Bench-Talk

Gun Control

Stan Ware — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 05:35:00 GMT

Chicago...... Well it looks as if Mayor Richard Daley is at it again. In light of the new Supreme Court decision that the second amendment is a individual freedom for all didn't set good with the Mayor. He promised not to "Roll over" and came up with some new measures...... among them are NO gun shops within city Limits, outlawing residents with a handgun from stepping outside their homes onto their porches or in the garage. Now that law really makes sense.... must of taken them most of the night to come up with such B.S. It also limits the number of handguns one can purchase per month and the list goes on and on. What they are trying to do is make it so costly and hard to own a rifle or handgun that the average person doesn't want to go through the hassle. I also have learned that a lawsuit was filed by citizens and the Illinois Assn. of Firearms Retailers claiming that the new restrictions put on by the Chicago Council violate there constitutional right. In my opinion a individual right is no right at all if you cannot use it or restrict it and that is exactly what the Chicago Council is trying to do to us. The Mayor should explain to us that they already have the strictest laws on the books and most crime per capita.

New York.... Don't think that your gun rights are the only thing that is in jeopardy.... Looks like Knife rights are struggling too. It seems that the New York district attorney has a problem with so called "gravity knives". They are the knives that can be operated with one hand and or are assisted in opening. This would include about 80% of all knives made. What's next ??? Your fishing pole ?

New York..... Firearms micro stamping seems to have lost its appeal. Not only is it flawed in many ways but studies have proven that it does not help police a lot and is very costly. The bill has had no action for quite some time.

Absolutely not!

R.G. Robinett — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:38:00 GMT

Frequently, observations - regarding precision rifle shooting/reloading - are proffered in terms of absolute value: in benchrest shooting/competition, there is but one absolute: NOTHING is ABSOLUTE . . . following a tangent, or two, we’ll come back to this . . . As more information has become available (shared) regarding the technical aspects of precision, a growing number of shooters handicap their potential by becoming focused on [technical] attributes, many of which are, “lost-in-the-noise”. A...(read more)

News and Opinions

Stan Ware — Tue, 25 May 2010 19:54:00 GMT

After watching the 24 hour news cycle I can see the networks are just as hard up for news as I am... but here is some that may give you heartburn or faith.

As many of you know that the military brass has long been used by the American consumer market. They use the once fired rounds. For example Black Hills buys the stuff from the military and cleans it up reloads it and re-sells it and it puts many people to work. It has become a large business. It seems now the Govt. is thinking about selling the brass themselves and thus cutting out the American reloading market. Could this be just another attempt to put a halt to and control of guns..... Using these once fired rounds and putting out some low priced ammo for the average person is important. This administration knows that and I am sure that is what the have in mind is to slowly make it harder and harder for you and me to enjoy the sport.

Dept of Homeland Security.... well sort of. Here is a article that appeared in the SSR news.

A recent report of an audit by the Dept. of homeland Security inspector general has shown the during the time period 2007 -2008 , nearly 300 firearms belonging to DHS agents were lost... yup Lost misplaced or stolen. In a number of cases, the lost firearms we later found int the hands of the criminals. The reason for lost weapons was because they were not properly secured. President of the Federal Law enforcement Assn. called the findings unacceptable.... Ya think. All I can say is sleep well... your DOHS is sleeping too.

Ohio... Judge says Buy a gun. Hard to believe but in Ashtabula County which is the largest in Ohio is having problems making ends meet and have went from 112 deputy's to 49 in the county. The Judge went on record to arm yourself and be vigilant. Good advice... They should also organize and have watch groups....if nothing else take some firearms training courses.... learn how to protect yourself and family.

Keep you eye on the Arizona immigration law.... should be interesting. I happen to know a gentleman who just recently retired from the border patrol... he now lives in North Dakota and happened by the shop not long ago to have some work done. We got to talking about the border and the long and short of it is the Govt. just doesn't want to do anything because on one side the party wants cheep labor and on the other side they want the votes to stay in power..... anyway I asked him how he ended up in North Dakota. Here is his answer.... He said when I left Arizona I stuck a burrito on my antenna and headed north and when I stopped for gas the gentleman asked me what the heck that was..... at that point I knew I was far enough North and thats how He ended up in North Dakota. I will leave you with that. We also welcome your opinion and feel free to respond.

SGR

What's new for 2010

Stan Ware — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 01:11:00 GMT

I have heard thru the vine that Remington Arms is going to start making Pistols.... yes, I said pistols. In fact they will be announcing a new hand gun division and will be made in the United States which is always good news. Whats next... well, I would think a custom shop would be in order. In looking thru the Brownells cataloge there is definately a market for custom work as they have donated quite a few pages for custom handgun goodies. The 1911 seems to be a popular one ..... could Remington have Kimber in its sights?... who knows.

