My favorite toy
“The U.S. Military is actively considering shutting down the sale [of] M855/SS109 ammo from Lake City to the commercial market.”
Yeah, if you can’t ban the guns, strangle the ammo supply — the rationale behind National Ammo Day was never more appropriate than today.
You all know what to do. Me, I’m going to lay in some more 7.62x39mm, because we AK guys are even more vulnerable.
Of course, the idea of an old Model 99 selling for well north of six grand is preposterous… until you see this one:
I mean, seriously?
I know, the silly price really reflects the added cost of the engraving (none of your laser-cut nonsense here), and as far as I’m concerned, transforming this lovely old rifle into a work of art is a Good Thing, akin to any similar improvement made to a decent old shotgun, for instance.
The only iffy thing about this rig is the scope, which I’d replace with something more fitting, such as this Leica.
On to practical matters. First, the chambering. I’ve owned and/or shot many Savage 99s, in the above .250 Savage (a.k.a. the .250-3000), in .243 Win, in .300 Savage and in .308 Win.
The .308 was a brute, and hurt my shoulder like hell (Savage 99s have a very slender buttstock) and ditto the .300 Savage, albeit to a lesser degree. The .243 Win was nice, but of all of them, the .250 Savage was an absolute joy to shoot, and it’s the only chambering I’d consider now. It’s also fast, deadly and wonderfully accurate.
Secondly, the full (Mannlicher) stock. Savage barrels are not heavy, to put it mildly; the Model 99 was designed as a light carry gun, to be used when there were miles of stalking involved in the hunt, or where portability was at a premium, e.g. in hilly- or densely-forested terrain. So after a few shots — maybe a magazine load or so — the “soda-straw” barrel tends to start whipping around from the heat. While the full stock would not help the barrel to cool down (the opposite, in fact), I can’t help but think that the wood could also brace the barrel as it heated up.
None of which is important, really. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Mannlicher stock on a Model 99, and I’ve certainly never seen one so beautifully engraved.
Want.
I know, I know: it’s horribly expensive, and spare mags cost almost as much as the damn gun — when you can even find them — but let me tell you…
And there’s even a little companion piece, in the same caliber.
[whimper]
…shown by a Brit, of all people:
Lady Victoria Hervey has insisted she feels ‘safer’ when carrying a gun in ‘dangerous LA’ – and has suggested a ban on firearms would lead to a ‘genocide’ in the US.
The 45-year-old socialite and former ‘It Girl’, who is the daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol, and has in the past shared controversial opinions, told The Mirror that while she supports stricter regulations, she doesn’t agree with at total ban.
Now the reason this titled British tart has these oh-so-horrid beliefs is that she doesn’t live in Britishland, but in Los Angeles — hence her refreshing (and no doubt well-founded) opinion. And she’s right, of course, especially in Los Angeles, which in no way resembles even London or Manchester when it comes to serious violent crime. But when it comes to “stricter gun regulations”, it’s hard to see how anywhere could be stricter than L.A. in that regard, so she’s of course wrong about that.
Frankly though, I’m amazed that Our Vicky can even pick up a gun, given that she’s long been the World’s Skinniest Non-Anorexic Woman Not Living In The Third World:
Whenever I see a headline like this:
Thousands of gun control advocates are expected to rally Saturday in Washington, DC, and across the country in a nationwide “March for Our Lives” protest following the deadly mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
…what I would really like to see is a counter-protest of, say, ten million gun owners descending on Washington D.C. — no funny stuff, just an immense crowd of people holding hand-painted signs saying non-contentious things like “We Love Our Second Amendment”, “First And Second Amendments — Our Two Pillars of Freedom” and “Over 1 Million Violent Crimes Prevented Each Year By Law-Abiding Gun Owners”, etc., so that for once, the world can see the depth of our support for the Second Amendment.
But we don’t do that, do we? And by our silence, we give the stage to the gun-confiscators and -controllers, and the world says, “See? See? Even Americans want gun control!” when in fact we don’t.
And when some crackpot like Michael Moore thunders:
“Repeal the Second Amendment. Repeal the Second Amendment.”
…we just chuckle, because we know that such a thing would require a two thirds majority in both House and Senate, and a three-quarter majority of all the states — ergo, it ain’t gonna happen.
In the near future. But further down the road? You sure about that?
…and in a damn Brit newspaper, of all places.
I knew her story, of course — most Texans of my age do — but I read the whole thing, all the same. And you should, too. We need more like her and fewer of that little Hogg boy from Florida.
And proper reporting… from The Sun ?