Stormfront

It was just another day in Texas until the clouds rolled in, the air turned green, and thunder broke out like the guns of Kursk.

Rare Paved Road, Still Holding

Deluge followed, overwhelming this town's barely functional drainage system, turning potholed, half-paved streets into torrents of churning, muddy water. 

Typical Pre-Storm House.

Homes have been washed away, leaving their occupants to wander, dazed, through the trash-strewn wake of the flood, as looters pick their way through ripped Walmart bags and broken children's toys. 

Emergency Vehicle Park

The church still stands, a testament to the power of brick. So does the Compound.

We will survive this storm, as always, by the grace of God.

LSP

New Gun, Remington 700

Remington 700 ADL with Redfield Lo-Pro Scope

I was after a new rifle, something chambered in .308 or .30-06, that wasn't black plastic. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that the new budget Rugers, Savages, and everything else, are great value for money. I'm sure they shoot much better than I do, but I wanted wood and steel. I think it looks better.

With that in mind, I'd nearly settled on getting a Ruger 77 Hawkeye standard, despite the $800+ price tag, when all of a sudden I see a promising firearm out of the corner my eye as I was browsing the pawn shops. It was a '70s vintage Remington 700 ADL, .30-06, all for the price of a plastic gun. The bore was good, the bluing fine, it had iron sights, and the stock was in decent order. As a bonus, the rifle came with an old Redfield Lo-Pro Accu-Trac scope. Apparently these scopes, with their built-in rangefinder/ballistic compensator, were USMC issue in Vietnam.

Next step? Take the rifle out and shoot it; I'm hoping the scope still works but if not I might mount a Leupold Rifleman, or something similar.

Shoot straight,

LSP

Get a New Gun?

What Gun?

I'm thinking of getting a new gun, probably a bolt .308 or .30-06 but it's confusing because there's a lot of rifles out there in the right price range and they all seem good. Like the Ruger American or the new offering by Savage; very affordable. That said, I'd prefer something that wasn't black plastic. Maybe I should look for a used rifle, one with a wood stock?

Mighty Ballistics

Then there's pistols. I fired a friend's XD .45 the other day and really liked it, so now I want a new pistol. But it's like rifles -- which one? Something chambered for 9mm, perhaps a 4th Gen Glock, or the CZ SP-01 (steel frame)? Then there's SIGs and XDs. Tricky.

I think they're all good, and they are, but feel free to advise. I want to get several. 2014 will be the Year of the Gun.

Shoot straight,

LSP