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Gun Thread: First May of 2023 Edition!

Howdy, Y'all! Welcome to the wondrously fabulous Gun Thread! As always, I want to thank all of our regulars for being here week in and week out, and also offer a bigly Gun Thread welcome to any newcomers who may be joining us tonight. Howdy and thank you for stopping by! I hope you find our wacky conversation on the subject of guns 'n shooting both enjoyable and informative. You are always welcome to lurk in the shadows of shame, but I'd like to invite you to jump into the conversation, say howdy, and tell us what kind of shooting you like to do!

Holy Shitballs! How in the ever-loving Hell did it get to be May? I told you people last week this was going to happen, and just like that, it did. It's May!

With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?

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2023 NoVAMoMe Update
Well registration has been open for a week, and the sign-ups are rolling in! I'd guess we're about halfway to capacity. However, our pal and delightful 'ette and MoMe Hostess with the Mostest, bluebell has reviewed the activity and placed me on an improvement plan. Evidently, in order to achieve an "exceeds expectations" rating and thereby extend my overall life expectancy, we need to see an improvement in the numbers. So c'mon, people! Do your ol' pal Weasel a favor and register today!

Win a Dream Date with Weasel!
Due to incredibly popular demand, we are again conducting a separate raffle for a Dream Date with Weasel This fabulous prize includes an entire day of shooting and personalized one-on-one handgun & rifle coaching and instruction at Weasel Acres on a mutually agreeable date with yours truly. The lucky winner will be able to not only bring and shoot their own weapons, but also try out a variety of WeaselWeapons using WeaselAmmo! If the timing works, we can even invite WeaselBuddy Geoff to come along with a sub-machine gun.

We will end the day with dinner at a good Mexican place in nearby Appomattox. The winner will be responsible for their travel to and from Central Virginia, hence the separate drawing.

Don't be a pathetic girly-man loser, register today!

Again, for the 789th time, this thing is fun people! Fun!! You absolutely will not regret making the decision to attend and remember this time there are pre-MoMe festivities planned for Friday afternoon and evening prior to the main event. Registration is simple and painless- just send an email to novamome@protonmail.com for all the details!

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What Do You Think?
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my experience at the 2023 NRA Annual Meeting and offered my thoughts on the NRA leadership, the gist of which is here:

To say that Wayne LaPierre, the NRA CEO and EVP is polarizing is something of an understatement. I don't mind at all that he pisses off the left, but I do have a problem with the fact that he is such a distraction within the NRA itself. I am not going to dwell on the details which give rise to all the static; believe the stories or don't believe the stories - to me it's really beside the point, but I find it highly problematic that there are such wildly differing views of the leadership of such a vitally important organization. The amount of energy wasted on defending/attacking this one guy from the inside the organization means there is just that much less available for defending our 2nd Amendment rights outside the organization. For no other reason than that, I think LaPierre needs to go.

More recently I was reading a couple articles at Ammoland, neither one of which is particularly complimentary of the NRA. One on the 2023 Convention in Indianapolis, and a second onNRA's "support" for the 'Freedom to Carry' bill in North Carolina.

My interest as a serious investigative journalist piqued, I latched onto the matter like a boll weevil on a cotton ball by scanning the headlines of a number of other Ammoland articles, and detected something of a disgusted-with-the-NRA theme. Interesting. Verrrry interesting. How prevalent is this attitude? Seems pretty widespread to me. What do all y'all think?

And Another Thing...
Well I can tell you what one of all y'all think, at least with respect to naming conventions. After the thread on the NRA Convention excerpted above, our pal SPinRH_F-16 sent an email with the following thoughts:

I noted in the report about Wayne LaPierre near the bottom of the paragraph you mentioned 2nd Amendment rights. I wanted to offer a quick opinion on our tendency to refer to Amendment-based rights.

I think we ought to speak in terms of our inalienable rights, or our God-given rights and eschew the use of "nth Amendment rights." Here's why:

As time marches on and the citizenry's civic education regarding our foundational documents diminishes, my fear is that our tendency to refer to rights as "nth Amendment rights" will inadvertently tend to reinforce in the malinformed citizenry the notion that the rights are granted by the Bill of Rights or the Constitution rather than the actual case, which is that the inalienable rights are to be protected by the federal government to which We the [sovereign] People assented to form through the Constitution.

