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Gun Thread: September 10th 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!

Twenty-two years ago tomorrow, our country was attacked by cowardly assholes. I hope you will join me in taking a moment to remember not only those who were lost outright, but also those who continue to suffer from the effects, both physically and emotionally, to this very day. Thanks.

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

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TXMoMe Shooting Festivities

This seems like a good time to talk a little bit about the upcoming shooting program at the TXMoMe, or the Conservative's Burning Man, as it's popularly known. What started years ago as an informal plinking session lasting a couple of hours has matured into a full program of shooting activities over two days. I have to thank Ben Had, Cow Horse Queen and RancherBob for allowing the shooting to comprise such a significant portion of the TXMoMe.

For a while I have been conducting a Rifle Clinic on Friday morning followed by range time Friday afternoon and then again well in to Saturday. We have also been steadily refining the handgun portion of the program to now include an IDPA-esque move-and-shoot pistol course designed and run by Nurse R. There is also the usual static pistol range for those who prefer that style of shooting and a separate setup for gun-curious beginners desiring one-on-one supervision and instruction. Lastly and by popular demand, we're hoping to add a gun cleaning and maintenance clinic both days which will run concurrently with the live-fire programs.

Anyhoo, here's a very rough outline of the schedule of events. Times are tentative and subject to modification/change. I'll move this down to the TXMoMe section below in the coming weeks and update as necessary.

Friday, 10/20
Rifle Program
8am - 10am: Rifle Clinic (carport)
11:30am - 1pm: Rifle Clinic, Intro to Wind Estimation (rifle range)
1pm - 4pm: Live fire (rifle range - targets to 1,000 yds)

10am - 11am: Range and Safety Briefing - Mandatory for Friday Arrivals! (carport)

Handgun Program
11:00am - 12:30pm: Handgun Clinic (carport)
1pm - 2:30pm: Static live fire (pistol range)
1pm - 3pm: A clean gun is a happy gun (carport)
2:30 - 4pm: Briefing and Move & Shoot live fire (pistol range)

Saturday, 10/21
Rifle Program
9am - 1pm: Live fire (rifle range)

9am - 10am: Range and Safety Briefing - Mandatory for Saturday arrivals! (carport)

Handgun Program
9am - 1pm: Live fire (pistol range)
10am - Noon: A clean gun is a happy gun (carport)

Again, these times are approximate and may change as weather conditions and participation warrant. I have been doing the same presentation on rifles for a number of years now, so if you would like me to cover new or different material, just mention it in the comments or send me an email.

You will note there are range safety briefings both days and attendence at one is mandatory. We take your safety seriously and ask everyone who plans to shoot to please also plan on attending a briefing. All shooters are asked to check in with an RSO (sporting an Orange Cap of Dorkiness for easy identification) upon your arrival at either of the ranges who will answer questions and direct you to an open firing position. The RSOs wield unspeakable power so it is in your best interest to be nice to them.

If you are a novice shooter, or even have never been to the range before and think guns are icky, you are welcome to shoot! Just see an RSO, explain the situation, and they will set you up with an experienced shooter to help you. If you miss the mandatory range safety briefing which is mandatory and must be attended, all is not lost. See an RSO to plead your case, be harangued and chastised, and then spend some punishment time on the disciplinary range of shame.

Call for Volunteers
Help! As I mentoned above, the shooting program in Texas continues to grow, and we wouldn't be able to do it without a lot of help. If you're interested in lending a hand in some capacity, please drop me a note at gunthread at protonmail dot com indicating your date and time of arrival, and we'll be in touch. Thank You!

RSOs from prior years: Expect an email from me soon.

If you are attending the TXMoMe this year, and all the cool kids are, please keep an eye on the section devoted to it below for important information and updates in the coming weeks! I also want to reiterate the TXMoMe is not a gun thing with some socializing attached, but rather is a social thing with some shooting attached. If you aren't a shooter, I guarantee you will not feel out of place and will have a great time. No fooling!

Are all y'all getting excited? Weasel are!!

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Guns of the Horde
Here is a real winner from our pal Butch the Model of 1917!

Here are pictures of my latest boomstick: an M1917 WWI bolt action rifle. I shall call her Eloisa, from the Old High German Hluodowig that means "famous in war."

It is very difficult to find one that has not been bubbafied into a sporter hunting rifle. I call it my Johny Cash Special. I started with a receiver and bolt, manufactured by Eddystone in 1918. I tracked down the other pieces on the interwebz; this took me several years. I then boxed up the pieces and parts and dropped it off at the CMP Custom Shop. I had a new barrel (made of unobtainium) and unfinished stock shipped there separately. They re-parkerized the metal pieces/parts, stained the wood furniture CMP Red, and assembled it all. I picked it up this past Friday. She's a purty gurl! Other than the safety and bolt release being stiff, she works fine. Those loosened up after applying some Rem Oil and cycling them.

History of the M1917
When the US entered WWI, it needed a lot of rifles, fast. Unfortunately, there was insufficient manufacturing capability to churn out the M1903. Fortunately, several manufacturers (Winchester, Remington, and Eddystone) had just completed an order for the UK to produce the Pattern 14 Enfield, a bolt action rifle chambered in British .303. It was deemed more expedient to modify the P14 Enfield to chamber the US 30.06 (simplifying battlefield logistics) and re-purpose these facilities rather than to build new M1903 facilities. About 75% of the rifles carried by US servicemen in WWI were the M1917 compared to 25% being the M1903.

