Celebrities we know

I'm FAMOUS!

Well....standing next to someone famous. Now I actually have a reason to root for one of the girls on the Bachelor.

Not watch it, of course....my Man card is still safe....but root for Kacie B.

Who's that? THIS is Kacie B.



Courtesy of: Lucky Gunner

And this is why she SHOULD be famous but should actually find and burn the negative:


Courtesy of: Lucky Gunner


THIS is why I blog.
Don't tell my wife.....

Lucky Gunner Blogger Shoot Part 2

So where was I..............? Oh, yeah. The intrepid blogger was at the Lucky Gunner Blogger Shoot! How lucky was I!?

Having just fired my first automatic weapons, I wandered a bit, eventually walking downrange. Man...talk about a hail storm! I got hit everywhere!

What? NO...not bullets! Cicadas! These little bastards. Here's a pic of one from Knoxville.com. Thousands of these guys were everywhere! Five or six would land on you at a time. Very annoying when you're lining up that bulls eye on the... well.... the flaming car downrange.

So, during a quiet time, here's some of the great weapons that I saw.

Some were bigger than others. Some were attached to interesting vehicles. Some WERE vehicles....well, they had wheels.


Interested visitors even got to see the results of weapon evolution right before their eyes. That wonderful Pak-38 is an indirect descendant of this venerable piece, which I had the honor and pleasure to fire:


I even got to shoot an armored vehicle.

Well, it would have been considered armored for that cannon's time period! It had sheet steel on it and everything. So what if it was painted bright..... gray?

Ok... ok... it was a school bus. I even hit it. Yay Me! Of course, all credit goes to the gun crew, but since I pulled the trigger.......ok...they still get the credit.

Or the evolution of smaller arms:
First came this:


And then came this:



In the immortal words of Vince the ShamWow Guy, "You know those Germans... they always make good stuff." I REALLY liked shooting that MP-40.


The damage down range was amazing to someone that had never seen the effects of automatic weapons. Small holes. Big holes. REALLY big holes. Burning targets. MMmmm, good times....


And yes, I put that big hole above the windshield in the school bus. It was confirmed by one of the cannoneers. I was so proud. Silly, isn't it? I just pulled a string.


Firearms of all sorts were in use.


The sense of history was palpable.

These weapons had been in wars that I had read about as a child. To think that they are still here, working, in some cases, over100 years later.

Some people brought bigger machine guns to play with: The famous Ma Deuce!

However, for once, between these guys below:






And guns that shoot "bullets" this big and do this:


For once, the Big Fifty wasn't the King of the Roost.

And of course, then there was the 37mm on the Stuart tank.........


I mean, really, THAT'S how you support your 2nd Amendment rights!

Aaaaahhhh, too much fun.
More later

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Lucky Gunner Blogger Shoot - FINALLY!

Finally! Real life has.....stopped intruding. Technical difficulties have been overcome.
I have returned.
Here is the long awaited (at least by me) Lucky Gunner Shoot blog post.

First of all, I want to thank everyone at Lucky Gunner Ammo for the invitation and for all the hard work that they put into the extravaganza. It was a great event!

Soooo, let's get this party started.

LUCKY GUNNER BLOGGER SHOOT!!!!!

The sound of automatic weapons came through the closed window when we pulled over onto the shoulder to await our turn to drive up the "mountainside." It was irresistible. I had to roll down the window. A big, happy grin became permanently affixed on my face. It just got bigger after I fired my first automatic weapon. I've heard of the "machine gun smile." Its true.

The first impressions were AWESOME! The crashed glider was brilliant!

And then, "LOOK! A TANK!" And that was by me..... not by 11 year old Darling Daughter. She was soooooo envious.

Making that first turn to the guard post just increased my excitement. HOT CHI...uh, I mean Re-enactors!

We weren't in Kansas anymore.....

My wife pulled into the parking lot and we sat there for a moment......listening to the racket. My first thought was, "I have a wonderful wife. She lets me do things like this, even though its not her thing." Thanks, honey.

And then I got out of the car, kissed the wife and kid, and marched off to the sound of the guns.


And what guns!

Cannons!
Anti-tank! Machine guns! Oh, my! I didn't know where to look or go first. So I wandered about, taking pics and videoing at random. (I really need to take a course or something.....)

Yellow shirts were everywhere. Who knew that the gun blog universe was that big? Green and Grey were there too. The WWII re-enactors were the icing on the cake. And anybody willing to wear wool in that heat definitely deserves a beer for their dedication. And their toys! Tanks, half-tracks, jeeps, motorcycles.

So, there I was, watching people fire more automatic weapons than I've seen in 25 years in the Navy. (Navy! D'uh! We don't shoot guns in the Navy. Heck, I was issued a 30 year old, shaky .45 and 2 magazines to stand watch. The pistol was unloaded.) In the Reserves we were teased with the possibility that we might, if we were good, maybe, get a chance to "familiarize" ourselves with the M-60. Then we found out, "familiarize" doesn't actually mean "shoot." Frickin' tease!

