Gun Thread: 9th Circus Edition! [Weasel]

Howdy y'all, and welcome to the Gun Thread! Time to grab your favorite beverage, some snacks and your woobie, and settle in for our weekly discussion of our fav-o-rite thing, Guns 'n Shooting! Oh, I'd like to take this opportunity to officially welcome all of the new nics we've seen commenting and contributing content lately, and offer a bigly Gun Thread thank you!

To the rest of you reprobates, keep sending your ideas and range reports. This is your Gun Thread, and to a large extent you get to decide what we all see here. The GT email is included at the bottom of the thread every week.

With that, let's get to the content below, shall we?

Show of hands; who doesn't hate clowns? I mean, has anyone in the history of the universe not hated clowns? And who are the very worst clowns? The bottom of the clown barrel so to speak? Well it's not happy clowns, or sad clowns, or even scary clowns. The very worst clowns are the ones who make clownish decisions regarding how the rest of us will live. Of course, I'm talking about the clowns on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. These are the worst clowns. FYI - I am also no fan of Mimes, but we'll save them for another day.

Recently, in a 7 - 4 opinion, the Court essentially decided the 2nd Amendment does not extend outside the home. The case in question involved a resident of Hawaii who had been twice denied a carry license under the state's law requiring, among other things, applicants to demonstrate "the urgency or the need" and to be "engaged in the protection of life and property" in order to be licensed to openly carry a firearm in public. The same court has previously found that persons do not have the right to carry concealed weapons, either. Here is the opinion if you want to read it for yourself.

I'm not bringing this up to debate the legal theory or merits of the argument. The reason I am bringing this up is to highlight how our rights under the 2nd Amendment are constantly under attack, and how we need to put our money where our mouths are. Getting rilly, rilly, rilly mad on internet forums ain't enough. We need to support the organizations who are committed to protecting our rights. These are groups such as Gun Owners of America, Second Amendment Foundation, and yep, the National Rifle Association.

I have been somewhat critical of the NRA here in the past, but the fact remains they are by far the largest 2nd Amendment organization in the world. Say what you will about their current leadership and organizational practices, but they're the one with the membership numbers, plain and simple. They are the organization who the anti-2nd Amendment organizations have to fight. It sort of pains me to say this, because I believe organizations such as the Gun Owners of America and Second Amendment Foundation do great work, but at the end of the day the NRA remains the big daddy of gun rights organizations, and it is essential they remain strong and in the fight.

Questionable leadership antics aside for now, one of the biggest gripes about the NRA from its membership is their relentless fundraising campaign. Quite frankly that's a big part of the reason I became a Life Member many years ago. There is a simpler and more economical way to manage this however, sent to us by our pal Jim, Sunk New Dawn

How To NOT Get NRA Junk Mail, Nor Suffer Robocalls On Their Behalf

This works for NEW or EXISTING memberships.

Make a VOICE CALL (do not email) to the Membership Desk at the NRA. 1-800-672-3888.

When you connect with a rep, utter the following phrase EXACTLY as written: "I want you to code my membership as NO PROMOTIONS." Once the rep acknowledges this; "Please do so now, and CONFIRM back to me that you have coded my membership as NO PROMOTIONS...Thank you!"

They have a list of Membership Categories as a menu on their screen. "NO PROMOTIONS" is one such, is ONLY actuated when those EXACT WORDS are spoken to the Customer Service Agent. If you tell them you don't want junk mail, those words do not exist on their menu. Same as if you tell them you don't want robo-calls. Your plea will avail to precisely nothing.

So, now you can join the NRA without fear. And without junk mail. Please do join though, the strength in numbers is a REAL factor in these fights.

As Jim SND mentioned, a weakened NRA isn't going to do any of us any good, and membership numbers need to be seen going up and not down. It may be nice to see some of the more odious executive leadership squirm, but that's not going to help the fight. Think about it. I wholeheartedly recommend supporting the smaller organizations, but we need the NRA to succeed as well. If you disagree with the leadership, then take the time to let them know by email or call them at 1-800-672-3888. If you want to burn a stamp, the mailing address is:

So give it some thought. I realize it may be irksome, but consider supporting the NRA. The left is not going to stop the their attempts to infringe on our 2nd Amendment rights, and we need organizations of the NRA's size and organizational scale to maintain a cohesive and united resistance.

First up we have a question from our pal CBD.

The head of my local club, the guy who is always there and who has kept it running for about 40 years, bought an AutoMag III and the gunsmith who checked it out for him bent the hammer strut. He doesn't want to just bend it back because it may very well snap and he has been unsuccessful in finding a replacement. Obviously if he heats it he will be able to bend it back, but then what about re-tempering it? What temp, how long, and in what liquid? I am sure that someone out there knows how to do it, or could even fabricate a new one.

