Ain't so funny, this time

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/TV/07/30/jerry.lewis.gun.ap/index.html

Jerry Lewis got busted with a gun in his carry on bags. The funny man wasn't laughing as cops cited him for this. Worst part of this is, if he was a normal guy....his ass would be in jail and not already at his destination.

In One month

It's been about a month since the Supreme Court reinterpreted the 2nd Amendment to close to what the Founding Fathers stated: "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."

It's not a "right" to be violated at the whim of the government...

Since that date with the Supreme Court, several states and municipalities have begun to rethink their position on the 2nd Amendment. As I mentioned in earlier blog entries, some cities have reversed their ban on weapons.

More are following that logic. Most are doing it, not because the Bill of Rights and the Supreme Court told them to, but rather because they want to avoid a costly legal battle. So, once again, it's not about what is the right thing to do, but rather the cheap, expedient thing to do. It works out in our favor, sure.. but it leaves a foul taste in my mouth. We didn't win because we were right, but because the other side is cheap...it's still a win, though for all our rights.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080730/ap_on_re_us/repealing_gun_bans

Familes

In the cartridge world, there are not a lot of orphan creations. Almost all of the known cartridges came from another cartridge design, or started a family of cartridges.

For example, of early example of a semi-auto pistol cartridge is the 7.65x 25mm Borchardt, created around 1893. This case was the mother of the 7.63x25 Mauser, 7.62x25 Tokarev, and 7.65 x 21 Parabellum (30 Luger). The 7.65 x 21 Parabellum (30 Luger) is the parent case of the 9 mm Parabellum; simply a 7.65x21 without a neck and a .355 mm bullet inserted.

The 7.62 x 51 mm was the result of the U.S. Army's attempt to replace the 30-06 with something smaller and lighter. They started with a .300 Savage case and created the T-65, a.k.a. --7.62x51mm. We all know this was commercialized into the 308 Winchester. Here's where the family really blows up.. and down. The .308 Win has been sized up and down every-which-way possible. The .243 Winchester, .358 Winchester, 7mm-08, .260 Remington, and the brand new.338 Federal. These are just the commercial members of the family. There are .20, .22, improved, shortened, etc wildcats out there

Now, one of the biggest families out there belongs to the little known black powder, .38-55 Winchester. This is the daddy of one of the most popular metallic cartridges ever...the 30-30 Winchester. The 30-30 led to the .32 Winchester Special, .22 Savage High power, 7-30 Waters, .25-35 Winchester, .219 Zipper, .22 Accelerator and .375 Winchester. The .30-30 is well over 120 years old and has been stretched, cut, sized up and down, poked and prodded probably more then any other cartridge out there.

Another huge family is the 8mm Mauser, also called the 8x57 Mauser. This momma cartridge begot the 7x57 Mauser, 9x57 Mauser, 6.5x57 Mauser, 6 mm Remington, 5.6x57 mm, 9x57 Mauser, 9.xx57 Mauser, and .257 Roberts/257 Roberts Improved. Some historians states that the 30-03 Springfield is simply a larger caliber copy of the 7mm Mauser, or smaller copy of the 8 mm Mauser. If you believe this, then the 8 mm Mauser is the grandmother of 30-06 which has an impressive family of its own, including: 35 Whelen, 338-06, .25-06 Remington, .270 Winchester, 6mm-06, 6.5mm-06 and 8mm-06, and .280 Remington.

For my final family.. the 375 H&H Magnum...
.244 H&H Magnum, 7x61 Sharpe & Hart Super, 7mm Remington Magnum, 7mm Weatherby Magnum, .257 Weatherby Magnum, .275 H&H Magnum, 7mm Shooting Times Westerner, .300 H&H Magnum, .264 Winchester Magnum, .270 Weatherby Magnum, .300 Weatherby Magnum, 8mm Remington Magnum, 6.5mm Remington Magnum, .350 Remington Magnum .340 Weatherby Magnum, .375 Weatherby Magnum, .400 H&H Magnum, .308 Norma Magnum, .338 Winchester Magnum .358 Norma Magnum, .416 Remington Magnum, .458 Lott, .465 H&H Magnum, .300 Winchester Magnum, and the .458 Winchester Magnum.

There are a ton of other families out there, for example, 45 ACP, .222 Remington, 10mm (10x25 mm), .416 Rigby, 400 Nitro, etc, etc, etc. It can be fun to trace origins of common place things, like cartridges to see where they came from..a little like Indiana Jones'ing through the web for facts and clues....

What is wrong with people?

What is wrong with people? Since when has it become acceptable to strive become the lowest scum on the planet? What makes people yearn to seek new lows?

I am not an Obama fan, but stealing his prayer from the Wailing Wall is just plan low!!! Printing it in a major newspaper, now that's even lower. What a man says in prayer is for his God only.

Now, a guy walks into church with a shotgun and starts unloading on people. 2 have died and several more injured. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/church_shooting What makes a person so crazy that he would walk into a church, or a school, or a hospital and start shooting. Trust me, I know that none of these places are without sin, but geeezz, come on !! If you want to go out in a blaze of glory....set yourself on fire and leave the rest of us alone, you sick f*cks.

Curious

I have a question I have never seen brought up before...it probably has, but I haven't seen it. Here's my question: What happened to all those people convicted of the "crime" of owning handguns, rifles, and shotguns in places like D.C. Chicago, Phili, and N.Y.C. that had unconstitutional laws on the books?