IMR powders form Hodgen has introduced a new powder called IMR 8208 XBR which should work well in the .223's and 22/250's , 308's etc. It is short grained extruded with unheard of consistency from -40 degrees to 165 degrees F.

On another front its great to see that according to the latest polls across the country more people are pro gun than ever.This may be a good thing because as you may know.... when the current administration is done jamming health care down our throats that the the gun control subject is going to come up, but more on this later.

SGR

Boron Nitride (BN) or more specifically Hexagonal Boron Nitride (HBN) use by Shooters

Ryan Ware — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 00:35:00 GMT

To Joe and Others that have asked,

In the past few days there has been a thread running on Benchrest Central about the uses of Boron Nitride (BN) or more specifically Hexagonal Boron Nitride (HBN) by us shooters. A few guys have contacted Francis (Dad) and I and have asked for a separate posting with all the info we have gathered so I will try to get it all in and not miss anything.

First let me go back a number of years to the late Nineties. Molybdenum Disulfide (MoS2 or moly) was new on the scene in BR again. It had been tried in the fifties, I have records of it, and it didn't work well then. I have no records of its use between the fifties and the nineties, but that doesn't mean it wasn't tried. Anyway, Dad and I were competing in both group (NBRSA) and Score with (IBS) in the late nineties and we were question many times on weather we thought we would try moly. We both considered it and decided not to mess with it. There were cleaning issues that were different than our regular regimen of bore cleaning. We clean our bores after every relay; the use of moly would allow us to shoot all day without cleaning and having copper fouling. What about removing carbon fouling from the burned powder? What about fouling from the moly that would take time after the day was over to remove? We considered moly and decided against it.

In the meantime a number of shooters were cleaning their bores and then treating them with "Lock-Ease" to pre-lube the barrel after cleaning but before the first shot. Stan Buctel was selling a mixture of Colloidal Graphite in an alcohol suspension that was acquired from Acheson Colloids. Another product available was Penephite which was a mixture of colloidal graphite in an oil suspension available from Kano Labs, the makers of Kroil. We used the Penephite to prelube our barrels and it works quite well. Our experience has been that after thoroughly cleaning your bore, you can run a patch or two of Penephite down your barrel to prelube then when you go to the line you have to shoot fewer fouling shots before one can be trusted as the true impact. Our experience has been about the third shot can be trusted with this application.

About the same time Danzac or Tungsten Disulfide (WS2) was being used and campaigned by Kinkaid and a few others about as successfully as moly. The WS2 required one less step to coat bullets, it did not require the application of carnauba wax. You would simply clean and dry the bullets then tumble them in WS2, then lightly shake them in a towel to remove excess. The WS2 would stick to the bullets without carnauba wax. Also WS2 would clean out of a barrel much easier than the moly and it didn't require JB bore paste to get it out of the barrel. After a year of watching WS2 being used we decided to give it a try. It worked well and in our PPC barrels we noticed that we needed less effort to clean the copper fouling out, or that there was less copper fouling in the bore. In the .30 BR barrels we noticed the same thing and that we were able to keep our barrels in great shooting condition for 2 to 3 relays before cleaning was required. We cleaned every relay though, because you only now if it's going to spray a shot when you're at the line. In our thought process, it was better to clean too often, than to find out at the line that you weren't cleaning enough.

So for a number of years we would continue to use Penephite after our cleaning and preparation process and use WS2 for coating our bullets. I was on the phone with Randy Robinett one day, well a couple of hours of one day anyway, I was ordering bullets and discussing our uses with WS2 with him and he mentioned that his good friend and ours too, Mike Bigelow was using HBN to coat bullets and that he had just tried it that past year with some good success. As Randy had described it, Mike is still beating all of us as he had before, but he is doing it in a cleaner more healthy way. HBN as Randy described to me is used also in the cosmetic industry and has fewer health warnings when compared to moly or WS2. HBN as I have seen it, is described as a minor irritant from airborne dust particles. So I called Mike and the scoop directly from him. Mike had been coating his bullets with HBN the same way we had with WS2, just clean them in acetone (well vented area), let them dry, tumble them in #4 steel shot for about 25 minutes, and then sift them, and shake them through a towel to remove excess powder. A half a tip of a medium flat screwdriver holds enough powder to coat 100 .30 cal bullets. The other thing that mike mentioned is that he would rub some HBN on his leather bags to allow the rifle to slide smoothly. He claimed that there is no substitute that he has found for how well the rifle slid in the bags (sorry Dave D). I use Dave Dohrmans bags and have not needed to try the HBN for that but I trust Mike's word his equipment is top notch and he is tough to beat. From Mike Bigelow I got information on getting HBN from Momentive Performance Materials. In looking at their website I found the HCPL Grade that Mike had mentioned. I called Jon Leist at Momentive, we had a nice talk about our uses, and soon thereafter a pound of HBN HCPL grade was on the way.

