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Gun Thread: Second Week of July 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!

Not a lot going on in WeaselWorld, guys and gals. No shooting and, sadly, no trips to the Farm-O. I managed to break one of my teefuses Wednesday afternoon and went to the dentist on Thursday where the offending molar was yanked out in a delightfully medieval fashion. I believe they called it an "extraction" but I think "ripping the mo-fo out" better describes the experience. Anyhow, WW had recently found this new dentist who she liked a lot so I went to him and I have to say it was as nice a visit as could be expected under the circumstances. Cheerfully pleasant staff, nice modern offices and the doc was over the top bigly excellent. The whole thing was totally painless, and I dare say, a pleasant experience.

Q: Weasel, are you nuts?
A: Well...

Somehow we got onto the subject of shooting (go figure) and I mentioned making shooting vids, so they dialed up the WeaselAcres channel on YouTube right there in the exam room and we all watched together as he wrenched out the tooth with pliers!

So here I sit on Saturday minus my favorite tooth. Well, my formerly favorite tooth. Clearly it was disloyal and a troublemaker and had to go. If anyone in the Northern Virginia area (or really the entire northern hemisphere) wants a referral to the greatest dentist in the history of the universe, drop me a line and I will be happy to pass along the contact information!

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

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Machines Can Do My Job
Alternate Title: Sort of Gun Related
Well that didn't take long. I was recently reading about AI and some dire predictions regarding its development so I decided to try a little experiment. Microsoft Bing incorporates some sort of Chat GPS or GPT or whatever into the browser, so I asked it to do the following:

"Write a 300 word article on the M1 Garand"

And here is what our pal Open AI Chat GPT-3 had to say.

The M1 Garand is a semi-automatic rifle that was the service rifle of the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War(4). It was designed by John Garand in 1924 and adopted in 1936 in the United States by equipping all its infantry(3). The rifle is chambered for the .30-06 Springfield cartridge and is named after its Canadian-American designer, John Garand(4).

The M1 Garand was the standard issue service rifle until 1958(2). When the U.S. entered the Korean War in 1950, the Garand went there too. Some surplus M1s were provided to South Korea's troops, but plenty more were built well after World War II(2). Two companies were even awarded post WWII contracts for Garand production(2).

The M1 Garand is perhaps the most storied battle rifle in U.S. history, having stormed the beaches of Normandy and Iwo Jima. It was a cornerstone to America's victory in Europe and the Pacific and holds a revered place in soldiers' and shooters' hearts(6).

I hope this information helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Hmmm. I guess it's not very good at counting because that's 250 words including the footnotes. So I tried again and asked for a 500 word article on the M1 Garand and this was the response.

The M1 Garand is a semi-automatic rifle that was the service rifle of the U.S. Army during World War II and the Korean War³. It is chambered for the .30-06 Springfield cartridge and is named after its Canadian-American designer, John Garand(3). The M1 Garand is capable of firing 16-24 rounds per minute(1).

The M1 Garand is a semiautomatic gas-operated 30-06 shoulder rifle. It utilizes an en bloc clip (stays within the firearm while the weapon is firing) and has a gas system that is comparable in function to the AK-47(2). The internal magazine is loaded by an eight-round stripper clip(1). The M1 Garand has a rotating bolt(1).

The M1 Garand weighs around 9.5 pounds, depending on the wood grain; reports were that functional weight was often as much as 11 pounds(2). Its length overall is 43.6 inches and barrel length is 24 inches(2). The sights are aperture, adjustable(2).

I hope this information helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Dude. Duuuude. You're going the wrong way. That's only 215 words including footnotes! So I asked it for a longer article on the M1 Garand, and here's what it came up with.

The M1 Garand was a .30-06 caliber semi-automatic rifle that was the standard U.S. service rifle during World War II(1). It was a superior weapon to the ones used by the Axis powers, and enabled the U.S. forces to adopt a maneuver-based warfare system(1). The M1 Garand was also used in the Korean War and the Vietnam War(1). It was provided as foreign aid to American allies(2).

After the Second World War ended, the US repaired and rebuilt many of the M1 Garands that had been used overseas. When the country went to war in Korea, they were used again, along with over 300,000 newly-built guns(3). The Korean War brought a whole new set of challenges for the M1(3).

The M1 gave the United States armed forces an edge during the Second World War and the Korean War. It remained in service throughout the 50s, until it was officially replaced by the updated M14 in 1957(4). However, it wasn't the end of this World War 2 icon(4).