The existence of or actions/inactions by federal, state, or local governments has no bearing whatsoever on any of our individual, inherent, inalienable rights: To defend ourselves, loved ones, and justly-acquired property; or to speak our minds; or to exercise our faith; or to peacefully assemble to petition the government for the redress of grievances; or to be secure in our persons, homes, and property; and so forth. All of us in the Horde know this.

I therefore propose whenever it makes sense to do so to stress that each individual's right to keep and bear arms is inalienable; and mention the 2nd Amendment only in the context that the federal government and the republican forms of state governments are constrained to enable us to exercise this right. This should especially be the case when they fail to do so.

OK, so what do all y'all think of inalienable or God-given rights vs. 2nd Amendment rights? Semantics? A distinction without a difference, or something we should all be doing? For me, I don't think referring to the place in the Bill of Rights where they are enshrined lessens the origin or validity of those rights and therefor use them interchangeably for convenience. I'm also something of an idiot and tend to say the first thing that pops into my head, when there is anything in there at all, and should definitely not be taken seriously. Having said that, I think SPinRH_F-16 makes some very bigly good points.

Something to think about, yes?

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Guns of the Horde
So lately we've had some discussion of 9mm carbines in the comments, and I our pal RI Red-O sent in a, well, a photo essay and new gun report en espanol no less!

Report by Senor Roja del Isla de Rodas: Mas Fotos, menos Palabras!

Foto 1: Nondescript bag.

Foto 2: Hola!

Foto 3: Zeroing red dot at 25. Everything outside the ring is from a S&W M&P 9C at the same distance.

Foto 4: 50.

Foto 5: 100.

Whoa! Nice job there, Mr. Red-O but next time I really must insist you keep it under 15 palabras.

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But wait! There's more!!!

Not to be outdone by Mr. Red-O, Mister Scott has the same gun!

Attached is a picture of my first 17 rounds after I installed a Red Dot sight on my new Smith & Wesson 9mm M&P FPC Folding Carbine. Slapped a Sig Sauer Romeo 5 Red Dot on it and took it to the range. No adjustments I just took it out of the bag and sent 17 rounds downrange at 15 yards. Very pleased. I had run about 100 rounds through it last week with *iron* sights and did OK, but putting a red dot on this thing takes it up a notch. This PCC is a sweet shooter that runs circles around my Ruger PC Carbine and my Colt AR9. Ran 86 rounds through it today with nary a hiccup, unfortunately the range I go to only runs out to 20 yards. I would like to see what I could do with this at 50 yards.

Very nice shooting, Mr. Scott! Thank you and please keep the range reports coming!

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Here's our pal Jerry 'Jer' Miculek in a video with the same shootin' iron.

Anyone else have one of these? Look like something you want/need to add to your arsenal?

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Obscure History

From our pal WTM

Very obscure, thanks WTM!

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Lastly but not leastly, our pal Gref shares a great video on gun stores.

I ran recently across this YouTube video, 7 Things Gun Stores Won't Tell You (But you should know). It may be helpful for gun and gun store newbies and many lurkers. It has some stuff long time shooters may find useful, too.

Nice find! Thanks, Gref!

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New Gun Owners - Take a Look
Here's Colion Noir with 7 things you should do after buying your first gun.

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Broken Arrow
Had a mishap with your nuclear weapon? Whoops! Whoopsie! Never fear, your ol' pal Weasel is here to help!

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NoVAMoMe 2023

Not so fast on the gun stuff, buckaroos! We have a little bit more on the NoVAMoMe to discuss. In fact, this will be the first of a long and seemingly endless series of reminders to get yo' big butt off the couch and come out and meet some of your online friends. Let's kick things off with a few NoVAMoMe FAQ.

Q: Is it fun?
A: Yes. Just ask anyone who has been to one. You will have fun, or else.

Q: When is it again? Did you say June?
A: Yes. A thousand times yes! June 10th, from 1pm til 6pm or so.

