of such
sworn member's, inspector's, officer's or constable's official duties or when
off duty; (3) a member of the military or naval forces of this state or of the
United States; (4) a nuclear facility licensed by the United States Nuclear
Regulatory Commission for the purpose of providing security services at such
facility, or any contractor or subcontractor of such facility for the purpose
of providing security services at such facility; or (5) a federally licensed
firearm manufacturer, importer, dealer or collector.
(e) Any person who violates any
provision of this section shall be guilty of a class D felony.
If you go to the link for the bill and click on the "Public Hearing Testimony" radio button, you will be taken to the list of all the submitted testimony. You will see that it runs in the hundreds in opposition, and very few in support. In reading the testimony of others, those in opposition list many reasons and logical arguments, where those in support are emotionally whining "we must do something!!!" even if it infringes on the Constitutional Rights of others. Of course, those writing in support are NOT firearms owners, would never pay a penny in such a tax to pay for a cause they seem to support, nor would they even consider voluntarily contributing to such a cause. It must be paid for with the confiscated money of others. Where I wrote "It is so unfortunate that our state seems to have this
bad habit of passing such infringements knowing they will end up in court, and
then state officials crying like little children when they are sued (like right
now with the multiple pending lawsuits). I will personally be more than happy
to again voluntarily contribute to any court costs and attorney fees to fight
such poor legislation should it pass." Here is a video clip of Kommiecticut AG William "Sum-Ting-Wong" Tong whining about being sued over unconstitutional gun laws.
The next bill alert I received was for House Bill #6684 (tagged on the CGA website as HB6684) which is to remove certain precision small caliber pistols used strictly for precision target shooting that were hoovered up and into the update to the 1994 state "assault weapons ban" a few years ago. The C.C.D.L. recommends supporting this bill. Below is my [redacted] submitted testimony.
Support
for H.B. 6684
My name is XXXXX XXXXX, and I have been involved
with civilian firearms ownership since 1980. I also served in the U.S. Army
from 1981 to 1987 earning my “EXPERT” marksmanship badge with the M16. I have
held my CT state pistol permit since 1983 right after turning 21. I have competed
in many firearms events in both rifle and pistol. I load my own pistol and
rifle ammunition using standardized recipes and have developed and tested my
own. I perform my own basic gunsmithing, fabrication, modification, and
repairs. I have introduced and instructed many “firearms curious” individuals
to their first firearms experience as well as an introduction to reloading
while stressing safety at all times. I belong to the N.R.A., The CT Citizen’s
Defense League, The XXXXX XXXXX Club, The Garand Collector’s
Association, and am an authorized purchaser through the Civilian Marksmanship
Program. I consider myself to have more firearm experience than the average
firearm owner, and certainly more experience than the majority of members of the
CT General Assembly, Administration, state bureaucrats, and sadly to say from
experience, most law enforcement.
The
U.S. Constitution; Second Amendment
A
well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the
right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Constitution
of the State of Connecticut; Article First, Section 15
Every citizen has a right to bear arms in defense of himself and
the state.
Neither of these statements confer any
right to arms, but instead exist to PREVENT government from denying a
right to be armed. These rights come from God the Almighty to Americans by
birth, not granted by any government entity. That would be a “privilege” not a
right.
I am writing
to provide my support for H.B. 6684AN
ACT EXCLUDING CERTAIN TARGET SHOOTING PISTOLS FROM PROVISIONS ON ASSAULT
WEAPONS for two reasons.
1). It corrects the placing of certain firearms that
are specifically made for precision target shooting on a list of firearms
referred to as “assault weapons” because of design layout characteristics that
have nothing to do with making them any “more deadly” but more precise and accurate.
2). ANYTHING that weakens those
unconstitutional/intolerable abominations from 1994 known as the “assault
weapons ban” and the 2013 “Act Concerning Gun Violence Prevention and
Children’s Safety” is a win for the freedom loving citizens that may still live
in Connecticut. I will keep you all updated on upcoming bills, and post copies of my testimony here.
As you can see, I use the top qualifying header on all my testimony. I want them to see that I am eminently qualified to speak about firearms, where THEY ARE NOT! And to remind them every single time of the 27 words in The Second Amendment and the 15 words of The State Constitution in which Article the First Section 15 is not even remotely debatable; and how they violate their Oath of Office every time they propose infringements. I will update you all on upcoming pro gun bills and unconstitutional intolerable infringements, and post copies of my testimony.