Thousands of people paid fines, paid lawyers, spent time in jail, lost rights for having a "felony" on their record, etc. Why should these people have suffered for bad laws? I hope they sue the crap out of those locations and win a enough cash to fill a semi. They should get their right fully restored, at the very least.

In my neck of the woods

It should be interesting to see what happens with this:
http://www.azfamily.com/yahoo_rss/stories/phoenix_local_news_072408_shooting.8a0de066.html?npc

Apparently, there was gun fire at a Phoenix community college in which two people were seriously wounded. This is bad...really bad. We were so close to getting a law passed here to allow CCW holders to carry weapons on higher education grounds. So close...it was recently vetoed by our Governor, but could have been back on the books again, soon.

Israel

The U.S. Military learned a long time ago, if you want to know how a weapon system will preform in the "real world," give it to the Israeli's. Unlike the U.S., the Israeli government is not squeamish about conflict. They will not use a substandard weapon for long as they do not have the manpower to over come crappy weapons.

It always struck me as off that the Israeli's went to the Galil in the 1970's. I mean, all their enemies were using Soviet weapons, typically AK's and they had little success defeating the Israeli military. So, why would the IDF decide to take a modified AK as their primary weapon? It seems the gun had typical AK reliability and not so typical AK accuracy. It was fairly accurate...not a target gun, but far better them the standard AK. But, the Galil was expensive to make.

What happened next is even more odd. They also adopted, in extremely large numbers, the M16 family of weapons. Sure, the M16 is more accurate then an AK, but it's far less reliable and requires far more maintenance. The M16 became the standard weapon of the IDF. We hear stories now of U.S. troops in Iraq complaining about the sand and how much cleaning the M16 needs to function properly. The Israeli's live in that kind of desert. I guess when something free or very low priced is offered, you make the best of it.

Now, the IDF has started issuing it's newest weapon: The Tavor. Well, not really newest, as the gun has been in the design and testing stages since 1991. Finally, this weapon is out of the testing stage and is being issued to troops as fast as they can be made.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/150378

The Tavor is not a revolutionary design. It is a combination of the best parts of a lot of different gun designs. It has a polymer bullpup stock, with an integral mount for an optical sight. It fires the NATO standard 5.56 round. It is also modular, allowing swapping of barrels and stocks with ease. You can have the same gun as a sniper model, light machine gun, or assault rifle with some quick changes.

According to World Guns (http://world.guns.ru/assault/as30-e.htm):
TAR-21 utilizes a now-common long piston stroke, rotating bolt action, with the gas piston rigidly attached to the bolt carrier. Gas cylinder is located above the barrel and is completely enclosed by the gun housing. The rotating bolt is similar to one found in the M16 rifle and has seven lugs. The ejection ports are made on both sides of the weapon, and the right or the left side ejection can be selected by installing the bolt with the ejector mounted on the right or on the left, respectively. The bolt carrier rides on the single guide rod, with the return spring unit located above it, behind and inside the hollow gas piston rod. The charging handle is located at the front left side of the gun and does not reciprocate when gun is fired. The charging handle slots are cut on the both sides of the gun housing, so it can be installed on either side of the weapon, as required. The trigger unit is more or less conventional, with the ambidextrous fire mode selector / safety switch located above the pistol grip. The TAR-21 has no separate receiver. Instead, all parts are mounted within the high impact-resistant plastic housing, reinforced with steel inserts where appropriate. The access to all the internal parts is controlled by the hinged buttplate, which can be swung down for internal inspection and disassembly.

The gun also uses M16 magazines, which makes sense, since Israel has millions of them already in stock. Like I said, nothing new or creative, just a molding together of good features from other weapon systems.

Boooo !

I am almost ashamed to have been born in Brooklyn after reading this:

http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=83965

A joint program between a group of Brooklyn pastors and the Brooklyn district attorney netted almost 700 guns. The event allowed people who owned illegal guns to drop them off at six churches in exchange for a $200 debit card, no questions asked. Twenty dollar bank cards were given for B.B. guns and air pistols. Overall, 697 illegal and functioning guns were collected on Saturday at six churches throughout the borough, including 204 revolvers, 193 pistols, 226 rifles and shotguns and 12 assault weapons. The guns will be melted down into hangers that will be used at dry cleaners.

Also mentioned, "Kelly reminded people that the city also has an ongoing gun buy back program at police stations that offers $100 for each eligible gun."

The idiocy of these buy backs always astounds me. The history of these programs ahs shown that non-functioning guns are the primary turn-ins. The next guns are usually from widows who are locking to off-load guns left by their spouses. These "buybacks" are a huge waste of time and money.

New revolver rounds

I have always wondered why more development has not been made in revolver ammo. There are still a ton of models of revolvers out there and hundreds of thousands are bought and sold each year, new and old. Yet, with all this, the development of new rounds has been mostly limited to bigger and faster and not towards carry.

In the past few months. the .327 Magnum has popped up, but again, this is a longer case then the 32 H&R Mag, faster, and quite a bit more potent. This is a good little cartridge. in my opinion as it is fairly close to lighter weight .357 mag power.

My idea, though, is smaller rounds, more efficient, and able to compete effectively on a small scale with semi-auto pistol rounds. Let's face it, a 38 Special is a very large case for the performance it offers, which is fairly compatible to the 9 mm Mak or 380 Auto, with lighter loads.

