Category: The Gun Thing

Not just the guns, but all the stuff that goes with them

It’s That Time Again

Boomershoot

Yes, it’s time for all good men who seek a fine gun to step up and open their wallets:  I hereby announce the opening of the Boomershoot Rifle Boondoggle.

I tossed out PayPal earlier for their wokist, gun-hating reporting policies, so this year you will need to send either paper checks/money orders to the Sooper-Seekrit address, or through Zelle via my email addy (kim-at-kimdutoit-dot-com).  Sorry, but there it is;  I refused to be party to PayPal’s bullshit, and I hope you understand my position.

Tickets are $20 each, and you may buy up to five ($100 total) per person.  If you send more than $100, I will allocate you five tickets, and use the rest to defray my travel expenses from Texas to Orofino ID.

Now onto something much more important and interesting.

What kind of rifle do you, O My Readers, want the chance of winning:  a heavy-barreled long distance rifle (ULD) as in the past, or a premium hunting rifle, both topped with a quality scope?  If you plan on doing (say) competitive long-distance shooting or long-range hunting, then obviously you’d prefer to own something like last year’s rifle:

…whereas if you’re looking for a do-it-all premium hunting rifle that will do its job with confidence out to (say) 500 yards, there’s something like this one to consider:

Email (NOT in Comments) your preference (ULD vs. PHR) with “Rifle Choice” in the Subject line so I can do a proper tally and make the decision.  In the event of a tie, I’ll toss a coin or make an executive decision.

Here are my thoughts, to help you make up your mind.  Remember that the more money I get in, the better-quality rifle/scope you’ll get.

ULD:  I absolutely loved the Howa from last year.  The trigger was exceptional, the accuracy WAY better than I could shoot it, and my niggle with the cheekpiece adjustment, I was assured by the manufacturer, was a one-off issue.  Here’s the HCR APC:

That said, I’d also look at the Bergara B-14 and the Ruger American Hunter (again):

All three are superb rifles, and sub-MOA results are all but guaranteed.

ULD Caliber:  in your email to me, if you pick this rifle, tell me your preference between the 6.5 Creedmoor and the .308 Win.

Now for the new category.

Premium Hunting Rifle (PHR)

Everyone has their favorite hunting rifle brand and type, so I’m going to go outside the box on this one.  Firstly, as it’s a do-it-all rifle, I’m going with only one chambering:  .30-06 Springfield  (unless everyone shouts me down).  I want a cartridge that does the job (any job), AND is readily available at Bubba’s Bait & Ammo everywhere in the U.S.A.  And the choices, as you will see below, are not the typical ones…

Tikka T3x Hunter:

CZ 600 Alpha:

Mauser M18:


…yes, a Mauser for under a grand.  (They also come with some funky-ass camo stocks.  I make no guarantees…)

All three of the above would make any hunt a good one (as long as the hunter does his job).

Scope:

Whichever rifle is finally selected (ULD or PHR), I’m going with the Meopta Optika6 3-18x50mm FFP, because I honestly don’t think that you can get anything better without spending a boatload more money (Swarovski, Steiner, Kahles coff coff).

So there you have it.

ULD in either 6.5 Creed or .308 Win, OR PHR in .30-06, both topped with one of the best-value/quality scopes on the market.  I see no bad choices.

Email me with preferences, thoughts and/or abuse.  All input (except the last) will be welcome.  Please get going, as there may be availability issues and I don’t want to grapple with those.

Isn’t this fun?

Changing Times

The Gun Thing

I have mentioned in the past that I planned on giving Connie’s Browning High Power to Daughter for her birthday, for hereditary reasons.  Well, I broached the topic with Daughter, and was surprised when she showed no interest in the Browning at all.

“I have enough handguns.  I mean, I have as many as you do.”  (true)
“But it’s your Mom’s gun.”
“It’s like offering to give me her favorite hammer — it really doesn’t mean anything, but thank you for the offer.”

She’s completely unsentimental about the gun — although I wouldn’t be surprised if the Browning didn’t also trigger some unwelcome memories along the way, but I’m not going to explore that little issue.  She doesn’t want the High Power, and that’s that.

Which is fine by me.  I love the BHP, its Europellet chambering notwithstanding, so it’s not going to go anywhere.

