Are You Ready For The Country?

Good question. Maybe you are, maybe you're not, but one thing's certain, the hat most certainly is. Speaking of which, no one's attempted to vandalize or remove this statue.

Sensible townsfolk.

All for the Cause,

LSP

Deadly Assault Rifle Hi-Jinx

Because I'm a patriot, I have an AR15. It's made by CMMG and I've had several years of shooting fun with the little gas-driven blaster. But I wanted to change it up; swap out the stock handguards with a free-float tube, install a gas block, and a single point sling mount. 

Go On, Take Your Gun Apart

Off went the flash hider, the barrel nut and the front sight gas block. Fine, but the gas tube roll pin didn't want to come out. It did in the end and the new one, that came with the new gas block, didn't want to fit in it's allotted hole. After a lot of aggro, I filed it down slightly and drove it home.

The Old D Ring

The new barrel nut went on easily enough, along with its Yankee Hill handguard, and the sling mount was simple to install. I'm pleased with the end result, but there was an adventure half way through the project.

Oh No, We Can't Sell You That!

Looking down at my old, dirty, gas tube, I thought why not get a shiny new one? So I drove to Ray's and asked for one.

"Do you sell carbine length gas tubes?"

"Oh no, we don't have any."

"But what's that, there, in a plastic bag? Look you have about five of them."

"Hunh! We do!"

"Well that's great, I'll buy one."

"I'm sorry, you can't."

"Excuse me?"

"No. You can't buy those."

"And why not?"

"You can only buy one if we install it for you."

"Of course. And how much would that cost?"

"I don't know, sorry."

"Goodbye."

I felt, for a moment, there in the gunsmith's section of Ray's, that the world had gone completely mad. 

Looks Good, Does It Work?

As soon as it stops raining and snowing, I'll take the gun out to the range and see how it shoots. The free float tube should improve accuracy, we'll see.

Shoot straight,

LSP

Black Friday

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Today is Black Friday. It started with Morning Prayer, followed by Mass. And now? A visit to the gun shop.

That's the ticket.

LSP

Loaded

Haven't shot pistols for years, not since the halcyon days of the 1980s and the Prince of Wales Division training depot (Browning Hi-Powers). Then I moved to Texas and everything changed, so it was off to the excellent Ray's Sporting Goods in Dallas for some advice and a handgun at a sensible price.

The helpful man behind the counter was just that, suggesting the Berretta PX 4 Storm. It felt good and I meditated on the prospect for a while, trying out other offerings in the same price range - Taurus, CZ, XD, Glock et al. I kept going back to the Berretta, I don't know, maybe it was the look of the thing, or maybe the way it felt in the hand, but I bit the proverbial bullet and made the purchase. I asked for a 9mm, paid for it, bought some ammo and took it back home.

Imagine my surprise when The Nine turned out to be a .45. Ray's had upgraded me; who knows, maybe they thought a larger caliber was somehow more appropriate. Well, that's what I got and I have to say its been a real joy to shoot - far easier than I'd expected - and accurate too, that is until I get excited by the sound and fury of the beast.

Well done Beretta and well done Rays for providing hours of pure pistol enjoyment. I guess a revolver's next...

Keep pulling the trigger.

LSP