We coated our bullets the exact way Mike had described, which was how we had been coating with WS2. Now our bullets have a slightly white sheen to them with kind of like a pearl coat. They are so slippery it takes a little practice to pick them up and not drop them on the trailer floor. What have we notice down range? Nothing different from WS2 other than the black ring on your target around the bullet hole is now white or nonexistent. Our barrels clean just as clean as with WS2. Your hands aren't black at the end of the day of shooting and that might be the most important part. I'm a Union Ironworker by trade and I work in some of the dirtiest places that Mike Rowe would ever be caught in for one day, I do it for a career. Steel mills, Slag pits, Coal bunkers, Coal Furnaces, etc. what I have found is that no matter how much protection you wear, if you work with it you will breath it. HBN HCPL according to the MSDS is not as harmful to your respiration system as WS2 or moly. We have used HBN HCPL for 2 years now and are happy with it.

Let's not get anything wrong here, we are taking absolutely no credit for any of the above mentioned uses for Moly, HBN, WS2, Penephite, or Lock-Ease. I am simply listing our experiences and uses with such items.

Last summer while cleaning and pre-lubricating one of my rifles this thought hit me. I'm cleaning my barrel to the best of my ability and removing carbon fouling and very little copper out of my barrel. How I judge that the carbon and copper has been removed is the blackish streaks on the patches that pass through the bore. Then when my barrel is as clean as I consider it needs to be, I add two patches soaked with Penephite (black) back into the barrel. HBN is very slippery, I mentioned dropping bullets? Why not replace the Penephite with HBN and in turn add less (black or bad) indications into our rifle barrels. HBN also has been the absolute most slippery substance we have used for anything. If Penephite was used because it was slippery wouldn't HBN be better? When we got home from that shoot we called Jon Leist again, and talked to him about mixing HBN and 90% alcohol for a suspension agent to pre-lube our barrels. He though it sounded great but that the AC6111 Grade HBN would be better for this use. It would stand up in the alcohol suspension and cling to the barrel when passed through on a patch. I have not seen AC6111 in Momentive's website, but it is available from John. We got some from Jonn and mixed it in alcohol 90%. We use about one teaspoon in 16 ounces of alcohol. It has to be shaken each time you use it because the HBN does settle.

We started using it this fall and what we have noticed is that now that first shot fired out of a clean and pre-lubed barrel can be trusted as the true impact point. We use tuners so now I got to the line, fire two shots judge my group for vertical, adjust the tuner as needed or not, and after tune has been achieved go to my record targets. This use has saved us in time at the bench and bullets in the backstop.

I hope all my recollections have been correct and I hope I have given credit where credit was due. But mostly I hope you enjoyed this post.

Paul Becigneul (Pbike)

Below are a few reference links

Momentive website… http://www.momentive.com/Internet/

Jon Leist contact info… Jon.Leist@momentive.com

MSDS for HBN grade HCPL… http://www.momentive.com/momentiveInternetDoc/Internet/Static%20Files/Documents/MSDS/MSDS%20200%20-%20BN%20Powders%20&%20Shapes.pdf

MSDS for WS2…http://www.lowerfriction.com/pdf/4.pdf/

MSDS for MoS2… http://www.rosemill.com/html/msds/bemol_mos2_msds.pdf

Article provided by Paul Becigneul (Pbike)

what is going on in 6X??????

David J Halblom Sr — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 00:19:00 GMT

Most everyone who knows me knows I tend to poke the pig. That said, why are YOU not shooting a 6X discipline? What "excuse" are you using? No eyes left? That one is legitimate. Can't win? That one is an illegitimate child.

Anyone can build a VFS gun and get out there and shoot 250-?x's. 36x + scope, 30BR, 4198, Lapua brass......take it and run. But it takes a bit of practice, a good gunsmith, the ability to tune, and a set of balls to shoot a 250 in 6X, whether it be HBR or Vhtr. And by the way, a girl, or rather, a lady, proved to all of us who shot 6X at the BUD 2 weeks ago, how to do the job right!! Sarah Herren put on a lesson in 6X shooting. My point is, get off your fat butt and get w/ the program!

For those who want to flame, bring it ON! For those who want to shoot, get with it. There are a lot of HBR and VFS rifles out there that are gathering a lot of rust and dust. Why? They should be being shot!! The 2 gun record is there to be broken. The 2 gun discipline gives you teh possibilty to shoot more, more often. What is the problem?

Blogs???

David J Halblom Sr — Sat, 16 May 2009 22:05:00 GMT

Thanks to Ryan for being a persistant technian and final doing a cerebral re-boot to get my blog rights "restored" Look out now? the "Radical" is unleashed. More to follow!

