As Caleb suggests, I recognize the airplane in the following video. This is my first post with pictures of the plane. And here are some more I took of that same plane:
And being the nit-picky engineer that I am I would like to point out that not only were there no flashing lights in the cockpit, there were no lights.
I once went to Paulden, Arizona, where you can “open carry.” You could go to the market, or gas up, wearing your holster. It felt like the good old Wild West. It was kind of a neat feeling.
Paxton Quigley
September 2010
Do Girls Need Guns?
[Link via Say Uncle.
I remember the first time I openly carried in a restaurant. It was a neat feeling. Kind of like the first time I went skinny dipping. A very free and natural feeling.—Joe]
Matt, my nephew’s cousin, had gone with us last year for some introductory rifle shooting. Ever since then he’d been wanting to try his had with a pistol, and we finally got together the other day.
We started with the safety rules, and more importantly, the application of the safety rules (I’ve found that people can memorize the rules and recite them perfectly, but applying them at the range is sometimes a very different matter). In the short time we had, we sailed through the basics: safely loading and unloading, position, grip, sight alignment, breath control, trigger squeeze, follow-through, avoiding slide bite (no blood was let that day). Dealing with anticipation, or flinch, was emphasized and we did much dry firing.
Then we loaded the Mark II. Matt’s a southpaw, and I was demonstrating right-handed. That resulted in some confusion, so I took to demonstrating left-handed, but sometimes lapsed into RH operation. I have to work on that more, for sure. The Mark II with Remington copper washed hollowpoint ammo was a jam-o-matic that day and I’d forgotten I had some CCI which runs well in it (second mistake). We quickly graduated to the 9 mm.
Matt and Ben went through about 100 rounds of 9 mm using a Daewoo DP-51— an alloy framed, conventional DA auto. The light frame likes to be gripped well and solid, or POI NE POA, yet they both did very well at 10 yards. This pistol has always been 100% reliable. It’s nice that way. You forget all about the equipment and just shoot. Crap– I forgot the tap rack bang exercise. I did load unknown (to the shooters) small numbers of rounds in the magazines so they could learn the feel of slide-lock and practice more reloads.
For defensive type shooting, I explained the concept of acceptable group size, and that if you’re shooting much smaller than that, you may be shooting too slow– the balance between accuracy and speed.
I had to crank off a few shots with my carry gun, a G20, and then Matt and Ben put another 100 rounds or so through it. Below is Matt in full recoil with the G20. That’s one good thing about the Glock striker ignition– it and the frame design allow a very high grip. For a newbie, Matt did well– almost as if he’d done this before (though his RH fingers wanted to creep downward on the grip);
Matt went from his first shots, with a .22 rimfire, to doing well with the 10 mm auto with its fat, double stack grip, in a little over two hours. I told him we’d barely scratched the surface of pistol shooting, and that he’d just picked up a few of the many things to practice.
Here’s the obligatory fireball pic;
That Blazer ammo (this was the 200 grain load) has a low flash compared to some.
During our venison steak, baked potato and spicy fried corn dinner afterwards, someone asked Matt what he thought about pistol shooting. He answered; “Loved it.” Now he’s talking about getting his own hardware. That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout. We definitely have to do more of this.
Edited to Add; I also gave each of them a copy of In Search of the Second Amendment and some magazines– Guns and Ammo, American Rifleman, and American Hunter.
On Saturday morning Barb and I had breakfast with our kids and their SOs. James doesn’t like his picture being taken but we managed to get a few without his his outstretched middle finger being too obvious.
Clockwise from the left, Joe, Barb, Xenia, John, Caleb, Kim, Kelsey, James.
And yes, we finished up the bacon before leaving.
The kids all went to PAX but Barb and I continued on to our slasher flick cabin and then we went for a hike in the woods. In the pictures below the bridge and large tree (a Douglas Fir) were here.
Barb wore her Boomershoot shirt and I wore a Blackwater shirt and hat. No comments or stares from anyone we saw.
Notice that I’m packing in the park? No hippies ran away in terror and no trail rage incidents broke out into gunfire.
It was peaceful and nice.
So you are going on vacation to a slasher flick.
James Huffman-Scott
September 4, 2010
[This was after verifying we were going to a secluded cabin in the woods for the weekend. After I acknowledged it could be expressed that way Kelsey chimed in with “I know what you did last summer.”
The place we went to was here.