So how about it? Here's your chance to suck-up to CBD, and earn some extra AoSHQ Blog credit to make up for your ill-advised sous vide criticism or support of maple syrup!

Next we have an awesome range and project report from our pal Glen The Deplorable Lurker

Thought I'd send through some pics of a project deplorable boy and I got up to last spring. Our lease range lacked pistol targets, so we built a couple to place out at the trap range. We had a blast building them, and the boy put his first rounds down range into them. More than anything, it was good father/son bonding time over manly activities. Deplorable boy got to put some rounds through momma's SR22, and I did a little blasting with the SD9VE to test the new Apex trigger and spring kit, the best $50 I've ever spent. He also spent a little time plinking away with his Red Ryder BB gun. I think the most enjoyable part for him, though, is getting to ride in the front seat of the truck on the lease.

I love reports like this. What could be better than a father-son project and range time?

Next up, we have some thoughts on gun cleaning from our pal A.H. Lloyd

There are a lot of questions that can excite furious debate among gun owners, such as 9mm or .45 ACP or just how badly Glocks suck. But one topic that doesn't seem to do that is how often guns need cleaning. Everyone agrees it ought to happen, but the frequency is a little vague. I'm one of those few who does have a strong opinion on this topic and my answer is: guns need to be cleaned after each and every use. There are three normal reasons for this, plus one extra COVID one which I will get to at the end.

The first reason is that the more you clean, the easier it is. Conversely, if you go shooting with even a mildly dirty gun, the earlier carbon and fouling is now baked in and that much harder to extract. Revolvers tend to be more tolerant of filth than auto-loaders, but even they are subject to the same rule. In fact, I've found .38 Special to almost always be one of the dirtiest cartridges to clean up after. Do yourself a favor and stay on top of it.

I'm sure some will come back with the fact that Noted YouTube Experts have been quoted as saying they only clean after several hundred rounds. The thing is, these are often professional shooters, who know their weapons intimately. They also are using custom or high-grade ammunition, so they have an idea of exactly how much their weapon can take before having issues.

For everyone else, it's a lot less clear. Dirt and fouling may not by themselves cause a malfunction but they can be a factor. I had an experience quite recently of an experienced shooter using his trusted, but dirty, weapon with an unfamiliar kind of ammunition, and the combination of fouling and underpowered load gave him no end of trouble. Happily he was just doing some plinking at the range, so the consequences weren't serious. If you need your weapon between your "scheduled cleanings," you could be in for an unpleasant surprise. Why risk it?

The second reason is that when you clean, you're also doing a lot more. Cleaning gives you a chance to check the various mechanics of your weapon, such as springs, screws, pins and so on. Guess what? Screws work themselves loose and pins can break. Nice to notice that before it becomes a problem. Cleaning also involves lubrication, which can be very beneficial depending on the firearm.

This ties into the third reason which is that by cleaning your firearm, you get to really know it. This is especially important for new owners. Notice I didn't say "new shooters," because even experienced shooters can be caught off guard by the quirks of an unfamiliar firearm. Range time is good, dry-fire exercises helpful, but cleaning is essential to fully knowing how the thing works.

As I noted above, experienced shooters may bend this rule from time to time. I myself have made the decision to put off cleaning when a given gun saw very little use in a session and I knew I'd get it out again very soon. Another factor is what you use it for. If the gun is more of a novelty item rather than something you'll use for self-defense, than the rules are a little more lax.

If you just bought a used gun, you should absolutely clean it after every use because you have no idea how badly the former owner treated it. Mud, gunk, dirt - sometimes I think people sell guns just so they don't have to clean them. You also may contend with worn springs, bent pins and other items that maybe the online auction or examination at the gun store couldn't show you.

So those are the normal reasons to clean guns early and often, but the new COVID one is that ammo is insane right now, and you may be reduced to buying something in a plain brown box from a manufacturer you never heard of. Guess what? Some of that stuff can be corrosive and if you don't clean it out right away, you will mess up your barrel.

Erudite Book Thread Morons who read Evelyn Waugh, but I repeat myself, know from his wartime recollections that the British used really nasty stuff in both world wars and poured hot water down their barrels to wash out the residue. Here in the US, corrosive ammunition used to be quite rare, but in the present shortage every forgotten Soviet storage bin is being thrown open and the contents placed on the market. In fact, I'm not convinced that we aren't getting ammunition that was slated for destruction.

Even if the ammunition isn't corrosive, you may have no idea how it will perform. Again, the guy whose gun gave him grief has been shooting for decades, and therefore was casual about cleaning. It took one box of Mystery Ammo to ruin his shooting experience with constant failures to cycle.

Do yourself a favor: keep it clean. It really doesn't take that much time and the benefits absolutely outweigh the risks.

A.H. Lloyd makes excellent points. How about you all? Do you clean after every use?

Next, our pal WTM shares a range and police activity report!