How about we design a revolver round that is small, efficient and suitable for self protection with a smaller gun. No need for an X-frame sized gun,. How about something on a J-frame that can hold 6 or 7 rounds but still be at least as potent as a 9 mm Parabellum or maybe a 357 mag. We can do it. Powders can be selected to make the case as efficient as possible while keeping pressures low enough for a small, lightweight frame. Heck, we can take an N-frame, cut the cylinder length in half and probably still 8 or 9 cartridges into a revolver that weight less then most comparable semi-auto pistols and would be even more reliable.

Just an idea.... I hope one of the gun/ammo manufactures looks at one day

More crap from D.C.

It seems odd to think that the District of Columbia is the home to all three branches of our government and yet is the Crime Capital of the U.S., both civilian and government officials , as well as home to the worst local government. Why would a place that symbolises the home to our freedoms purposely flaunt and disobey the laws of the land?

The Supreme Court has redeemed the 2nd Amendment, yet D.C. is making every effort to skirt the ruling and outright ignore it.

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Federal/Read.aspx?id=4099

I am surprised

Well, I have to say it: I am shocked. This totally took me by surprise.

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?id=4095
http://www.aclunv.org/aclu-nevada-supports-individual%E2%80%99s-right-bear-arms

Now, it shouldn't be surprising that a group which has dedicated itself to the protection of rights guaranteed within the Bill of Rights. However, the ALCU, in general has always been Anti-2nd. All the other Amendments in the Bill of Rights were individual, except the 2nd, according to the ACLU. Now one of the state level chapters has broken ranks with the national ACLU statement that the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a militia right, not an individual; they have proclaimed:

"In light of the United States Supreme Court's decision concerning the D.C. handgun ban (District of Columbia v. Heller), the ACLU of Nevada considers it important to clearly state its position regarding the right to bear arms. The Nevada ACLU respects the individuals right to bear arms subject to constitutionally permissible regulations. The ACLU of Nevada will defend this right as it defends other constitutional rights. This policy was formulated by our affiliate Board in light of both the U.S. Constitution and the clearly-stated individual right to bear arms as set out in the Nevada Constitution's Declaration of Rights."

I have always found it amazing that a group created to "maintain the position that civil liberties must be respected, even in times of national emergency" goes to so much trouble to get equal rights for all, end segregation, and get evolution taught in classrooms would spend just as much energy avoiding the fact that the 2nd Amendment is a guaranteed right within the Constitution. Here is a group with will defend porn as free speech, push to get rights for illegal aliens and war criminals in Guantanamo, and maintain that the death penalty is cruel and unusual punishment for convicted murders, yet will not stand up and defend my right as a law-abiding citizen of this country to own and use a firearm in defense of my life. Bizarre, huh?

That one of the local ACLU organizations would publish a new stance of the 2nd Amendment is amazing. I have respect for this group which has stated it was wrong to stand against our Constitutional Right and will now support it is a great change for truly defending Americans freedoms. Now, if we can get them to start remembering that illegal aliens are not American citizens have have no right to our Rights.... well, one battle at a time.

Oh, as for the national ACLU..they released this statement regarding Heller...
http://blog.aclu.org/2008/07/01/heller-decision-and-the-second-amendment/

"The ACLU interprets the Second Amendment as a collective right. Therefore, we disagree with the Supreme Court’s decision in D.C. v. Heller. While the decision is a significant and historic reinterpretation of the right to keep and bear arms, the decision leaves many important questions unanswered that will have to be resolved in future litigation, including what regulations are permissible, and which weapons are embraced by the Second Amendment right that the Court has now recognized."

Reinterpretation... My ass....!

Va CCW have gone up !!

Well.. here's another expected result of the crazy world we live in.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/11/AR2008041103711.html

Apparently, the number of people who obtained a concealed carry permit jumped 60% from 2006 to 2007. The experts believe the Virginia Tech Massacre is the main cause.

Here's the shocking part.... the Ultra-Liberal Washington Post, actually allowed this statement to be placed into one of their articles: "Both gun-control activists and members of law enforcement noted that those people who take the time to get a permit are largely law-abiding and unlikely to commit a crime." This is an amazing concession from the mostly Anti-2nd Washington Post is declaring that even law enforcement state that people who are licensed to carry guns are not, nor are ever likely to become criminals.

"Gun stores report increased sales and increased participation in training classes. Completing a firearms safety class as well as a background check are prerequisites for obtaining a concealed weapons permit in Virginia. Permits are issued by the state's circuit courts and are good for five years, but they can be renewed if there is no good cause to refuse the renewal.
The number of people approved to carry concealed weapons in Virginia has gone up and down in recent years. In 2002, a year after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the number of permits granted went up almost 100 percent, from about 15,000 to more than 30,000. But the annual number soon drifted down into the 20,000s until 2007, when it shot up to 43,927. The rise was first reported yesterday in the Virginian-Pilot newspaper.
State police said that more than 152,000 people currently hold valid concealed-carry permits. In addition to concealed carrying, openly carrying a weapon is legal in Virginia and is done regularly by gun rights activists. "

And more crap

Heller confirmed the 2nd Amendment guarantees the individual right to own an bear arms. So, the Anti's have started going after everything else.