News that may interest you

Stan Ware — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 22:29:00 GMT

I see that the doo-Gooders are at it again.... a bill coming out of Illinois by Representative Bobby Rush (D) known as the "Blair Holt's Firearm licensing and record sale act of 2009" would make it a illegal to own or possess a handgun or semi-auto firearm that uses a magazine without a federal license. Parts of the bill which will give the average citizen heart burn include a photo id,address, all previous aliases..... previous aliases, hmm I didn't keep a record of all of them. Also, thumb print, completion of written firearm test, release of mental health issues and last but not least a fee.You cannot transfer ownership unless the other person has a license also. You must also report a stolen firearm withing 72 hours or you are not in compliance and it is illegal. All this comes out of Illinois where they have some of the strictest laws in the nation and the most crime.

Now if this isn't the biggest invasion on the second Amendment I don't know what is. I always said I would not get into politics on the blogs but I cannot in good faith sit here and take it any longer. This administration is the worst in my lifetime that I have seen. Being they have control of both houses they seem to think that they can do anything they want anytime. Even if it means take your and my rights away. I also see the Masai is going to stop pilots from carrying a gun in the cock pit of the air plane.... What on earth is the guy thinking of ? Rome is burning and he wants to take away the pistols on planes. We have many and big problems with the economy. I am sure it has affected some of our shooters. If you lost your job your not going to be doing allot of traveling....your going to be looking for another job and keeping payments on the house or car and putting food on the table.Well, lets not sit on our duffs and do nothing while we still have some rights. Please call your senator and or Rep and let him know your thoughts... I did and it makes me feel good that you can talk to them idiots by email or phone because all they are interested in is getting re-elected. One thing they do is check the wind daily. DON'T wait until its too Late. Is anyone else out there got some choice words for these people.... Lets hear it.

SGR

Deer Poisoning...... Are your bullets bad ?

Stan Ware — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 20:20:00 GMT

Cleaning deer of lead will take more care, DNR says A study, spurred by venison contamination found in the spring, shows bullets from some rifles can disperse farther into the animal, requiring new guidelines. By DOUG SMITHdsmith@startribune.com, Star Tribune Some lead bullets fired from high-powered rifles scatter lead fragments much farther into deer than hunters might assume, according to a Department of Natural Resources study released Tuesday. That means the state's venison processors and...(read more)

Carlos Hathcock

Stan Ware — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:52:00 GMT

I found it interesting doing some work for a gentleman named Perry Nettle in Arkansas. I printed, sleeved and trued up a 700 action and we got to talking about shooting and it led to his involment with Carlos Hathcock. Perry was nice enough to send me some pictures of Carlos at the shooting school he attended. Perry won the top award of his class at the shooting school. Here is a some information on Carlos for those who are not familiar with him. Taken from Wikipedia. Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Norman...(read more)

In need of a Medal

Stan Ware — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:34:00 GMT

I would like all of you to come up with a name for a Medal. We are in need of one for all the politicians. The latest being when Hillary landed in Bosnia and was "under a hail of bullets and had to run and duck " Some call it embellishment, some call it adlibbing.... I think it’s an outright lie. If your are ever under fire you won't forget it and you won't have to lie about it. This is but one example of politicians telling you what they want you want to hear... and its not just...(read more)

Bullet Making Info from the "Old" Forum

Ryan Ware — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 06:08:00 GMT

This was a post started by Randy on 12/11/2004

OK, Stan "made me do it"! A while back, Stan asked if I'd submit a ditty on bullet making - since the pic posting is now "legal", we decided to use the more effective "picture is worth a few words" version . . . after receiving and unpacking, this is the first step in making BR quality bullets. This spool of .250" diameter lead wire will be cut into aproximately 130 pieces, each about thirty-inch long. R.G.

Now, here's a really neat machine built by my Uncle and BIG MIKE

This is the core cutter: we made it using scrap steel and borrowed the crank shaft out of a 1966 Yamaha motorcycle to get the desired reciprocating-motion slide. When properly "JUICED", BIG MIKE is capable of cutting well upwards of 3000 cores per hour - it was really a bummer having HIM dead for several months - his ability to do the boring and hard physical labor makes it almost worth having Allen Huff bring HIM back to life!

As you doubtless deduced, the "sticks" are inserted, then fed via gravity - straightness is a virtue here! The crank, for now, is powered by the human (we use the term loosely!) hand! The bucket contents is the result of loading the cutter and truning the crank wheel - this time, cores for 112 GR. thirty caliber bullets - about 2500 to the bucket. ;) R.G.

Here's a close up of the business end of the core cutter

a clever design, which, using recorded micrometer settings, allows us to get very repeatable length when changing through the length/weight cycle! R.G.

And here's a closer look at the just cut cores . . .

note the relatively "clean shanks & square, unflared ends! This bucket contains roughly 2500 cores: comparatively, a trip to Grand Island, NE and a tour of the Hornady plant will reveal cores being cut and squirted via a single operation - and deposited into 50 -100 gallon livestock watering tanks!

