Filthy

Just look at this filthy little beast. Some people think, mistakenly, that they don't have to clean their lowly .22s. Then they wonder why the dam thing doesn't work.

 

Same goes for shotguns. Perhaps you've been on a shoot where someone's gun doesn't work because he couldn't be bothered to clean it. That in mind, I set to this morning.

Chop, chop, that SXS barrel isn't going to clean itself!

And the same applied to a couple of old pumps. Speaking of which, I like the Mossberg Ulti Mag, what a workhorse. Mind you, I might have to replace the extractors as they're getting on a bit. Not hard to do but a bit of pain.

So there you have it, all clean and ready to go unless a tragic boating accident gets in the way.

#2A,

LSP

All Souls - New Gun

 

A friend gave me his old, rusting, neglected barn gun today, a Remington 870. It was a mess but the bore was clean enough, so I took the beast home and applied Hoppe's and a bore brush.

Filthy Gopping Mess

You should've seen the rust liquefy off, what a nasty, minging, filthy mess. But what a good result in the end, a clean gun, ready to shoot and do battle against the avian adversary and their clay simulacra.

A Clean Gun Is A Happy Gun

That in mind, say a prayer for the repose of the soul of Ronnie Storrs, it was his gun and he wasn't above using it on people who made the foolish mistake of messing about on his land unannounced.  Well, may he rest in peace and may his 870 find a place in the Compound's armory.

#2A

Have a blessed Feast of All Souls and as always,

Gun Rights.

LSP

Labor Day Dove Walk

Sometimes you have to take some time out from polishing your Felix Dzerzhinsky bust and get out in the field. My friend from New York agreed and tore himself away from the minutiae of Das Kapital and off we went, x in search of dove.

Felix Dzerzhinsky

In a normal season, one which hasn't been sabotaged by 5th Column Weather Activists, we'd have flushed a few birds from the treelines and adjacent fields. As it was, a couple of avian acrobats lifted off from the grass and a few shots were fired, but they were long and the birds got away to fight again another day.

Escape From New York

Still, the armed stroll was good in itself; there you are in the country under the big Texan sky, gun in hand. There's peace in that, for me, and excitement too, when you get that split second of explosive action.

A Typical Deadly Assault Rifle

Walkabout over, we fell back to the cow skull with a carbine and gave it the old red dot treatment. Take that, skull, and word to the wise. 

The Skull

If you're fixing to strap on a cow skull as some kind of magic protection against 5.56, don't. It won't work, trust me.

Look, Buddy, it's not Gonna Work

So that was that. A good day was had by all and who knows, maybe the dove will start flying at some point soon. Hill County hopes. 

Happy Labor Day,

LSP

Go For Another Walk in The Woods

My philisophical pal, GWB, tipped up on Sunday night with a view towards some steaks and an armed stroll in the woods the following day. The steaks were good and so were the the woods, but just in case the latter needed pacifying, we took a small arsenal along.

GWB brought a Remington 870 because a 12 is always useful; I think it's his duck gun. I brought a Ruger American .22 and a .45. Who knows, maybe I'd have to use the pistol to get to the rifle, but even if I had to, I doubt I'd be much use with the rifle. 

Check Out The Pipe

I know this, because I fired off a couple of magazines off-hand against some steel plates, at around 50 yards, before we got to the woods and was appalled by my marksmanship, or rather lack of it. A couple of remedial afternoons at the range is definitely in order. 

Missing the target practice over, we headed into the thorny thicket of the woods, hoping for squirrels. They didn't show, but a stream did. It was tranquil, standing there looking down at the water and seeing fish glide and dart their way along the banks.

Go To The Woods

Water feature enjoyed, it was time to set up by some oaks and try to call in the bushy tailed tree dwellers. No joy, but the sound of the water moving in the near distance, and the woods coming alive in the silence, was soothing to the soul. 

Water, in Texas

At least it was for me, I'm not sure what GWB was up to. He was in a different spot, hidden in the brush, doubtless parsing John Milbank or texting some PH out of Eckland.

Time well spent communing with nature, we made our way out of the woods and back to what passes for civilization, pulled pork sandwiches at Dickey's BBQ Pit. And right tasty they were too.

Next time out, I'll try and shoot something.

God bless,

LSP

Church BBQ

We had a church BBQ today at a member's lake house, so I called up and asked if I should bring anything. Our conversation went like this.

"Hey, should I bring anything, apart from The Weather?"

"Yeah, you really messed up on that score. Thanks for the rain."

"Don't blame me, blame Obama, he's our Commander-in-Chief. Maybe I should bring a gun."

"We have plenty of those already, bring some tea."

So that's what I did.

A good time was had by all, despite recent setbacks in the War on Weather.

Sail away,

LSP

All Purpose Bird Gun

Remington 870

Dove season's not far off, September 1st, so naturally the mind veers towards shotguns. A friend asked his cousin, Captain Charles Henry Canon IV, what his recommendations were for a inexpensive "all purpose bird gun". I thought the reply was pretty wise; here it is:

"all-purpose bird gun to me means two guns: one for quail and dove, the other for duck. There is simply not enough oomph in a 20 GA to knock down a duck cruising at 70 mph.

If you are looking for a good duck gun that is cheap with a good reputation, get a remington 870. You can have it "dipped" in camo and it will not chip the paint and it'll be water proof. I started using one this past season after I put to many knocks on my dad's Browning Gold 12 GA.

For the quail / dove, get a Remington model 1100. Classic shotgun that is not too expensive and is a very good skeet/trap gun as well.

You could probably find both of these guns on-line and spend less than $1000 for both of them...."

I'm inclined to take Cpt. Canon's advice and scout about for a 1100, which can be found pretty cheap. Already have a 12 GA (Mossberg 835 gun show special) that's bashed about but seems to work. For a good review of the 870, check out Field & Stream, where its rated as one of the 50 best shotguns ever.

Good shooting,

LSP

PS. The aptly named Canon is a serving member of the U.S. military, hopefully we'll hear more from him.