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=4090

For example, in Massachusetts they are raising the cost to increase the cost of CCW and FFL In other places, they are adding a tax to ammo, or limiting the amount of ammo one can purchase in a months time, or limiting the number of guns one can purchase in a month.

Since they can't ban 'um, they are going to try to make it so cost prohibitive that while you can own one, you cannot afford one.

Deals

Normally, I do not like suggesting a place to buy guns from, but I will make an exception for this company. Davidson's Gallery of Guns is a national distributor of all types of guns. They ell guns to most of the gun shops and FFL's out there.

http://www.galleryofguns.com

If you cannot find the gun you want at your local gun store, order it through this place and have it delivered to your local gun store. Usually, the prices are just as good as the local shop, plus you get some additional bonuses the gun shop doesn't offer:

The "GuaranteeD Lifetime Replacement Warranty backs all of the firearms Davidson's sells. If you ever experience a defect with a firearm purchased through Davidson's, a Brand New Replacement* will be provided. Should your two-year old bolt-action rifle break a firing pin a week before the annual "boys outing" the first day of deer season, “we've got you covered.” Imagine a new firearm right out of the box!! If it is defective, it is covered, period."

It's a pretty good deal, for no additional charge....

More reason to blame America, I am sure

More reason to blame America, I am sure.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080713/wl_nm/mexico_drugs_dc

According to Mexican officials have repeated blamed the U.S. and our "liberal" gun policies for their violence and yet have repeatedly failed to stop their drug lords, crime syndicates, and gangs. They fail to place the blame where it should lie... their issues, not ours.

It's a tragedy, for sure... though.

More proof

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3567134,00.html

Here is more proof that when faced with bad guys, an armed good guy is the best defense.

"...shots were fired around midnight Friday, towards the people standing near the gate. Large police forces and paramedics were promptly dispatched to the scene. The two victims were taken to hospital in Jerusalem.

First to arrive were two officers, one from the Border Guard and the other police. They heard gunfire, but at first believed it to be from a wedding nearby. When it turned into rapid fire exchange the two rushed to the scene, and found one of the victims lying on the ground and the other returning fire. They also saw a suspicious man fleeing the scene."

That's right, the victims were shooting back... and probably had the terrorist on the run as the cops got there. Israeli citizens are in the crossfires of one terrorist group or another. When the people stand up for themselves, the terrorists have something to fear.....

GSG-5

I had the opportunity to fire a new gun to me today: The GSG-5. GSG stands for the manufactures, German Sport Gun, and the "5" refers to the fact that is a visual copy of the HK MP5. This gun, unlike the regular one in 9mm, is in .22 Long Rifle. The weapon I fired had a permanently mounted fake suppressor attached to the barrel to hide the last 8 to 9 inches of the end of the gun. In total the gun has a 16 inch barrel. GSG-5's are imported by American Tactical Imports.

It is not a true copy of the MP5, for reasons other then the caliber. This weapon was designed from the ground up as semi-automatic only, while the MP5 is capable as full automatic. None of the parts are interchangeable. The controls are the same, though. A huge, ambidextrous safety is just above the trigger assembly on either side of the gun. My friends gun had a 1913-rail and was mounted with an after market red dot scope. The GSG-5 comes with either a standard stock or a retractable stock that slides closer or further away from the gun body via an ambidextrous paddle near the shoulder portion of the stock.

The weapon weight about 6 pounds, give or take a few ounces.

In my sample, the retractable shoulder stock had two separate arms that slide in and out of an assembly on the main body of the gun and connected to the end stock plate. The two arms were not completely locked into the stock plate and I found that, often times, the arms would move independently of each other. I would then have to manually pull or push the other arm into place. It was a minor inconvenience.

The magazines looked well built and were easy to reload and insert into the gun. There was a positive click when the magazine was in place. Each magazine I had access to held 22 rounds, although I hear that 10 rounders are available for the people who live in Anti-2nd places. The large magazine release was just in front of the trigger guard and was easy to reach with the trigger finger, and like the other controls was ambidextrous.

I found the trigger to be very AK like. It was a long pull but not outrageously heavy. I would guess it was probably about 8 to 10 pounds, but did have a constant let off point. I did not have a problem hitting what I was shooting at due to the trigger weight, though.

The slide release is MP5 style; a paddle on the top of the barrel shroud, in front of the magazine housing. It is pretty far in front of a standard rifle or pistol slide release and took a second for me to fine. Once I got used to it, it worked well enough.
Since a red dot scope was already mounted to the weapon, I did not have an chance to test the iron sights. I sites certainly looked large enough, from an off center viewing, but the sight radius was pretty short. It looked to be less then 12 inches of sight radius, as the rear sight was above the pistol grip and the front globe sight was just before the long fake suppressor.

Since I was at an indoor range, I didn't have a chance to chase cans at 50+ yards, but the weapon is certainly capable of it. I wasn't expecting a new gun to play with, so i didn't bring a camera or any measuring tools, but I would guess that I managed to put ten shots into a 1,5 inch group at about 15 yards. I an sure the weapon could do better, but I was working offhand with a dot scope. I went through about 40 rounds or various brands of ammo without a single malfunction before I handed the weapon back to its owner.

While the gun looks cool enough and functions well enough, the base MSRP on it is $499. My friend probably spent another $200 on the red dot scope, mount, and retractable stock. That's a lot of money considering you can get a very tricked out Ruger 10/22 that will way outshoot this gun for about $200 less. Still, it was fun to play with at the range.

