Hiatus

Been on an extended AFK during the summer, when it seems like my writing should have been most prolific. Lots of stuff going on at the moment, but pulling twelve hour days has me not interested in writing at the moment.

It's safe to say I'm definitely still a "ring wing extremist" and hopefully I'll get to make some more comments in the coming weeks.

Things I Like -- Shooty-wise

In response to Caleb's post I thought I'd compare my list to his of about the same categories of shooty stuff that I enjoy.

1. 1911s. Period. Single action masterpiece of John Moses Browning(PBUTH). There is no more recognizable or customizable weapon in the world. I prefer mine in the flavors of .45, 5" barrel and series 70. There are times when I think I'd like a 4.25" length barrel, but as Stephen Stills said once - you gotta love the one you're with.

My Para SSP, despite being series 80 is still the finest firearm I've ever shot. I know you can pull out your series 80 parts, but since it's my carry gun and my competition gun so I can't do that.

2. Trapezoid Sights. The sights that come on the Steyr M9-A1, of which I am also an owner. These sights can be just as accurate at 50 yards at they are at 5. They're super fast and there's never any question about your sight alignment. My next 1911 project is going to have a set of these. Not the crappy imitation sights, but the real thing.

3. Double Stack 1911s. The new ones built on the Fusion STI-esque frame may be the sexiest firearm I've ever seen. Yes I know the purists will wail and gnash the teeth but come on that has to be one of the sexiest pair of pistols I've ever seen.

4. Really nice over-under shotguns. I love the pumps and semi-autos for home defense, but for trap you have to have a really sexy over-under. I've shot a couple of full-house Perazzis before - most amazing shotgun experience ever.

5. Kydex IWB holsters. I use a Blade-Tech IWB holster. Living in Florida and dealing with all the humidity causes me to lean this way more than to leather, which can soak up sweat and humidity. It's not unconfortable for me either since the 1911 holster is thin enough.

6. Watching Todd Jarrett reloads. Is he human?

Super Duper Anti-Robbery Sign

Maybe more detail is needed to make them more effective. Surely this one works right?

Late Term Abortion Doctor Assassinated

Story here.

Now - I am disgusted by the concept of late term / partial birth abortion. It's a concept that repulses me to no end. By that point the obvious choice for the mother is to seek adoption services. That, however, is a discussion for another time. That being said I can in no way condone the seemingly cold-blood murder of this doctor. Last time I checked pro-life applied to currently living human beings, too. This kind of extremism is on par with any of the current crazies out there.

New Favorite Blog - Women of Caliber

I've been catching this website on my reader for some time. Kellene has some great articles about shooting and self defense for women. However, the central message of almost all her posts are uber-valuable to anyone interested in lawful self defense - man or woman:

Be aware - confident awareness goes a long way to preventing an attack by a predatory goblin.
Be prepared - not only with the right equipment for lawful self defense, but also with the training and mindset to do so.
Cheat - There are no rules when your life is at stake. Fight to win, do whatever you must to stop the threat.
Win - see above, in a violent / deadly-force encounter you must win, you must stop the threat.

Fascist?

Last night on the Glenn Beck Program on Fox (one of the only TV shows I watch anymore) Glenn interviewed Thomas Sowell. When discussing the nature of the US economy as it stands today Beck asked Dr. Sowell: Do you think we're a capitalist nation anymore?

Fascism? While I don't think we meet all the requirements of the textbook definition of fascism - in a way it does make sense to me. The more I watch the news and the more I see the attempt to expand the power of the executive branch - the more I think he could be right.

Ugh

I beg forgiveness for the light posting of late. Career direction being in flux has made me less than enthusiastic about most things of late. Going to make an attempt to resume today. Lots of stuff of interest has been going on in the Second Amendment realm as well as the freedom realm.

Gonna shoot for some commentary today.

The Self Image of a Soldier

Reproduced here in full without comment. Original to be found here.

Sarah Albrycht

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.

~ Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address

A few nights ago, I walked a quiet mile with hundreds of other service members. It was a clear night in Bagram, Afghanistan. Although it was late, the birds were singing, perhaps roused by the unusual occurrence of people walking under their trees at the late hour. Soft voices broke the solemnity, but no words were discernible. Suddenly, as if on cue, soldiers, airmen, seamen, marines, broke off the sidewalk and lined the road, spacing themselves regularly and assuming a position of silent watchfulness. The honor cordon had formed.

Heads began to turn right as flashing blue lights appeared far down the road. As the vehicles neared, one by one, service members assumed the position of attention and rendered the hand salute. In the back of an open truck sat eight military members, and between them, at their feet, was a flag draped casket.

As I rendered my salute, I thought about the fallen soldier. I did not know his name, his unit or his home. I never saw his face or spoke to his family. I did not know why he volunteered for the Army or what he was doing when he was killed. But there was much I did know. I knew he had fought and died in an honorable cause, a cause that had little to do with our policy on Afghanistan. This soldier had volunteered to put his very life on the line in service to his nation and his brothers-in-arms. I see no more honorable cause that that.

In a column, Mr. Putney has again raised the debate about the sacrifice of America's "sons and daughters" in uniform. Some have argued that we must continue the fight to honor their memory "so that they have not died in vain." Others argue we must stop the wars to save soldiers from this fate. I think an essential understanding of what motivates those of us in uniform is missing in this debate.

We are not your sons and daughters, whom you must protect and defend. We are your sword and your shield. We are men and women who volunteer to place our lives on the line so you do not have to. We do not decide when or where we will be sent. We go. You are our advocates, not our parents.

We trust you to care for our families, to hold our jobs, pay for our equipment, salary and medical care and yes, to honor our sacrifice. We trust you to vote for good political leadership, to speak out against bad policy decisions and to demand public accountability. However, we do not count on you to explain the honorable character of our service. We are ennobled by the very fact we serve.

Our "high moral cause" is one of service to a nation whose principles we believe in. We miss the point of political debate when we distill it down to numbers of service member deaths. Debate should be about the policy that leads us in or pulls us out of war. I, as a soldier, am personally insulted when debate about war becomes not about policy, but about deaths, because it implies that my service is at best uninformed or ill-conceived, and at worst valueless.

I know my life is in the hands of others because I choose for it to be that way. I am not your daughter, a child who must be guided. I have made my choice and pledge my honor to it. I will thank you to remember that because we serve our nation, none of us dies in vain, regardless of the cause; end of debate.

Every day a new Marine enlists or an airman puts on her uniform is a reminder that our defenders come from people who still believe in our nation and the values it aspires to, as flawed as we sometimes are. War does not make our sacrifice honorable, death does not make our service honorable; service itself is our honor.

We, your American service members, do not see the cause for which we may give our last full measure of devotion, as our nation's goals in Iraq or Afghanistan, and perhaps that is the difference. Our cause is our nation, in all her beautiful, imperfect glory.

So on a dark night in Afghanistan we stood under a velvet sky of a million stars to honor one man who lay under 50. We never doubted what he died for. Pfc. Patrick A. Devoe II died for you, the United States of America. That, Mr. Putney, is no goof.

Sarah Albrycht is a Bennington native serving in the Army in Afghanistan.

Angry Angry

Wow, I like liberty girl. Check out her rant here.

Primers

Welp, I'm now using CCI 350 magnum primers in .45 acp. Seemed to work ok over the chrono. Going to be able to back my loads down to 4.5 - 4.6 gr of titegroup and still be slightly above PF. No failures to ignite.