Here is a picture of our cabin:
We heard a few gunshots on our first night which probably was the end of the slasher’s reign of terror. I brought 237 rounds of .40 S&W but didn’t get a chance to use any of it.—Joe]
I received an email today from Bulk Ammo:
Hi Joe!
I read your blog- The View From North Central Idaho from time to time and thought you might want to know that we just launched a new online ammo retailer that specializes in bulk ammunition for serious shooters.
If you are interested, we would sure appreciate a short post to your readership (and a link to http://www.bulkammo.com/ with the anchor text “Bulk Ammo” – or feel free to link to your favorite category page!) about our grand opening!
Feel free to pass along the following coupon code for $25 off their first order over $200: GrandOpening
We have a lot of inventory available and its all ready to ship, so enjoy!
Keep up the good work!
Thanks,
Steven
BulkAmmo.com
I haven’t bought much ammo recently. Mostly I have been reloading from supplies I purchased two or three years ago so I’m not really the best person to judge whether the prices are good. Check it out for yourself.
Via David I found there is a blog with nothing but videos of explosions.
I go out to the Boomershoot site every few weeks and have the opportunity to do something with some explosives. I rarely do. Mostly it is maintenance and improving the infrastructure. But if I spent 30 minutes or so setting off some explosives doing some sort of experiment (I’ve always wanted to know what two pounds of Boomerite does to a small body of water) and videoing it for posting on this blog it probably would be worthwhile.
I was on site Saturday but just did clean up and inventory. I took my rifle and planned to do some explosives testing but I didn’t have time for it. I didn’t even get all the clean up done.
A
Democrat Walks Into a Gun Range…
I object to her instructor starting her out with a “baby-Glock” in .40 S&W. A .22 pistol would have been better. But she does fine:
Shooting is fun, y’all. I am not even going to lie. It’s a visceral rush each
time you pull the trigger. But, really, it is terrifying. It’s an extreme
responsibility, and one that I wish people didn’t take so lightly.
I think more trips to the range are needed:
I’m still terrified, I still support gun control, strongly. I’ve never witnessed
one of these Baltimore murders, and I hope to God I never will, nor be a victim.But now I’ve asked the questions for myself and taken the time to do my
research. I hope others are able to do so. Don’t ever say you haven’t tried to
walk in everyone’s shoes.
And she shouldn’t worry so much about people finding out she is a Democrat.
Notice anything interesting about the box of ammo on the top?
The ammo is showing up in Wal-Mart at prices equal to what I can reload it for (buying all new brass and my time is worth nothing).
At first I thought it was something along the lines of STI, Barrett, and Modern Ballistics regarding certain government entities. But that wouldn’t explain the restriction on ported barrels.
I’ve sent a query to Federal. If they get back to me I’ll post the response.
Update: I received the following response from Federal this morning:
From: Prodserv
Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 8:10 AM
To: Joe Huffman
Subject: RE: Federal Premium – Ask the Expert FormThe bullets are “low cost” and thin-plated, the rifling can and will cut
the jacket material from the lead core of the bullet, those pieces of
jacket can escape from the ports in the barrel. When launched from the
barrel it is unknown where the jacket material will go and at the
shooter is one possible place.The Warning is the same (close) to that on the centerfire pistol caliber
shot shells as the pellets will act much like the copper fragments.Thank you
—–Original Message—–
From: Joe Huffman
Sent: Wednesday, August 18, 2010 10:45 PM
To: Prodserv
Subject: Federal Premium – Ask the Expert FormJoe Huffman
P.O. Box 3745
Moscow ID 83843Can you explain why there is the notice on some boxes of ammunition:
“DO NOT USE IN FIREARMS WITH PORTED BARRELS OR PORTED RECOIL
COMPENSAORS.Not for Law Enforcement Use”
An example is here:
http://bit.ly/dmuwj2
Thanks.
Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world, but the Marines don’t have that problem.
Ronald Reagan
[I have had this in my collection for quite a while but never had the appropriate occasion to use it. Today I saw it printed on a tile at the restaurant at Middle of Nowhere. The owner is a former Marine.
While I was at Middle of Nowhere I put 1000 rounds of .40 S&W and 500 rounds of .22 into steel plates. I have a couple sore fingers and I’m tired of standing but I also trimmed about 0.1 seconds per plate off my time and I can shoot weak handed a lot better.–Joe]
…and women should have available, and know how to use, either a micrometer or a good caliper that reads in thousandths of an inch and/or hundredths of a millimeter. I don’t see how a person could get through life without one. They’re cheap and they last a long time. A set of hole gauges and snap gauges is good also, but the calipers are essential.