Upon my first tour of a commercial plant, I lost all feelings of guilt about the cost of custom hand made bullets - when one totals the amount of labor, "feel" and "culling" that goes into them, custom hand made bullets represent one of the best BARGAINS on the planet! At Hornady, each press produces 50-55,000 [FINISHED] bullets per 10 hour shift; a maker of hand crafted bullets, at best, may make 3% of that number during a 10 hour span! Yep, hand made BR quality bullets are a labor of love and should be purchased via the following critera: 1) QUALITY; 2) availability; 3) price.

There is no reason for a maker of hand made BR quality bullets to negotiate on price - his time is worth what one receives from the bargain! R.G.

A little Q & A ensued.

Stan Ware: Randy, a post or two back you said the cores were cut into 30inch lengths first and straightened. Why do you cut to 30inch lenghts ? What is the reason for this ? Why don't you cut into 1 inch pieces from roll ?.... Dumb question... but I don't know.

Randy: Stan, the wire is cut into 30" lengths (sticks) and then straightened, following which it is fed into the core cutter and cut into the individual individual "cores" - I probably used the wrong terminology. If you look at the previous core cutter pic, you'll see a stick of lead wire sticking up -it's toward the right hand end of the contraption. The cut cores are also "ejected" by gravity - the white "tickler" brushes the cores as the slide moves forward and dislodges the core from the cutter bushing. R.G.

GregP: Randy,
How do you strighten the 30" sticks? Roll them between metal or hardwood plates? Tks --greg

Randy: Greg, BIG MIKE may "kill" ME for letting out the secret . . . WE "roll" the wire between an aluminum plate, which is equipped with handles, and the "plate" which you can see in the pic of cutting the wire. The straightening is REALLY a DRAG! :( Eventually, we will have the new cutter hooked up to a "feeder/straightener" and the wire will be cut into core slugs right off the roll! Well, that's the DREAM! R.G

Jim Saubier: how much of a nub do you use at the end of the 30" section. i imagine that every section you will lose a little from the feed end. your cutter looks real slick, we are using the manual deal and it isn't quick by any means.

Randy: Jim, Since I cut all of the sticks using diagonal-cutting pliers, the ends are, indeed, waste. However, Only about 1/8th inch on the beginning end - the final core may be too short. I have attached a pic of my old reliable CH cutter (it was part of the "deal" when I scored my first set of dies - a GREAT set of Rorschach .22 Cal.); I still use this cutter for 22 and 6mm cores . . . and occasionally, an odd lot of thirties. AS with the cutter my Uncle and I dreamed up and built, the CH cuts very square ends which are free of bulges and/or flaring - this makes squirting much more user friendly!

Using the CH, BIG MIKE can only cut about 50% of what he cruises at using the new cutter! But since I put it close to the tube, he's much happier! ;) R.G.

Some Comments

K. Skjerdal: With the cost of the lead and the jackets, and then all the hard work to form the lead into cores and point things up, (your press forearm must be getting HUGH by now and we will have to start calling you Popeye), plus the cost of maintaining the shop, the equipment, buying new point up dies and new bases, cleaning and lube supplies, drying towels, and on and on, at $240/1000, your bullets are the best bargin in BR!

Wait, what the hell I'm I tell this to you for, you are going to start charging us more...

Keep up the great job buddy.

Randy: Keith, thank you for your kind words. THis is true of even my friendly competitors bullets: hand swaged BR quality bullets are a REAL deal - I can't remember the last time I saw any of the Name Brand bullets at the TOP of an equipment list! R.G.

Jim Saubier: thanks Randy. We use the same spools of Star lead on a rack suspended from the ceiling. we have a bench set up that is 6' long with the cutter on the end of the table. We pull off sections from the spool, straightening, wiping crud from the wire and then cutting. We used to do it in sections but always had a nub at the end. Our cutter is a very simple cutter from Niemi, but is certainly not as efficient or fast as it could be. It is neat to see how others are doing things. i've only seen 2 other set-ups for bullet besides our own. Seems that everybody develops their own way of doing certain tasks. If I had to make the number of bullets that you do, i'd sure want to automate any of the process' that i could. I don't see the demand for .30 caliber bullets slowing any time soon.

Again, thanks for sharing. you have been a tremendous help and source of information in regards to bullet making, shooting the .30's, and br shooting in general. Even for folks that have the equipment, use the equipment, etc. it is nice to see how the good guys are doing it. you have always been very free with information, helpful in every way for somebody getting started. i thank you for that.

Randy: Jim, thank you for the considerate words. My pal, Terry Meyer, uses the sam approach as you - that is he cuts the cores straight from the roll, which is suspended from the ceiling . . . I just didn't get along well with that method. I prefer cleaning the sticks - for me, it hurts the shoulder less. Mike Bigelow straightens his wire via pulling/pushing (?) through sets of perpendicular wheels mounted on a section of aluminum angle - it works very well. Yes, there is always a new way to "skin cats"! ;) R.G.

Remington Acquires Marlin Firearms Co........

