RECCE ROOM

My friend, Sunday School teacher, and former fellow blogger, Right Minded, reads this blog. He is an avid Phillies fan (or is that "phan"?). Others in my Sunday School class, as well as many readers of this blog are Atlanta Braves fans. So am I. The Phillies have clinched the Division title and a playoff berth. The Phillies are also guaranteed the best record in the National League. The Braves (at the time of this post) have a 1.5 game lead in the Wild Card chase with three games left. Those three games are against the Phillies - who have nothing to play for. I was reading on some National League Wild Card facts recently: - the winner of the division that also houses the team with a Wild Card berth has never won a World Series - the winner of the division that also houses the team with a WC berth has advanced further than the WC team only 3 out of 15 times - BUT - the winner of the WC has advanced further than their division's winner in 6 of the 15 years - I...

Many Appleseed attendees use an AR15 rifle for the course, or at least part of it.  While the AR15 is the quintessential rifle for this kind of shooting, the shooter must still be aware of some things to maximize their effectiveness. Tight sling In the 1960's, the Army discontinued teaching sling use. A big factor in this was the adoption of the M16 rifle. When the sling is too tight, it can cant the barrel of the AR15. The Marines kept with the sling training, and soon realized that there is a point where the sling can be too tight. Now they teach careful use of the sling for Known Distance (KD) shooting. Many Appleseed instructors keep with the motto that there's no such thing as a "too-tight sling!" We know that is completely false. Only time a really tight sling should be used is on a free-floated barrel with a shooting jacket and glove.  Appleseed preaches the same thing on the L1A1 - which is just as bad. The sling swivel is attached directly to the...

Gubernatorial candidate Bill Haslam just posted a list of 105 Democrats and independents that endorse his run for office. Notable on the list - Randy Rayburn. One of the most anti-gun people in the state. Rayburn funded the initial lawsuit to overturn "Guns in Bars" last year.

A little over a month ago, I told you about a martial arts scam at Bobby Austin's Bushido School of Karate . The misdeeds: 1. Attempt to change rules at the last minute to force competitors to buy their sparring equipment. 2. Attempt to solicit our son away from his current school through nefarious methodology. 3. Improper charges to my credit card. Well, I received an announcement from my credit card today that my dispute was finalized. I won. The charges were fraudulent. I knew this all along, but having the bank confirm it is a measure of victory.

In Sunday School, I was asked if I had shot the M1 yet. This also served as a reminder that I needed to post about it here. I took my new-to-me M1 to the range Saturday and fired off a few clips. Yes - clips. The M1 is one of the few rifles that really does use a clip. Sure, it has an internal magazine, but one keeps the ammo in a clip. Reminder for my readers: Clips feed ammo into magazines. Magazines feed ammo into guns. Notes: A few shots into the range session, I realized I had not removed all the cosmoline ( petroleum based preservative ) via solvents. Cosmoline can also be removed via low heat (150 degrees, Fahrenheit). As I shot, the barrel heated up. Cosmoline came to the surface of the wooden hand guard. The rifle has stout, but manageable recoil. The weight of the rifle helps with this. Shooting from a bench increased the felt recoil - I prefer shooting from "field positions" in general. Putting my thumb across the rear of the handgrip and resting my ...

Several dozen empty egg cartons. Several dozen empty yogurt or sour cream container. No eggs - no yogurt - no sour cream. These were just containers.

A reader recently asked me to describe preparations I would suggest for SHTF , or TEOTWAWKI . Let me first state that I think localized SHTF is much more likely than TEOTWAWKI. Look at examples of tornadoes, hurricane Katrina, LA Riots, Nashville flooding, etc. In fact, my inlaws got a glimpse of my personal preparations back in May during the flooding. My mother-in-law was a bit concerned about whether we would have enough food to last until the waters subsided and we could travel to a local grocery store. I showed her part of my preparations, and she was immediately relieved. So I'll lay out what I suggest, and why I suggest it. As for the "why" - let me go on record by saying that a temporary, localized emergency is far more likely than a nationwide, or worldwide collapse. Therefore, I suggest planning for the temporary localized emergency primarily, with thoughts or long-term goals toward the large-scale collapse. Food Food is first on the list, because with...

A boy shoots "Rifleman" and they do not give him a patch . I don't care if he did shoot off sandbags - have a special youth "sandbag friendly" Rifleman patch for the youngster.

