The Shoot Before Christmas

"Up for a shoot, old chap?" The Private didn't need much prompting and sprang out of bed, eager to show off his skills. "I reckon I'll smoke you on the AR," he quipped in a merry two days before Christmas kind of way. 

"I reckon there'd be something wrong if you didn't," I replied in the famously understated way of irregular cavalry, "But first I have to walk the Blue." The Blue being a dog, obviously.

That done, off we went to the range with a couple of .45s, an AR, a 20 SxS, and a big box of bullets courtesy of CheapAmmo.com; thanks, guys, great result. And what a good day for it, the sun shone, the ground was firm, the air clean in a big Texan sky, and all was well. 

CZ 20

First things first, we set up a silhouette along with a few playing cards and warmed up on the .45s. I kicked off with a Glock 21 and pounded five rounds into an approximation of the X Ring. OK, for a rusty shooter. The kid followed on and did well with a PX4 Storm, the green terr was definitely down. We moved onto playing cards at 10 yards.

Hmmm. Rusty.

I know, nothing outrageously skilled, unless you're out of practice like me, but we put the paper beast back in its box and had plenty of fun to boot. Nice. Then onto the 20 and a box of skeet, which we hurled redneck style into the sky. They mostly got smoked. 

Go Army

Next up? AR, and disaster struck. The battery'd died and the helpful red dot was no more. Good thing the weapon had back up iron sights. We blasted away like good 'uns, mostly against steel plates which swang like fury at the impact of the small but forceful 5.56. 

Did the kid "smoke me on the AR"? No, but I feel he would've if the shoot had gone on much longer and he got the feel of weapon. More training, you see. But what a neat little beast, Hipertouch trigger, Bison barrel and lightweight furniture. Far better, thought the Private, than issue. Such, perhaps, is the value of being irregular.

Boom!

We finished off with .45s against steel plates and had a blast knocking the adversary about. Boom, off you go. And then it was time to head for home, mission accomplished.

I love shooting, I scorn the DNC. And thanks, CheapAmmo for making the whole day possible. Great result, and your bullets worked too, like fury. Result.

Gun Rights, 

LSP

PS. Look, they helped the Compound out so I want to return the favor. Check out CheapAmmo, they support our troops. Good, right?

Just Driving Around In An Oven

"How's it goin' Padre?"

"A bit chilly, what?"

Meaning it's 105* in the shade and Devil take the hindmost. Undaunted by an I'm in a preheating oven kind of feeling, I climbed into the rig and drove to the Pick 'n Steal. Old habits die hard and there, predictably, was First Baptist shining in the sun.

I always wonder if being First translates to Best. Do the First Families of the town go to the  first baptist church in the town? Perhaps they do, though once they would've been Episcopalien. Well, we messed that up.

Whatever, unfold the frame and scoot across the melting asphalt to the Shamrock and the best filling station coffee in town. I tell you, the shop's AC's a welcome relief. How did Texans get by without air conditioning?

Well, they mostly didn't because no one wanted to move here before it happened. Note, Dallas and the associated metrosprawl have only ballooned out of proportion subsequently. Which brings us to shooting.

A few years ago I'd think nothing of getting out in the heat and blasting away for a day in the August sun. 105*? Whatever, pass the ACP and all the rest. Now? Not so much. 

Mind you, I don't have much choice coz the leg's busted. How's that going to work out for September 1 and dove? Set up on a tailgate with a couple of Mojos out front and a 20? 

This, as with so much in life, remains to be seen. In the meanwhile, try not to melt.

God bless,

LSP

April Fools Shoot

CC swung by from the metrosprawl with a truckload of guns, he especially wanted to see if an old Winchester 1200 pump worked after visiting an armorer. We drove out into the Texan countryside to find out. 

Fail!

The 1200 was up first against the clays, which call themselves White Flyers even though they're orange. Anyway, hopes were high that the Winchester was going to work, it usually doesn't, and CC lined up to shoot, "Pull!" and off flew the orange adversaries into a big sky. Boom, down went a few clays, it looked like the gun was working.

A Glock & A Ruger

Until it didn't. After the first few rounds the troubled beast didn't want to feed, had trouble ejecting and then stopped firing altogether. You'd chamber a round, squeeze the trigger and... nothing. I advised CC to sell the April Fools gun to a pawn shop or part ex it for something useful.