It's been a rough week for shooters in these latitudes. Lots of rain and then lots of wind. The range wasn't too wet yesterday, but, boy, was it windy. So much for tweaking the sights on my .223 and .22LR. I fired a few rounds and called it quits. Then to the pistol range.

The big news was that there had been a break-in the day before in the parking lot adjacent to the firing lines. This parking lot is about 300' long and parallels the pistol and rifle ranges. Here is how it is arranged. looking at the pistol range on the far west end.

One of the RSO's with whom I have become chummy told me that he had seen a vehicle slowly going up and down behind those parked, evidently looking for someone or something. He saw it come to a stop but didn't think anything of it until a woman, who had been shooting a rifle, went to her car to change firearms and found that the driver's window had been shattered, the door unlocked, and her purse, which had been left on the passenger seat, was missing.

This range is in a rural area, so the Harris County Sheriff's Department was called. The deputy, upon arriving, asked the woman what all she had done prior to coming to the range, and her last stop beforehand had been at an ATM, where she made a large withdrawal. He stopped her there, stating that she had been marked at the bank and had simply been followed to the range. He said there was an organized gang in Houston doing this and that it took them less than 10 seconds to break in, grab her purse, and leave. She stated that she had left her purse on the seat since, and I quote, "I thought it would be safe with so many people with guns nearby". Today, she is no doubt sadder but wiser. To the lady morons reading this: Please don't make the same mistake. Trust no one.

Otherwise, I had an uneventful day, other than finding about 100 rounds of .300 Win Mag, .270, .30-06, and .308 brass in the trash. I also found this ammo box, which illustrates just how bad things have become in this age of Defund the Police and ongoing Dim threats to grab guns. Pretty ordinary, huh? Wait until you see the end flap.

Wait for it.... Waaaait for it...!

Holy Shit! - Weasel

That's right - over $100 with tax for a box of .38 Special. The previous champion had been a box of 20 .300 Win Mag with a $55 price tag. I have never been so glad that I reload in my life, and now look fondly at my jug of 1000 .38+P that I reloaded for about $0.15 each. Here it be. Good luck to all, and keep locked and loaded.

Ho-Lee-Shit!! Somebody really wanted that box of .38 Special. Unreal. Please, people, assuming the ammo situation returns to normal, please, please, please make sure you have what you need ammo-wise to ride out the next 'thing'.

Next up our pal and delightful 'ette Jane D'oh sends the following.

So while kids in the U.S. are learning about proper pronoun use, the Rooskies are learning to strip and reassemble weapons. Great. Juuust great. Thanks Jane D'oh!

Next we have a question from our pal tbodie which I wasn't able to answer, so I thought I'd ask for your help.

I am considering buying a pistol caliber carbine (PCC) for Mrs. tbodie for home defense. I looked around the internet and did not find any useful information. Do you experience with / know of any good resources for researching PCC's?

How about it? Any suggestions?

Next up, our pal Chris from Delaware reports he had a very productive month!

Had 3 weekends in a row with shooting. First. took a young friend to the range to get him a bit of practice.

The next weekend was an annual camping/shooting weekend in central Virginia. The old adage of "if it ain't raining, you ain't training" was unfortunately proven. Wet red clay trails with wet leaves for a topping yields interesting driving, especially on off camber sections. My young friend had a chance to play at various ranges out to 200 yards and practice some reloading drills. I introduced the owner of the property to the joys of cap 'n ball revolvers with a brass frame Remington replica and a Walker. A little bit of Hawken/roundball fun as well.

The third weekend was a Glock match and doing 6 seconds on the knockdown plates felt pretty good. Watching one fellow do it in 3 flat was humbling. Watching him get trounced by a 2.8 second run was more humbling.

Lucked into some Hornady cowboy slugs at the local Cabela's. Lucked into a good trade for some large pistol primers. Now all I need is a supply of powder and the cowboy guns will remain fed.

Sounds like a great month, Chris in Delaware!

Link-O-Rama

I'm really very seriously not kidding around anymore. Buy Ammo
AmmoSeek - online ammo search tool
GunBot - online ammo search tool
SG Ammo
Palmetto State Armory
Georgia Arms
AmmoMan
Target Sports USA
Bud's Gun Shop

This week's Mail Bag entry comes courtesy of our pal Fungus Boy.

Don't be this guy!

Please note the new and improved protonmail account gunthread at protonmail dot com. An informal Gun Thread archive can be found HERE. Future expansion plans are in the works for the site Weasel Gun Thread. If you have a question you would like to ask Gun Thread Staff offline, just send us a note and we'll do our best to answer. If you care to share the story of your favorite firearm, send a picture with your nic and tell us what you sadly lost in the tragic canoe accident. If you would like to remain completely anonymous, just say so. Lurkers are always welcome!

That's it for this week - have you been to the range?

posted by Open Blogger at 07:00 PM

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