A Florida homeowner shot and killed a middle-of-the-night intruder. Murder charges will be filed in the death of the teen. However, as the article points out , the charges will not be against the homeowner - who acted well within his rights under the law - but against the teen's accomplices. This is how justice should work.

It would seem our Congress just eliminated the use of the word "retarded" in any format for Federal documents. They named this law after a girl named Rosa, who has Down's Syndrome. No disrespect meant toward Rosa, but they should have called it "Biden's Law"

This morning, my M1 was delivered to my house. My lovely wife signed for it. I hope she doesn't shoot it before I do, as I really don't have the extra money to buy another one if she takes it. Blog update this evening, after I inspect the John Garand goodness. --- Update: It is a Rifleman's Rifle, and now wears a USGI web sling. I did not put a new sling on the rifle, but a used one. A rifle such as this (used) is not a safe-queen. This rifle was made to be shot, and I will shoot it. The receiver is a Springfield Armory. Some of the parts are from different manufacturers. To a collector, this would be a bad thing. But to a collector, shooting the rifle would be a bad thing. This rifle was meant to be shot, and I will shoot it.  Muzzle erosion (1+) and throat erosion (2+) both gauged well below guaranteed maximum specs (less than 3 and less than 5, respectively) from the CMP - which is good. From those numbers, there's no reason this rifle shouldn't be abl...

This morning, I received an email: Nina xxxxx of Civilian Marksmanship Programs sent [Usagi] 1 FedEx Priority Overnight package(s). This shipment is scheduled to be sent on 09/21/2010. Reference information includes: Invoice number: 33xxxx Reference: 22xxxx Special handling/Services: Adult Signature Required Deliver Weekday Post-edit: It has shipped. Maybe tomorrow?

This article talks about US efforts to curb the illegal trafficking of guns to Mexico. Things we learn: 1. The ATF doesn't play nice, or by the rules. Oh, wait, we already knew that. 2. President Obama is frightened to nominate a head to the ATF. Oh, wait, we already knew that, too. 3. Going after "straw purchases" is not as effective as targeting higher level traffickers. Oh, wait, we already knew that, too. 4. Limiting the sale of certain firearms wouldn't help here because these guns are being bought and sold illegally in the first place. Oh, wait, we already knew that, too. On second thought, the only thing we learned from this article is that MSNBC all but admits the facts that those of us in the "gun culture" have been stating for years.

Do they? This article explores that question . I say yes. My wife has a carry permit, and carries all the time. My step-mother does, too. Several female friends of the family carry. My sister is contemplating getting her carry permit. The article also has several really good links: One . Two . Three . Four . Five barely talks about guns, or women, but is an interesting read.

Per the request today by Right Minded in Sunday School, here is an extrapolation of a statement I made a few days ago. --- First, a few thoughts on non-projectile weapons: No weapon Self explanatory. I suggest martial arts. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Boxing, Muay Thai are the best choices. There are other good choices for self defense, but that is beyond the scope of this request. Club Small stick < large stick < broom < baseball bat < Buford Pusser style 2x4 Blade Boxcutter < small knife < Bowie knife < bayonet < sword < English Broadsword < Scottish Claymore < Japanese Katana --- Now to the meat & potatoes of what Right Minded wanted: In general:  Rimfire < Handguns < Shotguns < Rifles Rimfire 22LR - .22's come in pistol and rifle varieties. - Adequate for hunting up to coyote-sized game at less than 100 yards. - While people have been killed by .22's they are not well suited for self defense. - How...

Last year, I wrote a bit about an organization called " Guns and Alcohol Don't Mix ." This group was adamantly opposed to Tennessee coming into the mainstream and allowing HCP holders to carry in restaurants. That group never picked up steam, and it fizzled after an activist judge ruled our law unconstitutional . Well, they are back. Now, they call themselves " Gun Free Dining Tennessee ." Of course, the new group alleges it just started up, and has no ties to the old one. But it's all the same - same people, same lawyer, same web host, same looking website. One bit of good from all this: you can use their website to see which restaurants do not stand for your 2A rights. This can help prevent wasting gas by driving to a restaurant that clearly does not want your business! Even though some of the restaurants that claim to post, don't actually post.  I wondered aloud to a friend why they chose "Gun Free Dining Tennessee" as a name. ...