Winchester Model 90?

We changed over to a CZ Bobwhite 20 and merrily smoked skeet till all the ammo was gone. What a lot of fun and what a great little gun. Thanks, TC. After a short bout with a Ruger Redhawk (sorry, Security 6) .357 Magnum and a Glock 21 .45, it was time to plink.

The Range

Shotgun shells, cans, milk jugs, bits of broken skeet, steel plates and more all fell under a deadly hail of .22 LR sent via Ruger and Remington. Hours of enjoyment and then it was time to head back to the Compound, a good time had by all.

Big Sky

In related news, New Zealand's banned pump action shotguns so that only criminals can have them. Now they're much safer.

Gun rights,

LSP

Monday Shoot

One of the good things about Mondays is you can shoot, provided the new Ice Age doesn't have you snowed in and it didn't, so off I went to the range. Nothing fancy, just a Ruger American .22 and a Glock 21 .45.

I hadn't shot the Glock in a while and wondered if it'd work. It did, blasting rounds into the X Ring like a good 'un at around 15 yards. Things opened up a bit at 25 yards and I wasn't surprised, given lack of practice.

Then it was time for the old playing card trick at 10 yards and they met their match, thanks to Austrian engineering and the mighty .45 ACP. But my shooting was getting erratic, time to move on while the going was good.

And there it was, the humble .22, ready to go with a fixed 4 power scope. Was it on? Kind of ish but to be honest I'd forgotten what the little beast was zeroed for, so I unscientifically dialed it in at 50 yards.

After a bit of tweaking the scope seemed on enough and Little Green was taking damage. Sorry, fella, you lose this thankfully one sided firefight.

Then it started to rain and it was time to head back to the Compound, mission accomplished. Needed pistol practice and a pleasant zero-in plinkathon with the Ruger.

The trail out of the range always looks as though it'll present some target of opportunity, like a coyote, a small gang of pigs or even a rabbit, but it never does, oddly. Regardless, there it was, a good afternoon out in the country well spent.

Gun rights,

LSP

Get Out And Shoot

For a shooter you sure don't seem to shoot much, so-called "LSP." Good point, I hear the criticism, it's constructive. To put things right I loaded some guns into the rig and headed off for the country.

That journey took all of 10 minutes and there it was, the sylvan path to the glory that is rounds down range. I always think there'll be some kind of random game on this trail and a shot of opportunity but there never is, so far.

Instead, there was a mass tangle of fallen trees and brush blocking the path, the weather's been fierce here. I scouted it out; there wasn't a way to get clear short of a chainsaw and I wasn't going to risk the truck in the waterlogged clay of the fields. It's embarrassing to ask people to pull you out, so I parked up and walked in.

The grass was high, the sky was big and the shooting house had been blown over by tornado force wind. Whatever, I set up at the bench with a Desmond, a  Glock and a carbine.

First things first, the plates took a beating, so did the soda cans and, in the end, some reactive targets someone had left behind. At first I was shooting ironically high left, but sorted it out when I remembered the Desmond Tutu was zeroed at 100 yards and I was shooting at 50.

Tutu over, it was time to give the .45 a spin and it did famously, the elegant, workmanlike simplicity of Austrian engineering swinging the plates like fury. Satisfying. But what about the AR?

This one's a hybrid, an ancient CMMG lower and BCG married to a Bison Arms Barrel, Fortis lightweight hand guard, topped off with a cheap Primary Arms red dot. 

Odds and ends by Magpul. Well, the little beast shot like a champ, I was pleased.

Then it was time to head back to the Compound after an armed stroll through the grassy plains and big sky of Texas.

Gun rights,

LSP

A Clean Gun Is A Happy Gun

Remember, if you don't clean the filthy beasts they don't work. To that end, here's a short inspirational video.

As you were, 

LSP

Shoot

Do your guns still work, for that matter, do you still know how to use them? There's one sure fire way to find out, go shooting and that's exactly what we did.

An AR15 performed flawlessly, putting rounds down range like a proper little heater, likewise a Glock 21. Well done, Austrians, you've produced a good 'un.