I also listened to Hackathorn and Wilson discussing the 9mm cartridge, and Bill Wilson is of the considered opinion that in terms of tissue damage and even stopping power, the new breed of 124gr 9mm hollowpoints are as effective as the lighter 185gr .45 ACP cartridges — which are exactly what I’m carrying in the 1911 because of recoil (pain) issues with the heavier 230gr.

So the plan has changed.  Son&Heir will indeed be getting my old Springfield 1911 .45 ACP for his birthday, and…

…I’m going to be carrying the High Power 9mm in its place:

…loaded with these: 

You may all pick yourselves up off the floor, now.

And yes, I’m aware that these may be the End Times.

Gratuitous Gun Pic: Ruger SFAR (7.62x51mm)

Gratuitous Gun Pics, The Gun Thing

Okay, it seems as though the writer of this article really likes the new Ruger AR variant (“Small-Frame Autoloading Rifle”), although when last did you see a gun writer say about a new gun: “Nah, this really sucks”?

My longtime reservations about the AR-15 platform notwithstanding, I have to say that I like the look of this little thing, especially when I read about how light it is, for a .308 rifle.

What I’d like is to have one of these… in .270 Win.  Why?  From a hunting perspective, there’s not much the .308 can do that the .270 cannot;  and the reduced recoil of the smaller bullet takes away the need for that anti-social, range-emptying muzzle brake.  (I’m quite serious about this;  the last half-dozen range sessions have been spoiled by the guy next door shooting an AR-15 with a muzzle brake, with earsplitting consequences for me despite the combination of foam plugs and ear protection which have become standard gear for me at indoor ranges.)

Of course, the mechanics (and magazine) of the SFAR would be unaffected by the change to .270 Win as it uses the same casing as the .308 Win;  so all that’s needed is a rechambered barrel for shooty goodness and Happy Days Smileyface Kim.  (Why not the 6.5 Creedmoor?  Because I don’t have any of that on hand, whereas the .270 Win is, let’s say, well represented in Ye Olde Ammoe Locquere.)

But nobody’s going to listen to me;  so there I go, shouting into the uncaring void, again.

On a tangential note:  a kind Reader once offered to send me a replacement extractor for my busted M1 Carbine.  For the life of me, I can’t remember who it was, so please drop me an email if it was you, and we can get the thing taken care of, financially speaking.

Gratuitous Gun Pic – Pioneer Arms AK-47

Gratuitous Gun Pics

While idly wandering through the halls of gunny goodness, I happened upon this variant of the AK-47:

Okay, it’s as ugly as a pig’s ass in springtime — although “pretty” is not a word oft associated the the AK-47 — and that green laminate wood looks like it was on sale in the decking section at Home Depot.

But hold on just a minute.  Why would one use green laminate wood for a deck?  Why, to protect it from the elements (sun, rain etc.);  and if that works for decking, why not for a utilitarian rifle such as this one, to be used in all kinds of stinking weather when battling the Forces Of Darkness?  (If you know wot I mean nudge nudge wink wink…)

Of course, the price ($720) makes my nose twitch, but as so many people remind me, this isn’t 2004 anymore, when an AK could be picked up for a couple-few hundred bucks — and at least the gun  is priced well below the $1,000 mark, which really makes my nose twitch when it comes to the AK-47.

For a stocking stuffer, you could do a lot worse, but you may have to deal with a few sniggers at the range when you unbox it.

No Exceptions

Anti-Gun Nannies, Law and Order, The Gun Thing

Not so much fun when it affects you personally, is it?

Oregon police are worried that if Ballot Measure 114 (BM 114) is allowed to take effect it may limit them to ten-round magazines and force them to get a permit in order to carry their firearms off-duty.

Among other things, BM 114 bans magazines holding more than ten rounds and requires residents to get a permit before being allowed to own a gun.

BM 114 contains an exemption for officers on duty, but there is confusion as to what hoops officers might have jump through in order to be armed and to maintain a standard number of rounds in their firearms when they are off-duty.

As the title of this post suggests:  no fucking exceptions.  Let cops and other government officials have to live under the bullshit laws that affect all citizens.

Even better would be if Oregon cops (of all jurisdictions) just come right out and say flatly that they’re not going to enforce any of this crap.

But they won’t, of course, and some “supplemental” law is going to be passed which carves out an exemption for law enforcement officers and deputies.

You heard it here first.