Debating correctly

One of the most common mistakes in arguing with someone is to lose reason and intellect and drop down to personal attacks on the person. Arguing anything at the personal attack level will neither convince the other person that you are right or educated. If the other person starts in with personal attacks, side-step the attack and continue with your well-thought out and rational arguments.

One of the ways Pro-2nd Amendment people can lose the fight is to let the Anti's see out dark side. Once we start with personal attacks on the other person, we end up being viewed as crackpots, nutcases, mental, redneck, or any of a plethora of other demeaning adjectives.

The key to converting someone who is on the fence about owning a gun or a persons freedom to own a gun is not to call the Anti's bad names or say they are stupid, it's to rationally work through the other sides issues and reinforce your beliefs.

I call the Brady Campaign the "Brady Bunch." This is a dig at their name, which I should not demean myself into doing, but yeah, it's funny. It's an in joke about the low brow, cheese comedy that was the 1970's TV show and aimed at the a group who has a real platform and, in their minds, a valid right to pursue banning of guns. Personally, they are wrong. With Pro-gun people, like the majority who read this forum, I can say Brady Bunch and no one would be offended. If I used that same term with a person who was unsure what to believe, and i was attempting to sway them to the Pro-2nd side, using an ill meaning term like that would probably not garner me any points.

The Brady Bunch does have valid concerns. I should address those concerns with whomever i am debating or persuading and alleviate that persons fears, concerns, and uncertainties. Rather then saying "The Brady Bunch is filled with membership of brainwashed, idiot lemmings who cannot find their way out of a paper bag with a map and a string to follow or come up with a new coherent sentence, even with Daniel Webster helping them... I should nod my head at the person I am speaking with to show them I understand what they are saying and then confer reason, proof, insight, and more proof that their fears are unfounded.

For example... the Anti-argument: "If guns were banned then criminals would not have them and murders and crime would go down."

The bad answer: "Yeah.. right.. like it did in Canada and Australia. Those dumbasses must be using the flip side of their Facts for the Day Toilet Paper. What a bunch of freakin ass clowns."

The better answer:
I can see you concern, but think about this...If criminals are disobeying the law as it is, and they are since they are criminals, then only the law-abiding citizens would be the ones to lose the right to own guns and thereby the right to protect themselves. Let me give you and example...in the past 30 years since handguns were banned in Great Britain, the murder and overall crime rates have more then doubled for the country and tripled in some areas.

Taking away guns from peaceful, law-abiding citizens doesn't affect criminals, but it hurts the guy with the family of three who can no longer protect his family for the 4 guys who just broke into his house, or the 22 year old nurse who is walking to her car in the parking garage when a guy in a ski mask starts chasing her. Sure, they can call the police, but the police average 5 to 9 minute response times. Who knows what would happen to the nurse or that guy and his family in those 9 minutes.

It's been 30 years since Washington D.C. banned all handguns. It is still the murder capital of the U.S. and violent crimes have risen over 50% in that time while the rest of the U.S. cities that allow handgun ownership have seen double digit decreases in those same crimes over the same time frame. Take a look at states like Florida and the nosedive their crime rate has taken since they started issuing concealed weapons licenses. The bad guys do not know who is carrying a gun these days and they are finding other ways to get money. Despite what all the naysayers said, carrying concealed guns in that state has not led to one shootout between a licensed carrier and law enforcement, but there have been many times when that licensed carrier was able to assist police officers in apprehending a bad guy. Guns in the right hands are as beneficial as a plow in the hand of good farmer."

.357 Automatic Pistol

Since the .357 Magnum was introduced over 70 years ago, advocates of the semi-automatic pistol were yearning for a gun with the power of the first magnum pistol round. The .45 ACP is about as good as you can get for real world stopping percentages, based on Marshall & Sanow and all the other "researchers," the best .45 ACP is only surpassed by the best .357 Magnum rounds.

Well, back in 1980 a guy named Dan Coonan released a modified, stainless steel M1911 Government style weapon that held 8 rounds of .357 Magnum. His company was called Coonan Arms. The company was located in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The first 1700 made used a link, just like the M1911 (some sources quote 5000). After those, the design was modified to a linkless design. These linkless models were called the "B" variant." All variants came with adjustable sights, extended slide releases, and extended safety catches. The standard model of the weapon had a five inch barrel and weighed a hefty 45 + ounces. The pistol held 7 +1 rounds of ammo. This was a lot of fire power, when compared to a standard 5 or 6 round revolver, using the same cartridge. This was a "tweaked" pistol, and its price showed it. It cost almost double what a base model M1911 Government would. The M.S.R.P. was approximately $750.

There was also a Cadet version, with a shorter 3.9 inch barrel and a 6 + 1round capacity. Apparently, there was also a .41 Magnum version made, that held 7 rounds of that little powerhouse.

The pistol was supposed to have been fairly accurate, but had quite a kick even with its hefty weight. Reports on the reliability of this weapon vary only slightly; most agreeing it is very reliable. The best part about this pistol is that the magazine was generously enough proportioned to hand bullets ranging from 110 grains to 180 grain bullets. This accommodates almost all commercial loads, from plinking to high end self defense rounds. Reports on accuracy state this pistol was extremely accurate; as in close to M1911 National Match type accuracy.