That’s in my book.
Jeff Cooper wrote about some other things;
Before the young man leaves home, there are certain things he should know and certain skills he should acquire, apart from any state-sponsored activity. Certainly the youngster should be taught to swim, strongly and safely, at distance. And young people of either sex should be taught to drive a motor vehicle, and if at all possible, how to fly a light airplane. I believe a youngster should be taught the rudiments of hand-to-hand combat, unarmed, together with basic survival skills. The list is long, but it is a parent’s duty to make sure that the child does not go forth into the world helpless in the face of its perils. Shooting, of course, is our business, and shooting should not be left up to the state.
Or something like that. I recall he had learning to handle a motorcycle in there too.
My son took it upon himself to row a boat across Hood Canal a few weeks ago without telling anyone. We saw him heading over, until he disappeared from sight.
I was miffed. That is, until I remembered some of the crazy things I did at that age (16) like piloting a canoe (two canoes, four people) up one side of Priest Lake in Idaho, by moonlight, and then navigating up the channel to Upper Priest Lake by starlight (after moondown) then landing and setting up camp on a low cliff. We figured flashlights were for sissies, back then. Nowadays I carry one. Must be getting soft.
But I digress. Being able to measure the difference between .678″ and .710″ can be pretty important, and it’s not complicated. This sort of thing comes up often while talking to customers. Most of them have the tools and the skill, but a disappointing minority do not.
If you are into reloading in a big (and I mean BIG) way I have just the deal for you.
I received a phone call and follow up email from Marc Coury:
From: Marc J Coury
Sent: Wednesday, July 28, 2010 5:22 PM
To: JoeH@boomershoot.org
Subject: RockTek/Marc Coury-Ballistic Solutions-50 Cal PowderJoe,
Just left you a voice message after hanging up with Ron Gilbert. He said to give you a call immediately regarding this powder.
As I mentioned, Ballistic Solutions, Inc., has been manufacturing small arms ammo and sniper rifles for 15 years. Our CEO, Jeff Semko, is a sniper instructor and has consulted for Homeland Security and many law enforcement agencies. We’re currently in process of re-locating our production facility onto the Tooele Army Depot in Utah. We also have a contract with Tooele, marketing their demil and other military surplus: powder, brass, projectiles, heck, you name it.
I’ve attached a detailed overview of what we currently have for sale – we’re down to 45,048 lbs. from 190,000 lbs. of Winchester 50 cal pulldown: 872 & 867.
The powder is stored at Tooele and is packaged in DOT approved, mil spec containers, so we can have it shipped out as soon as a wire transfer clears. We had it priced at the low-end wholesale of [call for details–it is awesome price–Joe]/lb.
However, as we need to make room in the bunker, if someone wants the entire remaining lot it’s theirs for [even more awesome price–Joe]/lb.
That’s a substantial loss for us, but a gain to the buyer. As you know, retailers are selling it between $8.50 – $11.75/lb., with smaller reloaders paying up to $25.00/lb.
If you or anyone else can use it, you know where to find me!
Best,
MarcMarc J. Coury
Ballistic Solutions, Inc.
Satellite Office:
2715 W. Coast Highway, Suite: A
Newport Beach, CA. 92663
TEL: 949.645.3815 FAX: 949.646.8746
You don’t have to buy it all. You can buy it in quantities as small as three pallets (6,480 pounds). Call Marc for the details.
Some people from work followed me back to Idaho on Friday night.
Saturday morning we had breakfast at the Breakfast Club in Moscow with Tim, Barron, and Janelle.
Hiep and Priyanka walking into the restaurant. Photo by Sharath.
We drove to the Boomershoot site and I told them the history, told lots of stories and gave them a tour. They found some .50 BMG bullets and seemed quite thrilled. The picture below is from on top of the berm where the 700 yard targets are placed looking back at the hay field to the shooting line.
Janelle, Barron, Tim (just barely visible behind the grass), Hiep, Sharath, and Priyanka.
I gave them a safety briefing on the chemicals (which consists mostly of telling them not to eat, drink, or snort anything) I had the people from Microsoft weigh the chemicals and my staff mix the explosives and package it into targets:
Sharath, Priyanka, Hiep.
We ate lunch then placed the targets in front of the large berm at the tree line.