Stan Ware — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 17:10:00 GMT

In a Associated press release dated 12-29-07

Remington Arms Co. Inc. will acquire Marlin Firearms Co. in a deal that brings together two firearm companies founded in the 19th Century. Remington, acquired by Cerberus Capital Management in April, will add Marlin's long gun, including shoulder arm designs and lever action rifles. Marlin's lever action .22 repeater, now in the Model 39 , became the favorite of many exhibition shooters like Anne Oakley. Terms of the agreement for the privately held Marlin Firearms were not disclosed. A spokesman for Madison N.C. based Remington would not comment on where the company plans additional acquisitions.

Marlin was founded in 1870 by John M. Marlin, who worked at the Colt Weapons plant during the Civil War before opening his own shop to manufacture revolvers and derringers. "We knew it was time to find the right partner for Marlin to ensue our brands maintain their leadership positions and move into the next century" said Fran Kenna 111, chairman of North Haven -based company. Under the agreement, Robert Behn will remain president of Marlin. Remington was found in 1816. The deal will provide both companies to access to the areas that now are beyond their reach in the $4.1 billion industry, said Chris Donlack, senior vice president at the National Shooting Sports Foundation, a trade group. Remington will be able to tap into Marlin's niche of lever-actions rifles and Marlin will be a part of a much larger company with a full line of shotguns, ammunition and rifles, Dolnack said.

This in my opinion has some good things. Better to have Marlin swallowed up Remington than moving the whole operation over seas or a foreign base company acquiring it. Hopefully it will produce some jobs here which is a benifit to all. It seems in todays world all the big companys are postureing themselves to go overseas or contract out cheaper labor. What does this all mean to you ? ....... YOUR THOUGHTS.............

My Grandfather's Son...a book review.

Al Nyhus — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:29:00 GMT

Anyone that knows me can attest to the fact that I'm a voracious reader. It doesn't matter if it's a magazine, a book or the Internet, I'm almost always reading something. The love of reading is something that I inherited from my Mother and I'm thankful to her for instilling in me the wonderful gift of the written word.

I can highly recommend the excellent book My Grandfather's Son by Clarence Thomas. In his own words, Justice Thomas takes you through his life.....a life that began as a dirt poor son of a divorced Mother, sent to live with his Grandparents, and ends with his appointment and ultimate confirmation to the highest Court in the land...the United States Supreme Court.

His transformation from an angry liberal in his days at Holy Cross and Yale Law School who believed that: "The Man was keeping us down", to a conservative leader who advocates personal responsibility and eschews quota-based systems that ultimately hurt those they are meant to help, is a remarkable tale.

Good reading.

Remember When

Stan Ware — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 16:39:00 GMT

First off a big thank you to all for the birthday posts. How old am I ??...... I will give you a time line. The year I was born Henry Ford patented a method of constructing plastic auto body's, Battle of Midway ends and the Japanese loose, Kellogg's Raisin Bran is introduced, St.Louis wins the World Series, President of the U.S. is Franklin Roosevelt, Miss America was Jo-Carroll Dennison (Tyler TX).

Some prices in affect were..... new house $3775.00, New car $920.00, Gasoline 15 cents a gallon..... 15 cents a gallon? I don't remember that, but I bought alot of 17 cents a gallon gas for my 46 Ford coupe that was painted 55 Dodge Regal Burgandy. No door handles, No hood,with chrome radiator hoses and engine. It also had Burgandy wheels with whitesidewalls which was a big thing back then. It took every dime I made to keep me in tires and gas because the Mustang rebuilt engine 100 horse flat head with a Strongberg Carb was a goer.

I had just turned 13 when my first center fire rifle was a Winchester Model 43 218 Bee. I still have it today. I remember like it was yesterday. When it came by UPS I was home and signed for it. I knew what it was but dared not to open it. I quick ran down to the shop where Dad was working and asked if I could open it. He said yes, I ran home again (8 blocks) I remember cause I counted them both ways. The 43 Sold for $66.00 back then and the Deluxe model sold for $72.00. The only difference was the deluxe model was checkered. After opening up and drooling for hours and seeing how things worked I could only think of how I was going to get rich shooting it. After all Jack rabbits were selling for 75 cents each and the bounty on Fox was $4.00. There were some sightings of fox around. Why I could make money and have fun. Shells were $5.75 for 50 rounds and my new Ideal 310 Tong tool would work just fine. 13 grains of 4198 would send it out around 2800 FPS and that was around factory ballistics.