So says the State Inspector . Of course, opposing counsel plans "many appeals."

Olympia Snowe tells CNN she is frustrated with the loss of Mike Castle in Delaware. Snowe is a known RINO and liberal. No wonder she feels this way. If public sentiment stays where it is, she's out of a job in 2012. Those facts as they are, It would seem Snowe is wanting to keep her Senate spot. She may consider switching to the Democratic party. But then, we all know how that worked out for Arlen Specter .

Cash for clunkers was a bust - now the liberal press even admits it. They even admit Obama is following in Carter's footsteps. 

Back a few months ago, I had an interview with Ashley Home Furniture in the Rivergate area of Nashville. I had answered a job posting for a "Regional Sales Manager" - one who would be in charge of multiple stores. When I arrived at the interview, the Store Manager interviewed me for a floor-sales position. Nothing against that, but the pay they offered was about 1/3 of what I'd made the previous year. I walked out of the interview. I had a couple of friends and at least one family member make comments that I should have stayed and seen what came of it. But this wasn't the first , nor the last company to advertise a job in a misleading manner.  Today, I am speaking with a coworker, who ordered a bedroom set back in May from them. She moved into a new house in June. No furniture. It is now September. No furniture. So she is going to take remedial action on getting a refund, as it is obvious that they are unable to fulfill her order. Of course, she fears th...

In a California neighborhood, a woman was attacked by three large dogs. Neighbors came out and shot the dogs. Link to story . Some things we learn from this: - Shot placement is everything. - Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap, life is not.  - "High capacity" magazines do not create killers. They do allow you to shoot enough to defend yourself. - Learn to clear malfunctions. - Select a firearm that is less likely to malfunction. - Select the largest caliber you can carry and handle. (the largest dog was shot in the head with a .380, and was later destroyed - meaning it did not die from the gunshot!) - Neighbors with guns are really convenient. - Having your own gun is priceless. - In a fight, a club is better than no weapon. A blade is better than a club. A pistol is better than a blade. A rifle is far better than a pistol. Heavy ordnance is better than a rifle.

Today I received this email from the CMP regarding my M1 Garand order: We have received and verified your recent order. Your order will now advance to our sales area and from there to our shipping area. Please note, that unless otherwise listed, our order to ship time is at least 30 to 60 days. You will receive other emails as the order progresses. Your customer # is 22xxxx. Please use this customer # in any communications with us concerning the order as that is where all of your information is stored. Thank you for your order and support of our program. CMP Customer Service  A quick search of online forums says that once folks get this letter, the average wait time is about 3-6 weeks.

The gun forums have had chatter about a Nashville group that has been trying to get restaurants to post handgun carry prohibiting signs. The allegations are that the group has been saying restaurants are required by law to post these signs, when that is not true at all. The group in question has some dubious ties to a group I have written about before - "Guns and alcohol don't mix." Both groups operate under false assumptions and scare tactics. Both groups are anti-2A to be sure.

In Portland, a 9-1-1 call was made as a witness saw a man with a gun. Never mind the fact that he was at a gun store! Police had to respond to this, per local regulations. However, they soon realized the man was going to a gun store to sell a gun. Nothing illegal, hazardous, or otherwise worthy of note (unless he got a great deal!).

Yesterday - Monday, September 13, 2010 - was the 6-year anniversary of the expiration of the Federal " Assault Weapons Ban ." The streets are not red with blood. In fact, there is not a single well-known instance of a legally obtained "semiautomatic assault weapon" being used to commit a crime since the expiration of the ban. The only widely known instance of an AR15 or AK47 (the two rifle types targeted specifically by the ban), was the beltway sniper case. But, the beltway sniper case happened in 2002 - during the ban. And the rifle was not purchased legally.

Last night, Mount Juliet commissioners voted to keep the red-light cameras. Mayor Linda Elam was the only dissenting vote. Two members abstained from voting. Two members voted in favor of keeping the revenue generators. Linda Elam had originally cast the deciding vote to bring the cameras to Mount Juliet. Why the change of course now? Is it because she narrowly won the Republican nomination for State Representative? She should have won that nomination easily. Now, there's a distinct chance she won't win the main race... so she may feel forced to vote for the people to get elected. Here's a hint for all politicians out there - if you always vote for the people , you won't have to worry about losing the power that comes with your elected office.