Q: I'm sort of a dork. Can I just slink-in, watch for a bit and then slink out without having to actually speak with anyone?
A: Yes. In fact, we have strategically placed large potted ferns for lurkers to hide behind.

Q: Will bluebell be there? I really want to meet bluebell.
A: Of course! Well, assuming things go well at the parole hearing.

Q: Is there food and drink?
A: Yes! $30 for a bigly buffet, and a cash bar. We had to bump up the food price a bit to cover costs this year.

Q: Can I make references, even veiled references to the secret MoMe location on the blog?
A: NO! Seriously, please don't.

Q: Sounds great, Weasel! How do I sign up?
A: We will again have an online page with registration and payment specifics, however, it's not yet live as we're still working out a few of the details. Keep an eye out here on the ol' Gun Thread or the main page sidebar for more info in the coming weeks.

OK, I'm talking to YOU Mr. or Ms. I'll Go Next Time. Guess what? The next time is here. It's a really fun event and we would love to have you join us. Hopefully some NoVAMoMe veterans will speak up in the comments and encourage the introverts to stop being big baby chickens and make this the year to come out of the shadows!

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Musical Interlude
Here is Eric Clapton and I Shot the Sheriff at the 2010 Crossroads festival. A real toe-tapper!

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Gun Basics 101
No new video from the She Equips Herself gal, so this week's video is a re-run on gun shop etiquette which fits nicely with the Colion Noir video above.

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Cigar of the Week

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This week our pal Diogenes scores again with this excellent review of the Cohiba Nicaragua

We all remember the key "Firsts&" in our lives. That first kiss, first love, first time we hit the target at over 300 meters, the first grenade, and that first time with Mary Rhotankroch (but that's another story).

I will always remember my first Cohiba cigar.

I was in Toulouse France, home of Airbus, and the only Boeing guy attending a conference. I was sitting outside a cafe near the old city square, sipping wine, and chatting with another attendee. He gave me a Cuban Cohiba.

My life changed.

There is good. There is great. There is excellence. There is perfection. And then there is the best in the world. There is Cohiba.

Last week I treated myself to a birthday Cohiba. This was a Nicaraguan version and it was everything I hoped it would be. Cigar International writes thus:

“Brimming with Nicaraguan long-fillers from Jalapa and Esteli all hugged by a Nicaraguan binder also from Jalapa, this is one medium to full-bodied masterpiece prime for the pickin’. Complex notes of cedar, leather, and pepper meld beautifully causing those who partake to begin frantically searching for another as soon as they see the nub is in reach. Cohiba Nicaragua was recently honored with a well-deserved 91-rating.”

I fully concur. It is the only cigar that makes me look at my credit card and think "Screw the cost!" They ain't cheap, but oh so worth it.

Excellent, Diogenes! Ten WeaselThumbs up. Thank you!

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Here are some different online cigar vendors. You will find they not only carry different brands and different lines from those brands, but also varying selections of vitolas (sizes/shapes) of given lines. It's good to have options, especially if you're looking for a specific cigar.

Cigarsinternational.com
Cigarpage.com
Famous-smoke.com
Cigarsdaily.com
Neptunecigar.com
Smallbatchcigar.com
Bobalu Cigar Company
Cigarbid.com

A note about sources. The brick & mortar/online divide exists with cigars, as with guns, and most consumer products, with respect to price. As with guns - since both are "persecuted industries", basically - I make a conscious effort to source at least some of my cigars from my local store(s). It's a small thing, but the brick & mortar segment for both guns and tobacco are precious, and worth supporting where you can. And if you're lucky enough to have a good cigar store/lounge available, they're often a good social event with many dangerous people of the sort who own scary gunz, or read smart military blogs like this one. -rhomboid

Anyone have others to include? Perhaps a small local roller who makes a cigar you like? Send me your recommendation and a link to the site!

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Ammo 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
American Elite Ammo NEW!

***Mail Bag***

This week's mailbag entry is from our pal Weasel. New player in the Cozy Cave arena? Fun Fact: The CC was originally purchased for WCv2, seen occupying the cave in the photo below!

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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?