Month: November 2007

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Long-Range Bangstick.

Longtime readers of this blog know that I’ve been working on a long-range rifle for some time. Specifically, long before I started this blog I had a tapped-out 1896 Swedish Mauser rebarreled with a medium weight Shilen 1:8″ twist tube chambered for 6.5×55, and then restocked it, mounted a decent scope, and proceeded to try to find just the right load that would allow me to whack 50 lb. steel rams at 500 meters offhand.

I fought with it for a couple of years until I thought I had it licked. Turned out, not so much.

As a last-ditch effort I sent the barreled action to 300 Below and had them cryo-treat it. (Pictures of the Swede at this link.) Deep-freezing helped, but not enough. Two minutes of angle off the bench is a good hunting rifle, but not up to target specs.

Ever since I shot Joe Huffman’s “Spud Gun” at the Second Annual Gunblogger’s Rendezvous, I’ve had a severe itch to build or buy a rifle capable of 700 yard accuracy. Well, I’ve gotten a bit of a cash windfall, and after doing some research I decided upon a Remington 700 R5 Milspec rifle. I decided against a .300WM because A) I like to shoot at least 100 rounds through any rifle I take to the range, and .308 is at the upper end of my shoulder’s comfort zone for that without a muzzle brake, and B) I hate muzzle brakes. Further, the longest range at Joe’s Boomershoot is 700 yards, at which the .308 should be adequate, and around here finding a place to shoot 700 yards is fairly tough, so the .300WM wouldn’t buy me much more than a little flatter trajectory at the cost of more bruising.

Anyway, the rifle’s on layaway right now. I need to acquire a scope base, bipod, Lapua brass, and some Sierra 175 grain MatchKing bullets. For the interim I think I’m going to move the Simmons scope off the Swede, but I plan on getting a better scope in the future. A NightForce would be nice, but outside my price range. I’ll probably end up with another Leupold.

Oh, and I intend to take the rifle to Mac’s Shootin’ Irons to have him finish it in matte black. Mac refinished my M1 Garand a while back, and it looks mahvelous! I’m not too thrilled with a stainless rifle, though, so getting it finished in black is a high priority.

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Quote of the Day.

But to a person who has not already taken a number of things on faith, that story does not make God look loving! The story looks, to eyes that have not already been prepared with several heartfelt acceptances, like this:

“For God so loved humanity, he sent His only son to die, and removed all conditions from their acceptance into His company in the afterlife except an acceptance of the Savior after hearing the Word. Except for everybody who did not hear the Word for geographic or linguistic reasons. They were just out of luck, until hundreds of years later when the faithful came to them to spread the Word. And smallpox. More smallpox than Word, really.”

By LabRat from the comments to this post.

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Somebody Want to Comment on the School Shooting in Finland?

I mean, besides the fact that it’s America’s fault?

Though I must admit, I appreciated this comment:

I am a former Finn (now US Citizen) and I absolutely hate the fact that this has been turned to be somehow US’ fault or influence. Sick people live everywhere and the oppressive Social-Democracy (which is a thin wafer away from totalitarian fascism) make people go POP.

People in Finland should really look into the depressive culture created by the money-grabbing socialists. Seriously. Otherwise I am not surprised if someone blows up the parliament building there at some point.

I am very, very happy I got out of that place and I am very proud to be an American. Since I know the difference between Welfare State system and American Way, I pick the latter ANY DAY.

Why? ’cause here I am *FREE*!

— Posted by Former Finn

Then, of course, there’s this ignorant half-informed idiot:

Switzerland and Israel teachs most of its men how to use guns. But they don’t allow assault rifles as we do in the USA as if to say anything goes.

Would Nazi Germany have risen if every one had a gun?

The answer is universal militia training as in Switzerland and Israel.

— Posted by gerson jacobs

Well Mr. or Ms Jacobs, you’re right. Israel and Switzerland don’t allow “assault rifles” as we do in the USA. They get fully-automatic weapons, where ours are only semi-automatic. I guess that’s because we don’t get trained by the government. Of course, we have to buy ours, instead of having them issued by that same government.

Yeesh!

(h/t: TFS Magnum)

KevinLeave a comment

Different Wars, Important Pictures.

(Via Instapundit.)

Perhaps the most iconic photo of the war in the Pacific:

Compare it to this image that won’t see the front page of any newspaper, major or minor, in the U.S. (but should – along with the story behind it):

Both, I think, mark a crucial turning point in their respective wars. The Iwo Jima photo was responsible for a resurgence of support for the war in the Pacific after more than three years of war, rationing, shortages at home, and an endless stream of Western Union telegrams. The battle for Iwo Jima lasted from February 19 to the end of March, 1945. In less than two months U.S. forces lost 6,825 killed and over 20,000 wounded on that tiny island alone.

We’ve been at war in Iraq for not yet five years. Current U.S. casualties are 3,857 dead and some 28,000 wounded.

Will this photo inspire America to continue its support for the war? Maybe, if it receives circulation. But that doesn’t fit the template of today’s media, so most probably it won’t. Besides, America’s military is at war. The American public is at the mall, worrying about gas prices and the falling stock market, and what they’ll be buying for Christmas.

UPDATE: As Instapundit notes, it beats the hell out of comparing it to this photo:

Something we thought might be imminent not too long ago:

(Click for full size)

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Agenda? What Agenda?.

Carnaby Fudge does a little comparo between the anti-gun media template, and a “news” article by CNN. The results are surprising. (NOT!)

One point I think needs to be emphasized, though: the template was originally authored by Dr. Michael S. Brown, and it’s been around since 1999.

KevinLeave a comment

Quote of the Day.

Much as it boosts the resonance of the bathroom baritone, a shower and tiled room will elevate a pedestrian girlie-scream into an operatic shriek. I’d like to say it was a bellow of surprise and outrage, but bellows do not hit the kind of high notes required to make all the metal in the room ring in sympathy.

LabRat, from this hilarious post.

I feel for you, sister. I fucking hate spiders.

Kill ’em with fire!!!

KevinLeave a comment

ROFLMAO!!!.

Thank you, LawDog! That was the best belly-laugh I’ve had in weeks!

Some Brits still have stainless-steel testicles!

And whatever sins George Lucas may have committed in his life, that one piece of music he commissioned will live on forever!