A person I know is an organic vegetarian. She elects also not to drink milk. Far be it from me to tell another human how to live. No, what is interesting here is the reasoning used. This individual cites this article and the associated research as to why she avoids milk ,and does not allow her child(ren) to drink milk, either. Let me debunk this one quickly, using this quote from the article: As for the link between dairy products and osteoporosis, "there's no solid evidence that merely increasing the amount of milk in your diet will protect you from breaking a hip or wrist or crushing a backbone in later years," says Walter C. Willett, chairman of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. Problem is twofold: 1. He used an all-male study. Osteoporosis is known to strike women far more often than men. 2. In the female study, the only measuring stick was hip fracture. How many people have osteoporosis that have not fractured their hip...

Today is a special birthday. It is Super Mario's 25th Birthday. Having played all of the Super Mario games (and beaten all but two of them), and having a son who enjoys these games today, this is worthy of note. To all my geek friends, yes, I know Mario appeared in games prior to 1985, but Super Mario Bros. came out in 1985, hence the birthday.

A little over a year ago, if I wanted to hit a target past about 25 yards, I needed a scope. Now, that's not the case. At all. In fact, now, I don't really prefer optics at all - scopes or red-dots. I just made the decision to take my red-dot Vortex Strikefire off of my AR15. This is in no way a dig at the Strikefire, or at Vortex. The optic has been superb. However, I just prefer irons now. I have scopes, and I'm not getting rid of them, but I probably won't buy another for quite a while, as I can shoot as accurately as I need with iron sights.

A year ago this week (September 4 & 5, 2009), I attended an Appleseed Shoot. I enjoyed it, and learned a lot. I also saw some things that rubbed me and others the wrong way. I went back in May 22 & 23 this year. Again I enjoyed it. I learned actually a lot more (though it was from an instructor's point of view more than a student's). Again, I observed some things Appleseed does that should be rectified. And this time through a more refined and understanding point of view. Like any other program created by man, it has its benefits, and it is not perfect. I am never afraid to go "on the record" about something, and Appleseed is no different. As with any program, it is not for everybody - even though they don't always see it that way. Like so many other things, this is a "good ol' boy's club" and they act accordingly - be aware of this, in case you dislike that type of organization. Conversely, for those who are looking for that type o...

Today is Friday, September 10, 2010. Nine years ago - Tuesday, September 11, 2001 - we were attacked on American soil. At first, the nation came together. Now, we have drifted apart - fueled by petty squabbles, partisan politics, and a lack of focus on making America a better country. Last year, my step-brother lost his job because he said we should never forget . Noted firearms instructor, Gabe Suarez, has published similar sentiments . I agree.

They don't always do the right thing, but with two recent Supreme Court victories ( Heller and McDonald ), the NRA is now challenging the BATFE's decision that persons 18-20 years of age can not purchase handguns. Several years ago, the NRA decided not to join the Heller case - they cited fears that the court would uphold the Washington DC gun ban, and they might be seen as filing frivolous or ill-advised lawsuits.  However, after the Heller decision, the NRA grew a pair, and joined in on the McDonald case - which eventually struck down the Chicago gun ban. Now, they are on the attack - and I do not blame them. Sure, we gun owners have bigger fish to fry. However, the unreasonable gun restrictions that are currently in place were put together piece by piece, and must be destroyed likewise.

My employer notified employees recently that they would be conducting "random" verifications of dependents. Twelve years in the full time professional job market and this is the first time I've ever seen anything like it. My co-workers said they've never done this before. Why would a company verify dependents? The only reason is so that they can trim dependents that do not belong. Why trim dependents? I suggest it might be (rational) fear of fraud - particularly since we will soon be mandated by the Obamacare program to buy health insurance. We all know health insurance is usually much cheaper through a large corporate plan. There are also no hoops to jump through in order to get approved. So today, I had to prove my wife is indeed my wife, my son is indeed my son, and my daughter is indeed my daughter. --- Small Rant: I am legally married - to a woman. I am a man. It is a traditional marriage. Had I been gay, and in a same-sex "domestic partners...

"SayUncle" is a blog with lots of pro-gun stuff. They also do good articles on the Governor's Race. Lots of links, lots of facts. Lots of reasons not to vote for Haslam. Reading through the article - it's pretty sad when an anti-gun Democrat (McWherter) can verbally lash the Republican candidate for being weak on gun rights.