So what did I shoot? Well, I had try out that weapon of mass destruction, the Glock 18. And to the reporters out there, let's clarify:

This is a Glock 18.






Not this. This is what you guys in the press usually envision when talking about a Glock 18.




It was fun. And I can absolutely, positively, without a doubt tell you with certainty, that an untrained person firing one on full auto will kill the sky after the first 2-3 rounds.



Then I had to try out my first evah submachine gun! That S&W "Swedish K" M-76 was just the thing. I was always surprised that the ammo disappeared so fast.....Where did it go?



Then I tried out the evil black rifle. The original. The M16. God I love Mattel!

I joke! I joke!

So, shooting that rifle was a surprise. It had a surprising kick and was not as controllable on auto as I expected. But, WOOHOOO!

After that, I just wandered a bit. I found some industrious bloggers loadin' up. Happy bloggers!


The first day was wonderful. So much so that I can't put it all into one post. More later.

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Turtle Wrasslin' after the Lucky Gunner Blogger Shoot

Electronics are not my friend. Since I'm still getting the pics downloaded from the Lucky Gunner Blogger Shoot, and those are the ones from Day Two....I'm just going to go in reverse.....

Turtle Wrasslin' and Almost Losing An Eye

So there we were....driving home down Highway 81, listening to a mystery on tape, when out of the blue,

TURTLE!

What?

Turtle! Back there! Pull over!

I had seen a suicidal turtle making a mad dash for the interstate. About the size of a dinner plate, it was hurtling across the shoulder at top speed, on its way to CERTAIN DOOM.

So, my wife, familiar with my tendency to be insane, pulls over and backs up. (We appear to be a little suicidally crazy too.) I pull on my shoes and jump out of the car. The Turtle is about to cross...the WHITE LINE OF DEATH!

My wife watches in horror as her animal loving husband runs up, bends over to pick up this poor, apparently depressed turtle, and then promptly kicks it back towards the shoulder. Spinning like a top, it lands in the gravel.

"What the hell are you doing?" cries my horrified wife.

What she didn't know was that was not a poor, depressed, suicidal turtle. Hell no! It was one evil, beady eyed, nasty, disgruntled snapping turtle that didn't take kindly to my interrupting his attack on these metal monsters that woke him from a nap....not too mention that goal kick.....that didn't endear me to him AT ALL.

I kicked him out of the way ( a toe nudge, really. He was heavy!) because I couldn't maneuver to pick him up so close to the traffic. HE may have been interested in dealing with the traffic... me not so much.

As I had run up to snatch him up to safety, that evil, beady eyed head twisted back on its snake-neck and damn near took a finger as a snack. THAT'S why there was a sudden "OH, S#!T!" and a sudden kick.

So, faced with a slightly annoyed, disgruntled, snapping turtle....and me never having learned that trick you see on TV where the animal handler neatly picks up the turtle by the shell, gripping it behind the head...I was stumped. Well, almost...the turtle missed....again. That turtle had a neck as flexible as a snake and 6 inches long.

I've never felt anything so strong that was that small. It was the original all wheel drive vehicle. Finally I got a grip on its tail and a hand on the top of its shell. Needless to say, picking up an already irate snapping turtle and holding it upside down does NOT make it any friendlier. It's neck stretched out backwards for my belt line so far that I worried about singing soprano. (I'm told that this is called "foreshadowing" in writing circles.)

So... there we were. Now what? I saw no ponds, streams, creeks, rivers, or puddles. The only place it could have come was from the hill in front of me. The steep hill. With bushes and saplings all over it. Covered in slippery pine needles. Did I tell you that my shoes were not completely on? Yeah......wait. It gets better.

So... up we go. Slip slidin' away....near the destination...the more you slip slidin' away.... Sorry. 70's flashback.

Anyway, up we go, darling daughter doing her best to help. Now, as one climbs a 45 degree slope, one tends to bring the arms in to keep balance......yeah...you see where this is going......

About halfway up the slope, that highly displeased, upside down, contortionist turtle makes an attempt to change my sex.....me not realizing how close my hands were to my body! All I see is a blur and hear a "snap!"

Turtles can fly.

Not very far, but they can fly. As I did, in the opposite direction, as my shoe comes loose. I go over backwards, the turtle comes sliding down after me...THE TURTLE! OH CRAP!. I'm dodging the sliding turtle and it wedges itself next to a sapling.

Darling daughter is doing her very best not to laugh.....which isn't very good. Gathering up the turtle, by the expedient handle of it tail, I begin to climb Mt. Everest again. Now...I'm in shape. I mean...round is a shape. So, its about 100 degrees, 200% humidity, branches scratching and bushes catching me. And we reach the top. Whew!