When Dad came home that night I gulped down my supper and kept pestering him until we went out to the shop and removed the cosmoline and got it ready for tomorrow because it was Saturday and I was going hunting. Well, first thing dad took it out of the stock while I washed the bolt. He polished and honed the sears until it was a nice crisp trigger and I could just see the Jacks piling up. Well, my plans got changed big time. He then decided that he would make it a Deluxe model and checker it..... Checker it ?!!! But dad I don't need it checkered.....I want to go hunting tomorrow. Well, it wasn't until the next winter that I was able to go hunting with it. I can still see my dad sitting by the south bedroom window in the house where the light was the best with his magnifiers on checkering. When I did get to go hunting the following winter it was all sighted in and would print in a half inch hole all day long at 100 yards and supported a new J-4 Weaver scope. I shot many Jacks that winter.... somehow I never became as rich as I thought I would but did manage to keep components ahead anyway. I saw one fox that winter and shot him at about 175 yards running. You talk about proud. I carried him all the way home...about 4 miles from where we lived which was about 2 blocks from the Des Moines river and every Sat. I would strike out and walk anywhere from 1 to 5 miles.

That year Wayne Newton was born along with Muhammad Ali, Tammy Wynette. Johnny Cash was up and coming and some time later I would go to see him for the first time in Cedar Rapids Iowa. Casablanca was a big hit. How old am I ?? ...........well Jack Benny said it best... I am 39

Hunting Seasons and Christmas

Stan Ware — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 21:11:00 GMT

Looks like from here that the Hunting season and Christmas have now run into each other. Just 17 more days and Christmas will be here. Seems like only yesterday I was complaining how hot it was and heading for the NBRSA Nationals. From the looks of all the nice photos we are getting that most not only shoot competitively but also enjoy some pheasant and deer hunting mixed with some fishing and yote hunting. I must say the photos are great and keep em coming. If your like me and wait until the last day to get presents for everyone...... time is growing short.

Son Ryan did a Great job on the new software for the site and it went without any large hitches. We had a few problems but that was anticipated we tried to keep ahead of it. I say we.... well Ryan did most of the heavy lifting and he kept me busy doing the things that any village idiot could do to make sure I didn't make things worse than they were. Along those same lines we are looking for suggestions and things that you think you would like added. We do this every year , but most of the time no one says anything. Now is your chance. I have not seen much activity in the "For Sale" area. We are looking for answers and suggestions on this also. I for one am lax here..... I have a ton of stuff (Junk) that could be sold but just don't get time to put it up. I do know that what I did put up went right away. Lets hear you thoughts on this.

Another thing that comes to mind is the Political season. We are facing another Federal election. Those that live in Iowa are already experiencing it. If one should run across one of the many politicians be sure to ask about the second amendment, private ownership and your right to self protection. In the world of politically correctness most of them talk a great job but few ever back up or produce. Those of us that shoot competitively and those who hunt for sport and trap are "under the gun" so to speak.With all the shootings going on I am positive the next President is going to take a long hard look at things and if they are pro gun it sure can help. If they are Anti gun... well, look out. Your going to see some things you won't like. Just don't ever forget that Politicians are not as Honest as "All Star Wrestling" at least you know what to expect from the wrestling world.

In closing Ryan and myself wish each and everyone of you a Merry Christmas and Great new year. For its YOU and only you that make this site what it is. May everyone have a new s/s barrel under the tree along with a new aftermarket action. I put that tid bit in so if any wives read this they will know what to get you... surely it can't hurt.

SGR

News that caught my eye !!!

Stan Ware — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:51:00 GMT

Seems like no matter where you turn the"doo Gooders" are making some law that makes them feel good. I see California or hereafter called "The fruit & Nut bowl of the U.S" seems to think that if the makers of semi auto handguns use a "micro Stamp" imprinted on the casing when fired that all of their problems will go away . Well, I have news for them. It's not going to anytime soon. In fact, I would believe it won't do anything but make some trial lawyer richer faster. What don't these so called politicians get it ? Its a proven fact that most citizens who carry guns are responsible.

Next the lead ban in the Nut Bowl requires that by July 1, 2008 big game and coyote hunters within the range of the endangered Nut bowl Condor use non lead bullets. Of course the nut bowl experts think that it will increase sales because of the rush to get the upgraded bullets for specific calibers..... Hmm... Randy, I need some non lead boolets. Can you supply ? I personally think it will drive people away from the sport instead of enhance it. Why don't we jump like the shot gunners and go to steel only to find out that it ruins quality barrels and does not work well. Then and only then did we come up with Bismuth, and heavy lead etc. Seems to me we should have found a substitute that worked well and patterned well first. If I done one I did five thousand choke jobs or installed new tubes. I hope that in the rifle lead problem that we at least find a workable substitute before we jump. One thing for sure if we leave it up to the Pinhead politicians that we are doomed.

Your thoughts are welcome

Stan

U.S.Supreme Court to hear landmark 2nd Amendment case

Al Nyhus — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 02:15:00 GMT

The U.S. Supreme Court has granted certiorari in the much-discussed District of Columbia v. Heller case (Docket 04-7041), previously known as Parker vs. District of Columbia. This means the High Court WILL review the decision by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals striking down the D.C. statute banning residents from owning handguns. The Court of Appeals held that the District of Columbia’s anti-gun law violated the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. In reaching its decision, the Appellate Court found, as a matter of law, that the Second Amendment provides an individual right to keep and bear arms. This was a “breakthrough” finding. Other Circuit Courts of Appeal have held that the Second Amendment merely confers a “collective right” to keep and bear arms. In practical terms, this means that the Second Amendment applies to an organized militia (i.e. the National Guard), but not to individuals.

