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Gun Thread: Pre- TXMoMe 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 Texas Sized Shitballs! The TXMoMe is dang near upon us!! That's right boys and girls, in just a few days we will descend upon Corsicana TX like a flock of retarded locusts. Frankly, I cannot wait! I think over the years (this is ninth!) I have used every superlative known in an effort to cajole "you people" into making the trip. It really is that much fun. A special Thank You to Ben Had, Cow Horse Queen and RancherBob for making it all happen!

Anyhow, there is a bunch of MoMe info below, and if you're going to be there I cant wait to say howdy in person!

Programming Note: You can continue discussing the 10/13/24 PDT rally situation if you like.

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

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FUNdamentals
So you're out there on the range practicing your fundamentals like a mo-fo and shoot the following 3 round group from a bench with a rifle using commercial ammunition at 100 yards.

Ok, not too shabby! Under 1/2 MOA, and all things considered, not too bad! No, actually pretty good! You are one bad ass fundamentals practicin' hombre, and the range babes are impressed! But what factors do you think may have prevented this from being a tighter group? Sock tension and watch diameter? Wind? The inherent limits of commercial ammo? Was the range angry and thereby out of your control?

Q: Weasel, how about wobbly shit?
A: Bingo.

I wasn't present when this group was fired, but I will bet you a nickel what you're seeing are the insidious effects of wobbly shit. Let's assume sock tension and watch diameter were not factors and the range had been appeased and therefore was not angry. The commercial ammo could certainly be part of the issue, but unless you're using North Korean factory seconds, let's assume your ammo is up to the task. Wind effects are generally negligible inside 100 yards unless it's really blowing, so guess what we're left with?

Yup. Wobbly shit.

Wobbly shit will absolutely cause both vertical and horizontal dispersion, particularly at the back of the gun but it doesn't help matters up front in the bipod, either. I have no reason to make this stuff up, people. Your shit just simply cannot be wobbly. Think you have unwobbly shit? I define "unwobbly" as the absolute absence of wobble. Period. In other words, a little bit of wobble is still wobbly.

One-half MOA may very well be bueno for your application and if that is the case then have at it and be happy. It's very nice shooting by any reasonable definition. Just know that with a stock rifle and decent rear bag and bipod, you can very probably tighten things up even more. Also don't forget to have fun in the process. Think of it as a challenge and approach refinements one step at a time. Remember, if this were easy, then everybody would be doing it!

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Trigger Mechanics

Trigger mechanics are definitely part of your fundamentals. Below is an easy to understand diagnostic tool from our pal Ten Gallon Hat

Thanks 10GH!

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Reloading Demo at the TX MoMe
So I mentioned last week that our pal Oddbob has graciously volunteered to sacrifice a chunk of his TX MoMe time to make a presentation on reloading, and has asked me to include the Reloading 101 document I put together from past Gun Thread articles. You can also click the PDF link below to download a copy directly from here.

Download PDF

If you plan on attending Oddbob's presentation (Friday 11am) and if you are even a little bit interested in reloading I suggest you do, please print a copy and bring it with you to Texas!

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SpaceX Badassery on Full Display
OK, today's SpaceX Starship Flight 5 deserves a Double Jumpin' and Flamin' Holy Atomic Shitballs with a Cherry on Top! They launched the rocket, caught the flamey end in a launch tower contraption, and achieved a pinpoint landing of the pointy end in the Indian Ocean about an hour later. Very, very well done to Elon Musk and the entire SpaceX Team!

Launch and Booster Catch

Reentry and "Water Landing"

Q: Weasel, do you think this is cooler than a box of penguin turds?
A: Why yes, yes I do.

Simply amazing.

I'm making a wee teensy exception to the no politics or current events rule because I think Bill Whittle makes some very good points in the following:

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Now This Is A Safe Queen!

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Swimming in a Nuclear Waste Storage Pool
Not advised.

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The Brain That Would't Die
Have I featured this before? Something tells me I have featured this before.

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Texas MoMe Madness!

TXMoMe Program

Exciting updates in the shooting program below! On Friday, our pal Oddbob will be making a hands-on presentation on reloading beginning at 11am., and our pal EdL will be making a presentation on Short Barreled Rifles (SBRs) and suppressors at 12:00pm, followed by a demonstration on the rifle range after lunch.

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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.

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.

Friday, 10/18
Rifle Program
8am - 10am: Rifle Clinic (carport)
10am - 11am: Combined Range and Safety Briefing - Mandatory for Friday Arrivals! (carport)
12:00 (carport) and 1pm (rifle range) - SBR Presentation and Demonstration - EdL
11am - 4pm: Live fire (rifle range - targets to 1,000 yds)

Handgun Program
10am - 11am: Combined Range and Safety Briefing - Mandatory for Friday Arrivals! (carport)
11:00am - 12:00pm: Reloading Demonstration - Oddbob
1pm - 2:30pm: Static live fire (pistol range)
2:30 - 4pm: Briefing and Move & Shoot live fire (pistol range)

Saturday, 10/19
Rifle Program
9am - 10am: Combined Range and Safety Briefing - Mandatory for Saturday arrivals! (carport)
9am - 1pm: Live fire (rifle range)

Handgun Program
9am - 10am: Range and Safety Briefing - Mandatory for Saturday arrivals! (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.

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.

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!!

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Musical Interlude
Here is John Lee Hooker and the Rolling Stones.

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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!

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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?