Gun Thread: Second September 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 the second Gun Thread of September?! The observant among you will notice I am experimenting with a new calendar format for the month, and this example has the date in the lower right corner of the boxes. I make this sort of extra effort on your behalf to keep the ol' thread new and fresh and lively and interesting.

Q: Weasel, do you like the dates in the lower right corner of the date boxes?
A: No. No I do not.

Call me a calendar format traditionalist, or even a calendar format purist, but I feel strongly the number belongs in the top half of the box, preferably on the top right. I will abide by placement in the top left, but my calendar format preference is to have the number in the top right of the box. I am going to leave this retarded calendar abomination included for this edition only to serve as a reminder that change is bad.

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

He used the magic word! He used the magic word!!! Oh Sweet Jumping Jesus HE USED THE MAGIC WORD!!!!! Fundamentals for the win!!

I swear people, I'm not making this stuff up!

Our pal RedMindBlueState recently went on a cruise in Alaska and shares these photos of a museum he visited.

One of the stops on our Alaska cruise was Ketchikan, where some of our cousins live. After they had taken us for a tour around town, knowing that I'm a shooter, they brought us to a little place called Alaska Totem Trading, just south of Totem Bight State Park. It's part gift shop, part museum, and they wanted me to see "the Gatling gun." Inside, there was a very large room containing not one, but two Gatling guns. But in addition, the walls were lined with a fortune in rare and historical firearms, to include Civil War era Henry and Spencer rifles, a 17th century rifle made for the King of Iceland, a Maxim just leaning in a corner, and another long gun given to a Russian Orthodox priest by Samuel Colt. The museum also had some beautiful old cars including Model T and Model A Fords '34 Ford V8. It was a fun visit.

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Nice, RMBS! Thank you! Anyone recognize any of the firearms?

In this video, the 1911 Syndicate guys give an overview of the AR-15 platform by price range, ranging from entry level to Gucci ranges. One key thing they point out is cost does not equal "better." You as the buyer need to find the balance between cost, features, and what you want the rifle to do.

Thanks Ed L!

100% badass.

Not my favorite 1950's Sci-Fi genre, but the title alone is too good not to share!

I'd like to bring to everyone's attention the upcoming MoMe in Texas on October 18-19. If you're in either the northern or southern hemisphere of the planet of the earth, you need to 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 bazillion 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!

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. From a safety and organizational perspective, I think the shooting programs last year were the best so far, and we intend to generally run the programs the same way this year. We haven't lost anyone yet and I'd really like to keep it that way.

For a while I have been conducting a Rifle Clinic on Friday morning followed by range time Friday afternoon and then again well into 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 & WBG (WeaselBuddyGeoff). 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. I include this thing about gun cleaning each year and it never happens, but there is always hope. If one (or two) of you out there would like to be a huge help and take on the cleaning instructor's role, please let me know. We need someone who is safety oriented and comfortable field stripping and cleaning a variety of platforms.

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 a TXMoMe section below in the coming weeks and update there as necessary.

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

Handgun Program
9am - 10am: Range and Safety Briefing - Mandatory for Saturday arrivals! (carport)
10am - Noon: A clean gun is a happy gun (carport)
9am - 1pm: Live fire (pistol range)

Again, these times are approximate and programs may change as weather conditions and participation warrant.

You will note there are combined rifle and handgun range safety briefings both days and attendance at one is mandatory. We take your safety seriously and ask everyone who plans to shoot to please also plan on attending this important 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 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. In the interests of time and to save yourself the humiliation, please make it to the scheduled range briefings. Thanks.

Finally, please plan on stopping somewhere along your way to Texas and picking up some ammunition if you plan to shoot and aren't bringing your own weapons. Everyone is very generous with sharing, but please don't rely on the generosity of others to provide everything for you. You can really help out by grabbing a box of 9mm or 5.56mm or whatever you want to shoot.

Call for Volunteers
Help! As I mentioned 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 this section 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!!

Cigar of the Week

This week our pal rhomboid scores again with this excellent review of the Olivia Serie O Maduro

Oliva is rightly celebrated for their wide-ranging catalog of quality cigars, and their moderate pricing. One of their longest running and best values is the Serie O, a basic habano-wrapped stick that delivers a lot of value. I reviewed that one here long ago, today I take a look at its brother the Serie O Maduro (robusto, 5X50). It's a handsome dark chocolate colored stick with a slight toothy wrapper, that wrapper being a US-sourced Connecticut broadleaf. Nicaraguan binder and fillers lie inside.

For me this was a maduro dominated by earth and wood notes - with just a bare hint of bitter chocolate at times - and not the overall sweetness and cocoa flavors I find in many maduros. It kept this pleasant mix of flavors throughout. Smoke was ample. Burn line alternated between razor straight and needing some attention. True to form for Oliva, this nice cigar is not expensive. They can be found online for $5 (and along with other Oliva offerings, often for even less, when on sale and in bonus packs or samplers).

Excellent, rhomboid! Thank you!

Oh dear. A calamity! El cigaro factorio es en fuego!

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
Nicks Cigar World New!

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!

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!

This week's mailbag entry is from our pal Biden's Dog. Great one!

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 Weasel at 07:00 PM

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