Month: April 2022

Less Than A Grand

The Gun Thing

When I’m bored and don’t feel like reading (it happens, shuddup) and can’t face watching TV of any description (like none of you ever feel that way), I go to websites that are All About Guns.

In this case, it was Collectors Firearms, and under Foreign Military Rifles, I started to view the products available.  I got depressed at the prices, of course, which led to the thought:  a 1970 Dodge Charger used to cost $3,711 brand new (about $25,800 in 2021 dollars).  That same 1970 Charger now can cost you up to $85,000 depending on its condition.  (A new 2022 Charger costs $40,000.)

My head was starting to spin from doing all that math, so I just decided to set an arbitrary dollar limit of less than a grand (<$1,000) on these old rifles.  (And yeah, I know that back in 1970 you could get a surplus Mauser or SMLE for $25 — about $175 in 2021 dollars, never mind.)

And here’s what I found to be worthy, in no specific order (and all pics can be clicked to embiggen):

Chilean 1895 Mauser 7X57mm — $750

This old gal has been ridden hard, often, and put away wet every time.  Nevertheless, if the barrel hasn’t been shot out, I’d get it because a.) Mauser and b.) 7x57mm.

Swiss 1911 7.5X55 Swiss — $899.95

This is the carbine version of the K11, not the longer infantry rifle, and as such, it’s an outright steal for $900.  And as the Swiss have started to manufacture their brilliant GP11 cartridges again…

Carl Gustafs Stads 1896 6.5×55 Swedish — $895

I think everyone in the Western world knows of my affection for this wonderful rifle and its cartridge and actually, given that all the serial numbers match, this too is a steal at $900.  (I paid $450 for mine back in 2003, but whatever.)

BRNO 1908/34 7×57 — $995.00

There are a couple of reasons why this rifle is priced so high on the sub-grand spectrum:  it was made by Brno, not Mauser and it comes with a wicked-looking spike bayonet.
‘Nuff said.

And finally:

Enfield No.4 MK 2 .303 British — $995

Of all the rifles posted here today, this one would probably get my #1 vote, but only because I have a ton of .303 ammo already stashed in Ye Olde Ammoe Locquere.  That said, I’m a little lost as to why this lovely rifle is priced as high it is.  Simply put, it’s of post-WWII manufacture (thus taking away the “wartime” appeal and collectability value), which leads me to think that it’s probably in superb condition compared to the older versions.  Also, ROF Fazakerley in Liverpool only made the Mk 2 for a few years before the tooling and machinery were sold off to Pakistan in, I think, 1952 — making this a relatively rare beast.

So there you go.  If you had a spare grand that had to be spent before Accounting / your wife took it away, which one would you choose?

More Like It

Travels

Arriving in Ye Olde Inne Boxxe:

Amsterdam would be Choice Nommer Een, and Madrid Numero Dos.  Nothing against the Spaniardists, but both New Wife and I love Amsterdam.

In a heartbeat, baby.

Unworthy

Bad News

The story of the film so far:  woman puts money into a lottery machine, gets bumped by rude asshole, accidentally pushes the wrong button on the machine and gets a single (and expensive) card, different from the cheap ones she normally plays.  Okay, that kinda sucks.

Then she does the scratchy thing and discovers that her “accidental” card has just given her a $10 million payout.

Hooray, hoorah and all that.

But here’s where the story takes a nasty turn:

Edwards said she is going to use her winnings to buy a house and start a nonprofit organization.

Oh FFS.

Let’s start at the top.

  1. That $10 million turns to $5 million immediately, as the FedGov and the Golden Shower State take their respective pounds of flesh off the top;
  2. Being a Los Angeles County prisoner resident, she’s going to have to drop about $2 million if she wants to get anything more than a two-bed / one-bath bungalow;
  3. If she doesn’t invest the remaining millions properly, she won’t have enough income to afford the property taxes on that big new house, unless she wants to keep working at (rough guess) the DMV for the rest of her life;
  4. And all that’s after the res’ of da fambly — some of whom she never knowed was fambly — comes calling with their hands out (her first name is LaQuedra:  connect the dots);
  5. So much for the non-profit.

She could always start a non-profit and pay herself a decent salary as the president thereof;  but the salaries for the rest of the staff (all fambly) will drain her coffers dry within at most two years — and the IRS takes a dim view of that kind of thing, anyway.

None of this is important to me — it’s not my money and well done to her, I say — but it’s a good example of stupid people pissing away their good fortune.

Stop It, You’re Killing Me

Behind Enemy Lines, Crime

…and if you live in upscale areas in Los Angeles, that might be “literally“:

Crime has risen dramatically in Los Angeles, as well as in many other major cities, since the start of the pandemic and last summer’s protests against police violence resulted in the slashing of many law enforcement budgets. News stories document rising fear across LA and crime has become the major issue in both the upcoming mayor’s election and a possible recall of the district attorney. It may not be surprising that issues of race and class are driving this concern, though they have a new twist.

Wealthy and predominantly white neighborhoods have experienced the sharpest upticks in a wide array of crimes.

It shows that the richer and whiter the area, the greater the increase in both raw crime totals and percentages of total city crime. This includes a wide range of felonies, from robbery, burglary, shoplifting and car theft to aggravated assault and rape.

California voters have moved the needle on crime in recent years. Proposition 47 decriminalized a number of theft and drug charges, making them misdemeanors, as it did several “non-violent” felonies. Voters also approved Proposition 57, which allows for early release of non-violent offenders.

Imagine that:  you vote to decriminalize all sorts of crime, and those types of crime increase and the goblins goes to where da money izz (/Willie Sutton).  Read the article for the breakdowns.

Who could have seen that coming?

Well, nobody except the 70-odd million people who voted for Trump last time around.

And stop giggling like little girls, you lot;  it’s unbecoming.

Oldie But Goodie

Gun/Ammo Tests, The Gun Thing

I saw this ad a couple days back, and it brought back fond memories.

The Silvertip has been around for donkey’s years, and I recall that of late, its effectiveness has been somewhat derided by the usual tests (ballistic gel, whatever).

Here’s what I know.

Back in the early 1980s, I saw an autopsy of a corpse in a police morgue (long story, not important) of a man who had been shot once with a .45 ACP Silvertip.  The entry wound was, well, .45 inches, and the exit wound about double that.  Nothing much to report, there.

What really impressed me was what damage the bullet had caused along the way.  It hadn’t hit any rib bone on the way in, but the guy’s insides still looked like they’d gone 5 seconds in a commercial blender.

After seeing  that, I carried Silvertip ammo in my carry guns exclusively until the early 2000s, when it just got too expensive.  I see that Lucky Gunner, among others, now has the 9mm Silvertips on sale for about a buck a round, which is expensive but not massively so, in today’s Bidenflation World.

In .45 ACP, however, the cost per squeeze (IF you can find any in stock) is between $1.80 and $2 (!!!), which is definitely too spendy for my wallet.

But if you want to put only the best ammo in your carry gun for those unexpected antisocial occasions (and there’s nothing wrong with that), do consider the Silvertip as well as your usual suspects in premium self-defense ammo.  I’ve seen first-hand what it does, after all.

And of course, I get no kickback from Winchester or anyone else from my recommendations.