No pond. No stream. Not even a mudhole. I was really hoping that was mud all over the hind end of the turtle.......

Screw the damn turtle. Pitched him (gently) towards the fence, and turned my way back down.

Remember those branches? Yeah, the ones that scratch? Being the dutiful dad that I am, I held the branches back from my following daughter and also out of my face.

Branches break.

Hit me right in the eye. One half inch down, and it would have hit the eye and not the eye lid. 50 miles from well...anywhere.

That's how you almost lose an eye while wrasslin' a turtle.

Screw turtles. Ungrateful wretches.

Lucky Gunner Blog Shoot Report is late.

Its Coming! Its Coming!

Came home from a rockin', outstanding, incredible Memorial Day weekend of machine gun shooting, cannon firing, turtle wrestling, picture taking, and other incredible things....to find my phone, cable, AND internet broken. Just got it back 10 minutes ago.


Will post more in a bit.

Sorry for the inconvenience. Pics, video, and stories coming.

Remington Nickel Plated UMC 9mm Ammo Review

Today was a first! This is my first ever, breaking new ground, never been done before, product review.

A few weeks ago, the nice folks at Lucky Gunner Ammo emailed me,

Also, I see that you shoot 9mm… would you like to test some of the new nickel plated stuff by Remington? An informal, laid back review sharing your opinion of the new line is fine with me: http://www.luckygunner.com/remington-nickel-plated-umc-target-ammo-review.

And I, with much kewlness, replied,

Um...WOW. I would love to, BUT...

See... the problem is that Henrico County, Virginia is horrible about zoning for firearm related business. Gun cooties, you see....

The only range in the area is in a neighboring county and they make you buy all the ammo that you shoot from them, that day or they seal what you buy for later shooting. Monopolies are like that....

Enter The Smoking Gun. Owned by Jeff Picchi, The Smoking Gun Range welcomes all shooters AND THEIR AMMO. Clean, well lit, with helpful staff, my range time was both economical and fun. The 60 mile round trip was well worth the time and gas. Cheaper too.

And so on to the review!

What was my first reaction to the Remington Nickel Plated UMC Target Ammunition?

Shiny.

Very shiny. I almost did not want to get fingerprints on them.

Being that I have some old ammo, I can see how the nickel plating would definitely reduce verdigris from developing during exposure to moisture in an ammo belt or during long term storage, especially in a marine environment.

Stats for the round can be found here.

I brought my two 9 mm hand guns with me. One a modern Glock 17. The other is a venerable war veteran, a 1943 Browning FN HP Mk I, made in Inglis, Canada.

For comparison, I also brought along Winchester 9mm Luger Target/Range ammo. Both brands have the 115 grain bullet.

Loading 10 rounds per magazine, I fired two magazines through each pistol for each brand.
One of the qualities being touted for the Remington was " smoother feeding and cycling of a weapon." Unfortunately, firing only 50 rounds total through both weapons was insufficient to determine if there was a difference between brass and nickel plated. More testing is needed...... (yes...its shameless begging! I admit it!)

The results are:
Using the Browning: two failures to feed with the Winchester ammo - one each per mag and one stovepipe with the Remington ammo. However, I do not believe the ammo was at fault.

Using the Glock: no failures at all.

And because my shooting SUCKED,......all I will say is that accuracy with both brands was adequate. Without thinking about it, I threw my target away....D'OH! Didn't think about it until I was 25 miles down the road. What can I say? This is my first review.

At ten yards, freestanding, both the Remington and the Winchester performed as expected. I shoot left of the bull with both the Glock and Browning.......and that is exactly where it went. Most of it was in the black.... I did seem to have a smaller grouping with the Remington....

I finished it off, mixing both brands together, to see how Remington would feed with mixed rounds. Did a rapid fire with the Glock. No failures.

I finished off the testing, determined to bring my confidence up by shooting something other than a 9 mm. So I broke out my Bersa Thunder (Go Breda!) and my Ruger .22.

AAaaaaahhh....bullseyes......

In a related matter,
To those trying to introduce others, (like your wife...you know who you are), to shooting, and you discover that your wife is...shall we say... recoil sensitive....find a .22 pistol. My lane neighbor was trying to introduce a gun phobic wife to shooting. His first round out of the 9mm Ruger made her jump back 4 feet. And when SHE shot...I could feel the flinch in MY booth.

So I lent her my Ruger .22 for 20 rounds. By the last five rounds, she was shooting them without help and no flinching.

Even got a smile. Welcome to the shooting world.

Disclaimer:
Please note that Lucky Gunner Ammo provided me with the box of Remington ammunition I used in this review, and I will be at the Memorial Day blogger shoot this weekend. WOOHOO!

Remember, this weekend, take a moment to remember those that have sacrificed their lives to defend us. Its not all about shooting, Bar-B-Q, and a three day weekend. We still have guys out there that don't get a day off.

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