Very nice, Butch! Congratulations and thank you for sharing this! I purchased mine in remarkably original condition and sent it to the CMP Custom Shop to have the original and badly worn barrel replaced. I cannot say enough good things about the work they did for me!

A well-known social media influencer and independent filmmaker made the following video on his rifle.

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Next, our pal Pacos Mojo bitch-slaps us with some suppressor, ammo and hunting application knowledge!

Hello everyone. I've become obsessed with suppressors and firmly believe these safety devices dramatically improve the overall shooting experience. It's beyond time to remove suppressors from the NFA, or better yet, ditch the NFA entirely. And the absolute best way to shoot suppressed involves subsonic ammunition. Given the lack of a sonic boom, the sound emitted from gun's action and the bullet impacting a steel plate are significantly louder than the rifle's concussion. The experience shooting suppressed subsonic ammunition out of a manually operated rifle is simply amazing. My only issue with subsonic ammunition is the lack of delivered energy on target. That doesn't present much of an issue at the range or even in a home defense situation, but lack of adequate killing power makes their use in big game hunting difficult under the best circumstances. Yes, you can kill a deer or hog with a 300 BLK round driving a 200 grain bullet at 1,000 FPS. But that's roughly equivalent to the same energy delivered by a hot-loaded 44 Special round. It will work under ideal circumstances, but it certainly wouldn't be a round I'd choose to hunt with. So, given an upper velocity limitation of ~ 1,100 FPS (depending upon temperature/altitude) the only solution is to go bigger. And that's exactly what I did. I present here the 375 Raptor cartridge, a wild cat chambering based off a slightly shortened 308 case necked up to .375". When loaded with a 400 grain all copper expanding bullet traveling at 1,050 FPS, the projectile delivers a devastating wound channel in clear ballistics gel, penetrating a 16" block along with three 1-gallon water jugs. The resulting "copper flower" is a true work of art! I can't wait to take this ammunition hog hunting. I'll keep you posted on the results.

Thank you, Pacos, great info!

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Charter Arms Pitbull Review
By now you know that Weasel is a fan of revolvers, and this video from Guns.com caught my eye. I'm mostly a Smith & Wesson, and to a lesser extent a Colt kind of guy, but this looks interesting! Any of all y'all out there have any experience with the model? Fit & finish? Shootability? How about the little retractible cartridge retaining pins in the cylinder? Looks like the guy struggled a little with those and it seems like that would be not just instantly annoying, but downright problematic when trying to reload quickly. Thoughts?

Here's a link to the full article at Guns.com.

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Rack Grade Mi Garand from CMP

Do you have a Garand? Our pal NZFrank hearts them and hopes that you do! Here is a video from the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) on the specifics of the "Rack Grade" weapon.

Seriously people, these are amazing guns and how often do you have a chance to tote a piece of history? Do yourself a favor and get one before they're gone.

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Five Most Stupid Holsters?

Agree? Disagree?

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Texas MoMe Madness!

I'd like to remind everyone of the upcoming MoMe in Texas on October 20-21. If you're in either the northern or southern hemisphere of the planet of the earth, contact Ben Had for details. The dates and email links for MoMes are always helpfully included on the main page, left sidebar, so you really have no excuse!

There is an entire shooting program for both handguns and rifles over two days, world class food and drink, and the even world classier company of your fellow Morons! More on the Friday/Saturday schedule to come, so stay tuned.

Seriously, people. I have said this probably a hundred times now. These gatherings are a really good time, and I know of no one who regrets having attended one. No kidding. Would your ol' pal Weasel lie to you? MoMe veterans will attest to the funness. Don't be a dork, do yourself a favor and get your ass to Texas! If you're a TXMoMe veteran, please encourage the scairdy-cats to join in the fun!

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Musical Interlude
Here is Steely Dan in 1973 with Do It Again.

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Gun Basics 101
New video! New video from the She Equips Herself gal! This week's video is on home concealed carry mentality.

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Armed Attorneys
Here's some info on the revised Form 4473 and related issues. Note the video was released about 8 months ago.

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Cigar of the Week

This week our pal rhomboid scores again with this excellent review of the Erik Espinosa 601 Blue Label Maduro

The 601 Blue Maduro is from Erik Espinosa, a blender with a catchy and modern flair to his cigars and marketing (one of his latest hits is a "celebrity" cigar on which the collaborator was Guy Fieri, the TV food show personality). No real gimmicks or flash to this one, however, just a very very nice flavor-packed maduro stick.

It has Nicaraguan binder and fillers, and a signature dark chocolate-colored Connecticut broadleaf wrapper that in this case broadcasts for many the signature flavor note when smoked - unsweetened chocolate. Might be the most recognizable and distinctive flavor note I've encountered so far (and I'm one of those who isn't good - yet - at picking out flavors). Overall earthy sweetness is the predominant flavor, with the bitter chocolate note always there. It's a soft-box pressed cigar, and the burn line was mostly well behaved and needed only a few minor touch-ups. The smoke volume and richness were very impressive, adding to the overall rich, mellow, flavorful experience. I'd put is on the upper end of "medium" as far as strength goes. The 601 Blue Maduro is available online for $7 and up (this is another one I sniped on sale for just over half of that price). Fans of maduros will want to try this one.

Excellent, rhomboid! 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 WTM. Whoops! Whoopsie-Doodle!!

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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?