Sharath, Priyanka, and Hiep putting stakes in the ground for the targets.
One of the targets had something special on it (see also here).
I gave safety and basic firearm instructions while Tim, Barron, and Janelle placed the targets on the stakes. Sharath had never shot a gun before. Hiep had only shot one once and that was after he had three years of military instruction in Vietnam. Priyanka shot a gun for the first time last September and then in March took her parents (visiting from India) to the range on her own and taught them to shoot.
Targets ready for engagement. Photo by Sharath.
We then got back a few feet and let the visitors shoot the targets. There were many smiles and much exaltation.
Joe and Hiep. Photo by Sharath.
Hiep once told me he didn’t think private citizens should possess firearms. Only the police and the military should have access. I should ask if he still thinks that.
Boomershoot is a tool for teaching people from all over the world the joys of guns and explosives–the joy of freedom.
I can eat cake any day. This is the only time I can blow one up.
Priyanka
July 17, 2010
She said this a few minutes before blowing up, instead of blowing out, her birthday cake.
[The white cardboard box contains two pounds of Boomerite.
In the original of second picture (taken by Sharath) you can see bits of the cake high in the air. We were unable to find any of it later.
I expect Barron and Janelle will have video before long. I was playing range safety officer and didn’t take any pictures while the rifles were out of their cases.–Joe]
Boom!
I think I got it now.
Boom!
Yeah. I got it.
Priyanka
Shooting boomers at a private Boomershoot party.
July 17, 2010
[She was having trouble at first. Lots of misses and almost no booms. I couldn’t figure out what the problem was. She did fine with dry fire. The gun stayed steady enough for the range we were at (almost entertainingly close). I think there was a problem with her sight picture even though I went over it several times with her. And it wasn’t like was the first time she had shot a gun either. She did pretty well the first time so I was perplexed why she was having trouble this time. She is a smart woman and she eventually figured it out on her own.
I’ll ask her more about it when I see her at the office on Monday.
Update: Priyanka reports she was concentrating on properly placing the post (front sight) of the AR-15 on the target and was neglecting to center the post in the rear peep sight. I’ll have another QOTD from Priyanka and pictures from the event on Monday.–Joe]
The human brain is amazing. I sometimes look at the things people can do and I have difficulty believing it is possible. I even look at the things I can do and am amazed.
Here is a USPSA stage I shot in April. You have to draw from the surrender position and put 10 rounds on 8 different targets with a mandatory reload in the middle of the string of fire. How long should that take?
Here is my score:
| Stage | Name | A | B | C | D | M | NS | P | LS | XS | XH | AP | Time | Total Points | Hit Factor | Stg Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2P | Paper Poppers | 7 | 3 | 6.90 | 47 | 6.8116 | 50.0000 |
6.9 seconds. Right off that bat you can say the average was less than one second per shot. Then you start figuring in the time it takes to draw and reload the gun. Even being generous (I don’t think I am this fast) on my draw and reload by subtracting out 1.25 and 2.25 seconds yields 3.4 seconds for the remaining 8 shots or and average of 0.425 seconds per shot. How can someone even move the gun from target to target that fast? At that speed acquiring a sight picture and squeezing the trigger happens someplace far away from conscious thought.
What is even more interesting is that my score is only 68.6611% of the score by the best shooters. Assuming they get all ‘A’ zone hits (this maximizes the time) they had to do it in a total of 5.04 seconds. Subtracting out 1.0 and 1.5 seconds for the draw and reload and we have 0.3175 seconds per shot.
I’m not sure I would take the gun over the $400 cash discount but I would give them a serious consideration over their competitors for being gun friendly.
Early next month wife Barbara, her sister Susan, and I are going to Sullivan County Missouri. We had ancestors who emigrated west to Idaho from there in the 19th Century. Barb and her sister will be doing some genealogical research. I probably will help them a little bit but I plan to spend quite a bit of time at Middle of Nowhere with my pistol and perhaps a rifle. I wish they had a 1000 (or 1500!) yard range but a couple of plate racks and 100 yard range will keep me busy for a while.
Anyone else in the area with the time and ammo (I plan on shooting up at least 1000 perhaps as much as 2000 rounds) to spend practicing?
I took a similar class several years ago and found it very useful. One of the instructors gives an overview of the class given last month and reports on the functionality and reliability of the AR-15 (including piston versions), AK-47, SCAR, Sig 556, and FN FS2000 (mostly useless).