Speaking of pistols, I've noticed people have a tendency to shoot low with the Glock and some say that's because of the ergonomics of the grip. With that in mind I aimed slightly high and shot, ahem, slightly high. Excellent pistol and I always enjoy its explosive .45 ACP power.

We finished off with some .22 plinking against various threats including a bottle cap, someone's discarded Coors Lite can and our ancient enemy, unicorns.

It's argued that unicorns are harmless, mythical, noble creatures. We disagree, they're a right menace, just look what they've done to San Francisco and Austin. And the moral of the story?

Shooting is great, so get out in the fresh air and do it more often.

Gun rights,

LSP

Fire It Up

There's the fender, the "dogs" and the ancient fire tools from the time your ancestors conquered this land, or bought them in a street market in Brussels or Oklahoma City or wherever; doesn't matter, dammit. Where's the fire?!?

I've argued this for years, "Clean out the flu, light the fire; it'll be better, warmer." But no, a feeble gaslight rules.

Now that we've had a year of MAGA this should and must change. Real fires, please.

America First,

LSP

The Vatican Goes Green!

Pope Francis' Vatican has issued tough new directives requiring priests and seminarians to go green and take the "emerging planetary crisis" seriously by having an "ecological conversion."

Rome's eco-directive, called "The Gift of the Priestly Formation," goes on to state that “it will be necessary for future priests to be highly sensitive to this theme and, through the requisite Magisterial and theological guidance, help to acknowledge the appeal, immensity and urgency of the challenge we face.”

Typical Global Warming

Here at the Compound we take the urgency of the War on Weather very seriously indeed. That's why we favor the workmanlike Glock 21 and its 13 rounds of .45 ACP stopping power, capable of unnerving accuracy in the most adverse weather conditions.

A Glock and a Spyrderco in the War on Weather

Some prefer the mighty .357 Magnum, but here's a thought.When the emerging planetary crisis has taken 6 rounds and you have to reload, the Glock 21's still firing.

Lead downrange, in the War on Weather.

LSP

In The Hall of The Turkey Grill

We were looking for hogs, somewhere in West Texas, in a Pinzgauer, eyes peeled and guns hot. Off to the left, slight movement, not pigs but turkey, three or four of them, a couple of hens and a tom. Out! sight on the birds. 

Quick, they're starting to fly. Crack, someone's got a shot off. Feathers drift in the near distance and we move forward to see if the bird was down. It was.

stand on a stool or something, LSP

Shot with a Winchester 70 30-06, of all things. Good work. Back at the ranch house we breasted the bird and that was that, it went into the freezer. Until last night.

The Turk found itself in a dutch oven, potatoes went into another oven and a Glock somehow made its way onto the mahogany. Did the Turk taste good?

Sure it did, and the firearm proved itself a stable home defender. You better believe no one crept in under the perimeter. And that was that.

Feast on,

LSP

Be Prepared

In the wake of Thursday's terror op in Dallas, some people are cautioning preparedness. What does that look like?

Maybe it looks a bit like a Glock 21. Others are saying that we need to "dream again," dream of a beautiful world with "beautiful people." What does that look like?

How Very Lovely

I'll leave you to decide which option is most effective. In the meanwhile, invest in extra magazines, they might come in handy.

Your Old Friend,

LSP

It's Bushcraft Wednesday!

Yes, it's Bushcraft Wednesday and here we are, deep in the bush of the metrosprawl. Just me, Blue Unmentionable and a couple of .45s.

A Couple of Guns

What do two pistols have to do with the art of Bushcraft, you ask yourself, mystified. Simple, if you're charged by a predator out in the bush, you need something to defend yourself and a reliable sidearm can come in handy.

Alien Gear Works

The team favors Glocks and, today, a Beretta. Both great guns but I'd say the Glock has an edge because of its sturdy, workmanlike simplicity. Nothing fancy about that pistol and fewer parts to malfunction or go missing or break. A big asset in the bush.

The Simplicity of Glock

So listen up, bushcrafters. Invest in a reliable sidearm and keep it clean, I recommend the Glock 21. And while you're at it, check out Alien Gear holsters, for inside and outside the waistband carry. They work.

Blue Unmentionable

Here endeth the shameless marketing for Beretta, Glock and Alien Gear.

Your Old Friend,

LSP