In an interview this spring, I recall the following conversation: Recruiter - "So, do you have any sales experience?" Usagi - "Just a bit." (I was being just a little sarcastic, as I thought she was being. Turned out, I was wrong). R - "If you have any sales experience, you really should list it on your resume so people can see it." U - "You are funny." [Usagi laughs] R - "I don't know why you are laughing - this is serious. I cannot find any sales on your resume." [Recruiter has very serious look on face] U - "Seriously?" [Usagi has very curious look on face] "Are you reading my resume?" R - slides resume over. Sure enough, it is mine. U - "What exactly do you think I meant with the word 'quota'?" [Usagi's resume lists jobs held, and lists annual performance compared to quota. Sometimes with dollar volumes, sometimes with percentages.] R - "Like how many products...

Two weeks ago, I was in Detroit visiting clients. This provided an opportunity to find things on the side of the road. I did. Situation: I was meeting a client for lunch. I was driving around, looking for a parking place that did not require change. I did not find one. My problem was, that I did not have any pocket change on me. Solution: look on the side of the road. I found two dimes. That sufficed.

I went shooting twice Saturday. Once on my own, and once with my sister, father-in-law, and brother-in law. They all shoot pistols more than rifles, and I was there to simply offer pointers, help reload, and generally answer questions and clear malfunctions. Sister - we will call her "C" My sister shot my pistol mostly - a Ruger Mark III. She shoots well, and doesn't know it yet. She was plastering the targets better than anyone else on the pistol range at that time. She also shot her own 5-shot .38 revolver. Again, she did remarkably well, staying inside a 10" plate at 15 yards with the snub-nosed revolver. Her only issues were with malfunctions on the Ruger pistol. To her credit, this was the first time she had shot that platform, and she was being extra cautious so as not to accidentally break anything. She never gets in a hurry when it comes to handling guns. Sometimes, I think she thinks I slam the guns too hard when I clear jams. At least we BOTH keep ...

I went shooting Saturday - twice. First time was in the morning, and was me doing some ammo research and working on some things. Second time was in the afternoon, I helped my sister, bro-in-law, and father-in-law shoot. Summary: In the morning, I went early and shot a total of 20 AQT's (of Appleseed fame). I scored one 195 (story on that below), one 209 (again, story below), three in the 210-225 range, and the rest were in the 230's and 240's. My high was also a new all-time high for me: 246. That morning, I also should mention, my round count was over 1000. I did some side shooting with the Marlins 60 and 795. Predominantly, I shot the Ruger 10/22. Notes on the 10/22: The Ruger 10/22 is now functioning quite well - with a new hammer, bolt, and extractor. I shot it over 800 rounds. Most (500 rounds) was CCI mini-mags. I also shot much Federal bulk, Winchester 555 bulk, and one AQT with Remington Golden Bullets. Shooting this rifle with CCI mini-mags on 12 AQT...

The parent company of my employer recently hired a new CEO. In his inaugural address, he mentioned, among many other things, that the company as a whole was dressed too casual. In our arm of the company, dress is business casual, and we have casual Fridays. Occasionally, we will have a "casual week" and for a modest donation of usually $5 (often to a notable charity like Big Brothers, Big Sisters, or similar), one can dress casually for the entire week. Since few if any of us in the building see clients here, there is never a problem. Now, folks in sales in my department travel occasionally to visit clients. When we do, proper attire is strictly adhered to. Well, wouldn't you know it, there was a memo from HR this week, advising us to not be "too casual." They have banned t-shirts (from the looks of it, even for casual days). One coworker pointed out to me that, as a female, t-shirts were part of a normally acceptable business casual attire. Now, she says...

A neat little advantage to having a blog is seeing where your readers come from. These statistics are available to me at the press of a button. Here are the folks to whom I owe a "thank you" - as these locations have provided my blog with the most views: 1. Right Minded. A heartfelt thanks. 2. Rimfire Central. I post links there from time to time, so not surprising. 3. Appleseed. Really? Wow. Thanks, guys, for thinking of me. 4. Blogger. Another surprise. 5. Google. Not really surprising, given the nature of things I blog about. Numbers 6-10 are interesting, but niche markets, and change frequently. These top 5 have been the top 5 for the better part of the year - the order might change here and there, though.