I haven't found a source that states if the manufacture of this pistol was resumed after the bankruptcy of Coonan Arms in the mid-1990's and the later restructuring. Last thing I found on the corporate website (http://www.dancoonan.com/dci_sales.html) is that sales of parts has ceased, but no mention on the weapon itself.

It's an interesting pistol and I wish I could get a hold of one.

Contempt

I am shaking my head in utter disbelief at the sheer stupidity and audacity of the leadership in Washington D.C.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,377203,00.html

I am almost speechless.

How have these people not been arrested and prosecuted for contempt of court?

At least someone in this article has some commonsense. Gura said the Heller decision does not protect "dangerous or unusual weapons" — like fully automatic, military style machine guns — but it does protect weapons "in common use" or those people would use for "lawful purposes." Semiautomatics, which police departments have made their weapon of choice, would fall under that category, Gura said.

"It's unfortunate that, you know, they seem to think that a ban on semiautomatic firearms is constitutional. It's not," Gura said. "Semiautomatics are garden variety. It's a normal, non-exotic, typical technology. It does not let you spray bullets. ... People here 'automatic,' and they think, 'Oh, it's Rambo.' It's not."

Another Gem

I was rearranging my ammo and found an old sales flyer behind some boxes. It is an old Century Arms International flyer that dates to 1992 or 1993. It was sent to an address I only lived at for those two years. The 24 pages are yellowed and there is no e-mail address or website information listed anywhere in the flyer...it's that old.

It was a stroll down amnesia lane, though. I was found myself wishing I had the forethought then to buy a few of everything in the flyer, as they are either no longer available or outrageously priced these days.

For example:
--Enfield No4 Mk2 in excellent condition for $140.
--Brand new Russian Makarov, with 2 mags and the holster....$130.
--East German Maks.. $170
--S&W Model 10's...$99.99
--Webley and Scott Mk IV revolvers in 38 S&W...$90.
--Enfield No2 Mark1 pistols... $80
--Brazilian Mausers in 7 mm Mauser...$100
--Swedish Mauser, M96 and M38... $80 and $100 each...
--Ishapore Enfields in 7.62x51mm (2A).. $90
--Persian Mausers...$60
--Finnish M39 Sniper rifles WITH brand new scopes and mounts... $200
--Just the M39 rifles..$75

Hell.. ammo prices were a dream, too...
--Chinese 7.62x25.. $6 per 70 rd boxes
--9mm Largo.. $3.72 per 25 rd box
--5.56x45, Malaysian made...$3. per box of 20
--7.62x39, Romanian made, $2.52 per box
--308 Win, Argentinian made, $3.06 per 20 rd box (Taiwan made @2.49 or stripper clips)

Ahh.. the good old days... If I would have invested $2500 on rifles, I would probably have that collection pushing $25000 in value today.

Police

I have nothing against law enforcement. They serve an important function in today's society. Theirs is a job that requires skill, patience, determination, and again, patience. I know a few cops. Some are in the job for right reason; to help people. A couple of them have big egos and a power trip,but most are good, down to earth people. Most of them have something in common, though: Very limited shooting experience.

Many cops will never pull a firearm in the line of duty during their careers. Most police departments only require firearms certifications once or twice a year. Now, obviously, specialty departments may have more training, but here in Arizona, the basic" beat" cop only qualifies once or twice per year. I have been at the range with my friends and seen them shoot...It isn't pretty.

I was at my local indoor range about ten days ago. A pair of Border Patrol agents was at the range just before me and took the last open firring position. I knew they were Border Patrol since they were wearing their uniforms and had their badges on their waists. I watched them through the viewing glass. The lady agent was a decent shot with her handgun...from 7 feet from the edge of the counter. Yes...I watched her do a series of 5 drills or so from 7 feet away from the end of her weapon. At that range, she made a nice 4 inch pattern. Yes, I watched her make a 4 inch pattern from 7 feet on a human silhouette target. Extrapolate that out about 21 feet and this will turn out to be a 12 inch pattern....that's the difference between hitting or missing a target.

My cop friend who I shoot with is a bit better. Now, I will not embarrass him with posting what i have seen him shoot, but it's mildly better then the Border patrol agent.

People need to understand, the law enforcement agencies do not have the manpower or funds to provide training beyond what they already do. Training involves taking the officer off of regular duty. Someone has to cover this guys job while he is training and it usually falls to paying overtime, or just leaving that slot unfilled for the day. Bullets cost more money then ever these days. Most cops also are not big fans of practice and qualification days. They involve a lot of standing around and wasting time before your turn is up or sitting around and listening to a trainer, then eventually being able to shoot a few dozen rounds to qualify.

Another thing to remember: Law Enforcement are civilians. They are not military or even paramilitary. Don't expect them to be knowledgeable about weapons. They training is on the law, not weapons. The cops I know could not tell you the difference between an SKS or an AK, or an M4 vs an AR15 or a Mossberg 500 and a Winchester 1200. They have a tough job and these days get little respect for that tough job.

Reciprocity

I find is amazing that a gay couple can get married in Massachuttes or California and those states expect the rest of the states in the union to recognize that marriage as valid, even though those other states may not formally recognize gay marriages as valid to perform within thier own state, Now, I have no issue with gay marriage. I am neither for nor against it. I am simply using this as something that has caused contention, but due to a variety of laws, a legal marriage in one state is valid in all states. It's the same thing with drivers licenses. A long haul truck driver from Vermont is not required to also pass a test in the 0therr 49 states. Hell, we also recognize Canadian and Mexican drivers licenses, too.