The High Court’s decision to hear D.C. v. Heller is historically significant. This will represent the first time the Supreme Court rules directly on the meaning of the Second Amendment since the U.S. v. Miller case in 1939. The decision in Miller was poorly reasoned and left many basic issues unresolved, including the key question “Does the Second Amendment confer an individual or collective right?”

The “collective right” interpretation of the Second Amendment is disfavored among legal scholars, despite what anti-gun advocacy groups claim. Many of the nation’s most respected law professors, including Lawrence Tribe of Harvard Law School, Akhil Reed Amar of Yale, William Van Alstyne of Duke, and Sanford Levinson of the Univ. of Texas, have strongly argued that the Second Amendment secures an individual right to keep and bear arms.

BACKGROUND
The mayor of Washington, D.C., Adrian M. Fenty, filed the appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, setting the stage for the High Court to rule. According to FBI statistics, Washington D.C., despite its gun ban, ranks as one of the most dangerous cities in the United States and maintains one of the highest per-capita murder rates in the country.

In March, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, in striking down the District’s gun ban, held in Parker, et al., v. District of Columbia that “The phrase ‘the right of the people’ . . . leads us to conclude that the right in question is individual.” This was the second time in recent history that a Federal Circuit Court upheld the view that the Second Amendment was an individual right. In 2001, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled in the case of U.S. v. Emerson that “All of the evidence indicates that the Second Amendment, like other parts of the
Bill of Rights, applies to and protects individual Americans.”

4 shot in hunting accidents in MN

Stan Ware — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:34:00 GMT

This year has been bad for hunter safety in Minnesota. So far we are looking at 4 shootings and one fatality. Not a good year for hunting to say the least. In looking at the reports of when and why there seems to be nothing out of the ordinary. Most were driving deer or posting when it happened and apparently got excited when seeing the large buck, which most of the time is the norm. Accidents are preventable in most cases and should be on your mind 100% of the time. Saying that is easy, but doing it is something else.

When I first started in the gunsmithing business it was on my mind alot. Liability insurance is not cheap and having 3 employees to watch I decided to make some rules and stick with them. One of them was NO live rounds in a gun in the shop for testing. Go outside to test fire no exceptions. Well, everything went well untill hunting season with all the repair and Warranty work we were working six and seven days a week..... well it turned out I was the one who broke the rule. I had just repaired a A-5 Browning and was testing the function. A easy way to do it is load it and work the barrel by hand.... well the customer was waiting patiently and in a hurry I grabbed live ammo and loaded it and for a brief second it entered my mind to go outside. I said to myself the gun has a safety sear and a interlock in it and what could possibly go wrong with it. Never happen. Well, as I was working it the second round went off and blew a nice 12 guage hole in the roof... yes, it was a slug. I looked up after I could hear and thru the hole in the roof was a beam of light shinning on me and it said, Stan you dummie, I let you by this time !!! After, I put in a new safety sear which is designed to catch the trigger sear in case it malfunctions. It had broken. Never ever does that happen....... but it did. I reflect on that happening a lot and think of how bad it could have been. Especially for someone who should know better. So, I got the scaffolding out and was up on the roof repairing it when Suz came home from work... I tried to fix it before she got home but didn't make it. So, my tail went between my legs again...... first she was mad and later just felt sorry for me. Eating crow is hard especially if its cold.

The Next time was when a customer bought in a Winchester M-94 in a old canvas gun case. Laid the gun on the counter in the case and started taking it out of the case and the front sight got stuck in a hole in the case.... as he was reaching in by hand to grab a hold of it by the lever I noticed the gun was pointed at me... I grabbed it and swung it out of my aim and said wait a minute here. Is the gun loaded ? He answered yes, thats why I came here I have a stuck case in the chamber. I proceeded to give him a good tongue lashing and after I cooled off I went outside to remove the case. With a quick jerk it came loose and yes it was a live round. I know he felt bad, but this is how things happen. Just one second later and the outcome could have been different.

The Point of this blog is to remind you that you can never be too safe. Being safe is YOUR Job and don't for a second drop your guard. Minnesota has a good hunter safety program and youngsters coming up must complete the course in order to get a license which is good. So, when going hunting, bench shooting or just plinking make sure its on you mind.

Have a great hunting season

Smith & Wesson Stock Drop

Ryan Ware — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 02:02:00 GMT

Wow! What a drop for Smith and Wesson Holding Company.

They attributed it to a warm fall, but I would have to believe there is more at work here than that. Looking at the one year graph it isn't like they were stuggling as far as price, so it's hard to believe that the investors we're fed up with lack of gains and bailed.