I hope this information helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

I give up. I thought I'd figured out a way for technology to do my work for me, but this thing didn't use "Holy Shitballs!" even once. Plus it can't count, so I think my job here is safe for another week or so, or until I try GPT-4 which I understand is a lot better than v.3. Or, of course, until Ace figures out that machines can do the Gun Thread better and faster and he doesn't have to pay for benefits!

One last try:

Q: Is Weasel a great humanitarian?
A: I'm sorry but I couldn't find any information about Weasel being a great humanitarian. If you have any other questions, please let me know.

OK. It's obviously full of shit.

But what do all y'all think? Each of these responses took about 2 seconds. This is both interesting and pretty skerry.

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Guns of the Horde
First up, our pal Son of Dad sends us a picture of a new acquisition - a gun safe!

Finally picked up a double-wide safe from Tractor Supply to merge some of the collection which began in '87 when I reached my Navy EAOS. Started with my 586 S&W and grew to well over 60 in all w some real collectibles. Several purchases were started by info I picked up in your Sunday sessions.

It's beautiful, man. *wipes tear from eye*

Congratulations, Son of Dad! Very nice! That is one whopper of a safe. Funny how fast they fill up, huh?

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Range Time!
Our pal fd has been to the range and sent us a couple of pictures. Just look at the size of the holes on the target!

Number 2 son brought his Charleville musket (Wiki) down and we went to the range yesterday. A couple of friends met us there with some other goodies and a good time was had by all.

Those big holes on the targets were made by the Charlevilles 63 caliber balls. It's a 68 caliber barrel, but he was using paper cartridges and a smaller ball.

Nice fd, thank you! If you have a chance send us a picture of the rifle! I need one of these!

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Q & A

Our pal VMaximus has some Q's!

I love .22's, I have many, a Browning BLR, a Winchester 77, a Nylon 66, a Browning Challenger and a Ruger Mark 4. My first purchase in a dozen years was a Ruger 10/22. It is a standard carbine model. In 2008 I had a heavy hammer forged target barrel. I regret selling it I really liked it. They seem to not make them so I want to recreate the one I had. I am also thinking of a precision .22 I cannot decide between Kidde, Volquartson, or some other brand, Green Mountain? I am kind of liking Tikka, any thoughts on that?

I have a Springfield Saint M4. I want a flat top version with a sight. A complete upper and a red dot is in the mix, I am unsure of what sight to use. Any thoughts?

Lastly I want a good scope. One of the rifles I sold to get by in 2008 was a Weatherby mark 5 in 300 WBY mag. I bought a Leupold VX3 for it. Wow that was the best scope I ever had. I want the best scope I can find I am leaning to a VX5 or 6, I have heard that there are quality scopes out there for less, Like Tract optics and Vortex, Do you have any experience with the off brands?

Ok, Guys and Galz, let's help a brother out! Precision .22lr options? (RI Red, you out there?) Iron sights for an M4? Budget scopes? Drop your suggestions and recommendations into the comments. Thanks!

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More Questions...
Next, our pal and el chef-o CBD asks the following question about rim fire conventional wisdom.

Don't kick us, bro!

Everyone tells me that dry firing a rim fire gun is tantamount to kicking a puppy, but does anyone actually have first-hand experience with damage caused by dry firing?

Great question! Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

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Individual Protection Against Atomic Attack!
Here's a fun look at protecting yourself from the "big one".

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Air Tractor
This would be cooler if the plane had a machine gun, so just use your imagination. Anyhow, a neat-o look at aerial spraying and fertilizing.

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Musical Interlude
Here is ZZ Top with a Weasel favorite, "Jesus Just Left Chicago" live from Texas!

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Gun Basics 101
No new video from the She Equips Herself gal so here is one from the archives. This week's video is on runner safety.

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Armed Attorneys
This week's video is on trial considerations. You popped a cap into someone and are now on trial. Do you want a jury? Maybe not.

What do all y'all think? Jury trial or no jury trial? Tell us what you think in the comments.

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Cigar of the Week

This week we take a look at the Nestor Reserve Maduro. I was paying around $55 for a bundle of 20 and now see they've gone up to $75 and are backordered, damnit! Anyhoo, these are really very good cigars at $2.75 each, and only slightly less good cigars at $3.75 each when you can get them. Great construction, even burn, and excellent strong Nicaraguan binder and fillers. Heck, they might even be good for 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 WTM and is leftover from the Independence Day thread last week. Excellent point and very, very true.

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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?