It should be the same for CCW licenses. I have passed the requirements to carry a concealed weapon within my state. Why should I not be allowed to carry throughout the United States? I am a law abiding citizen. I haven't even had so much as a speeding ticket in 10+ years. I am fairly well educated and have also taken no fewer that 6 firearms courses. So, the question begs to be asked, why would I be treated like a criminal for bringing my self-protection, as guarenteed by the Bill of Rights, with me to Las Vegas, or Los Angeles, or even Chicago?

Well, finally, a politician is using some common sense....

http://www.gunreports.com/news/handguns/Vitter-Concealed-Carry-Reciprocity_517-1.html

Senator David Vitter (R-LA) is planning to introduce a concealed carry reciprocity bill next week.
Sen. Vitter sent a letter to his fellow senators, asking them to cosponsor his forthcoming bill, the "Respecting States Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act."
The Vitter bill treats concealed carry permits much the same as drivers' licenses, where one state's license is recognized in all other states.

Now the bill is very limited, but it is a start. "States that do not allow concealed carry at all are not forced, under the Vitter bill, to recognize out-of-state permits."

A gun review

The first curio/relic I bought was a Vz-52 "She" Rifle. Vz stands for vzor, which means "model." Some sources list this as a CZ-52 rifle, which is quasi-correct, being that it is a Western interpretation of the gun's maker/country of origin. It's one of those non-truths that have come to be accepted as a truth, like waiting to go swimming after eating. By the way, a curio/relic weapon is typically a 50+ year old design or a odd design, as deemed by the BATFE.

This rifle has been a dream and a bane since the day I got it. It's accurate as hell, but a pain in the ass to reassemble. It's a heavy gun for the cartridge it fires, about 9 pounds and recoil is very light. The trigger is smooth as silk.

Some background history:
After World War Two, Czechoslovakia was stuck with a hodgepodge of small arms dating from the late 1890's to the recent war. Some stuff was great, like their machine guns and submachine guns, but their rifles were mostly Mauser 98 copies they were licensed to make and their pistols ranged from anemic to horrid (cz38..bleh). Since the country had a fairly remarkable history of weapons craft (Brno and CZ) they decided to build their own guns. The guns was supposed to have been reliable as all get out, but not too original, in design.

The VZ52 Rifle was a piecemeal conglomeration of the good parts of a variety of weapons put together into a barely mediocre weapon. They used an almost direct copy of the Garand trigger mechanism, the gas piston operating system of the German Mk42, with an odd tipping bolt lock with two front lugs. The barrel was 4-groove, 20.5 inches long that was threaded at the end to attach a grenade launcher, flash hider, and other accessories.

The weapon also had an integral bayonet that flipped closed to the right of the weapon into an indented area. This does not affect the grip and hasn't seemed to help or hinder my accuracy, extended or not. The weapon has a really nice safety that is on the right side of the trigger guard and can be flicked on with a pull of the trigger finger or flipped off by a quick bump with the back of your trigger finger. The sights are adjustable for distance, up to 900 yards. A nice feature on these sights is that the range markers are printed on the top and bottom of the sight, so flipped up or down you can easily tell what it is set for. Under the butt plate is a hollowed out area for a cleaning kit.

[IMG]http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg281/ericnon/P7010044.jpg[/IMG]

Add to this, the rifle used a unique round, 7.62x45 mm, also known as the Czech M52. This cartridge is based on the Soviet M43, 7.62x39mm. The weapon also has a detachable 10 round magazine that is fed through the receiver of the weapon either singly or with 5 round stripper clips.

Here is a comparison between the 7.62x54R, 7.62x45, and the 7.62x39,
[IMG]http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg281/ericnon/P7010039.jpg[/IMG]

The extra length of the cartridge really didn't serve much purpose, as the cartridge listed as 2440 ft/second with an (approx) 125 grain steel core fmj bullet. This is only marginally faster then the Soviet M43 cartridge.The ammo comes in 15 round boxes, either on stripper clips or not. The ammo comes in two surplus varieties, green box or brown box. The green box does not come on stripper clips and the only markings on the box are "7.62-Mod. 52." The cases are green lacquered steel. Let's just say, magnets really like everything about this round. The brown box stuff comes on the five round stripper clips and is marked on one side in a lot of Czech writing and on the other side with an importer sticker that says "7.62x45 Cz52 Rifle Ammunition." This ammo is brass cased, but still has steel core bullets. All this ammo is corrosive.

[IMG]http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg281/ericnon/P7010050.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg281/ericnon/P7010047.jpg[/IMG]

The guns are marked on the left side, starting just under the rear sight with the stamp, "she." Hence the nickname, "She Rifles." Below this the month and year of manufacture, and below that is the serial number.There are several matching serial number stamps under various parts, including the underside of the handguard, the barrel under the handguard, and the magazine.

In the mid-1950's the Czechs, as part of the Warsaw Pact, were forced by the Soviets to standardize to the M43 (7.62x39mm) round for their rifles. In 1957, all Vz52 rifles were modified to this Soviet round, becoming the Vz52/57. This caused a bunch of issues with the magazines. Accuracy took a nose dive and feed/extraction issues became prevalent. These converted rifles are marked as 52/57 to avoid ammo confusion. This unreliability caused the weapon to be replaced starting in 1958 by the far superior Vz58 assault rifle.
Many of these rifles were sold to African countries. They ended up in a ton of places, including Cuba (Bay of Pigs), Granada, and also some South American countries. About 15 years ago, a bunch of them were imported into the U.S. These were probably the best ones available, good to very good condition. They were still fairly beat up. About 5 years ago, another batch came in. These were in fair to almost good condition. Most of these had cracked stocks and the importers covered the stocks in a blackish resin similar to Rhino Bedlining.

There is VERY little surplus ammo available in the U.S. There are a few companies that make commercial batches of this ammo. Thunderbird Cartridge Company in the Phoenix metro area will match just about anything, as well as Buffalo Bullet Company.

My gun is fun to shoot, but a bitch to clean. The tipping bolt head fits into a groove on the slide. The slide has a full rail on one side and a partial rail on the other, with a small cutout where the slide meets the receiver rail. Getting the two together properly has caused me fits. There was a year straight this gun was in it's box in parts because I was too frustrated to keep trying. In addition, I had a bunch of "stuck" cases after i had shot off a dozen rounds. After a cleaning with me, my drill, a cleaning rod, and a 30 caliber chamber cleaner (I do not recommend the drill..like I said, frustration) this problem ceased to be an issue.

[IMG]http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg281/ericnon/P7010048.jpg[/IMG]

I do not have pictures of me me shooting the weapon to post here, as it was 112 degrees yesterday and the indoor range I inhabit won't allow me to shoot steel core ammo. I can attest the gun is far more accurate then any AK47 and marginally better then an SKS. This is good enough for most military needs.

The weapon, with ammo, is heavier then the SKS by more then half a pound (quarter of a kilo for you others). The stock and handguards are thick, quite a bit more so then an SKS and the weapon does feel a bit barrel heavy, probably due to long length of the stock (up to 4 inches from the end of the barrel) and the integral bayonet. It comes to the shoulder reasonably well, and as I mentioned before, recoil is minimal.

[IMG]http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg281/ericnon/P7010042.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg281/ericnon/P7010041.jpg[/IMG]

Accurate follow up shots are easily done. The trigger guard is large enough to use with gloves on, which makes sense considering the winters in Czechoslovakia.

Anywho, this is one of the few "unique" designs to come out of a Warsaw Pact country at a time when most of the Soviet Bloc was copying Tokarev pistols, SKS's, and Ak's.

Gun quotes

Gun quotes from the famous and the infamous:

--Sigmund Freud: "A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity."

--Thomas Jefferson: "The laws that forbid the carrying of arms are laws of such a nature. They disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes....Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."

--John Adams: "Arms in the hands of citizens may be used at individual discretion in private self defense."

--Luke 11:21 "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his house, his possessions are safe."

--Joseph Story: "The right of the citizens to keep and bear arms has justly been considered, as the palladium of the liberties of a republic; since it offers a strong moral check against the usurpation and arbitrary power of rulers; and will generally, even if these are successful in the first instance, enable the people to resist and triumph over them." (Founding Father)

--Professor Joyce Lee Malcolm: "The Second Amendment was meant to accomplish two distinct goals...First, it was meant to guarantee the individual's right to have arms for self-defense and self-preservation. These privately owned arms were meant to serve a larger purpose as well...and it is the coupling of these two objectives that has caused the most confusion. The customary American militia necessitated an armed public...the militia (being)...the body of the people. The argument that today's National Guardsmen, members of a select militia, would constitute the only persons entitled to keep and bear arms has no historical foundation."

--James Madison: "Americans have the right and advantage of being armed, unlike the people of other countries, whose leaders are afraid to trust them with arms."

--James Earl Jones: "The world is filled with violence. Because criminals carry guns, we decent law-abiding citizens should also have guns. Otherwise they will win and the decent people will lose."

--President Theodore Roosevelt: "The great body of our citizens shoot less as times goes on. We should encourage rifle practice among schoolboys, and indeed among all classes, as well as in the military services by every means in our power. Thus, and not otherwise, may we be able to assist in preserving peace in the world... The first step – in the direction of preparation to avert war if possible, and to be fit for war if it should come – is to teach men to shoot!"

--John F. Kennedy: "Today, we need a nation of Minutemen, citizens who are not only prepared to take arms, but citizens who regard the preservation of freedom as the basic purpose of their daily life and who are willing to consciously work and sacrifice for that freedom."

--George Mason ‘‘I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.’’

--Jeff Cooper" "An unarmed man can only flee from evil, and evil is not overcome by fleeing from it."

--Publius Cornelius Tacitus: "Formerly we suffered from crimes; now we suffer from laws."

--Hugh Downs: "I sympathize with people who want to ban guns, but I can't agree with them. We have to be careful in our zeal to abolish guns that we don't wind up with counter-productive legislation that will leave armed only the people most likely to do harm with them."

--George Washington: "Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself! They are the American people's Liberty Teeth and keystone under Independence. From the hour the Pilgrims landed, to the present day, events, occurrences, and tendencies prove that to insure peace, security, and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable. The very atmosphere of firearms everywhere, restrains evil interference -- they deserve a place of honor with all that's good!"

And for the right ending...
--Patrick Henry: "The people have a right to keep and bear arms."