Comments for Castle Acclimatization Briefing

Castle Acclimatization Briefing

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 07:24:10 -0600

Nope, the Goracle is not involved.Since we've got some new readers (and a chatterbox commenter in the form of Josh) there can be times when the noobs are confused by tossed-off references by long-time readers.This post will be a little Daily Double. Yesterday Barb mentioned a penchant for something other than rings and x's in her target choice: Josh - I'm rather fond of shootng at Barney, personally - as I'm sure that John and BillT will be happy to tell you :-) I'm going to save myself 1000 words here.The is the Basement I was talking about last week, Josh.And,...

Comment from KCSteve on 2008-12-24

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 11:40:58 -0600

John,

I was actually trying to make the point that your collection, while a wonderful thing, isn't really all that unusual, at least here in 'flyover country'. While we know that some of your readers from further away probably don't.

And I'm not a Glock fan myself - ergonomics are bad for me as well. When I bring one up it's pointing a good 10 degrees lower than I want it to. I'm also not fond of the cleaning regimine because it allows you to do a stupid thing. To take down a Glock you have to pull the trigger - not a problem, same thing on lots of guns. But on the Glock you first must move the slide back approximately 1/8" - and no more. This means that if you've been really careless / stupid you could have a live round in the chamber. Proper procedure means you never will but dozens of 'accidental discharges' every year say otherwise.

Me, I like my XD's - better ergonomics (for me) than the Glock and on them you have to lock the slide all the way back before pulling the trigger as part of the takedown so it's much harder to be stupid.

Of course the ever-indulgent wife loves her little G26 (9mm 'baby' Glock) so I still have to clean a Glock. Which I do carefully, just like with any of our other toys.

El,
As the others have noted, when you're talking different types of firearms it's not an either / or situation. To put it in what might be more familiar terms, sub-compact car <> pickup truck <> tractor trailer.

I'll also tag on to the suggestion to try out different pistols before buying - you can tell if a gun's really wrong for you just by handling it at the store but without firing it you can't tell if it's right or not. And one suggestion for when you do go shooting - double-plug. Wear ear plugs with ear muffs over them. This will greatly reduce the noise of the shot which will reduce the percieved recoil. That way you pay more attention to the actual recoil and don't wind up rejecting a really nice, soft-shooting pistol just because it's noisy.

For a home defense shotgun check out the Mossberg 'Just In Time' kits. It's a nice 12-ga shotgun with a 'cruiser' or pistol stock along with some accessories in a storage tube. They have a 'Marine' version with a stainless steel gun and a 'regular' version. The Marine one includes a multi-tool and the regular one has a small survival kit. For either one you'll find it much more comfortable to shoot if you swap the regular pistol grip to a "bird's head" grip. The regular grip cocentrates the recoil into the web of your hand, right at the base of the thumb. Not real pleasant. The bird's head grip transfers all the recoil back into your whole hand / arm and feels much nicer.

Comment from I'd rather not say on 2008-12-24

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:16:42 -0600

For the Barney Haters
http://www.missdynamite.com/comics/spgm/index.php?spgmGal=ep.%20one&spgmPic=3&spgmFilters=#pic
http://www.missdynamite.com/comics/spgm/index.php?spgmGal=ep.%20one&spgmPic=4&spgmFilters=#pic

Warning: Artist is definitly not conservative in his portray of violence or sexuality, also his portrayal of US forces might cause issue. So consider yourself warned. If you do insist on exploring be aware that his art improves considerably, be also aware that works not featured on his site by him go from "innuendo and nudity who cares" to straight drawn porn.

Comment from Jon The Mechanic on 2008-12-24

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 05:00:44 -0600

John (Not the armorer type),
Thanks for reminding me that I have some pictures to send to John The Armorer from Colonial Williamsburg and Yorktown from my vacation this year with she who expects to be obeyed.

Comment from Josh on 2008-12-24

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 04:22:48 -0600

SangerM...such a subculture does indeed exist...

http://www.jihad.net/

And I think you've got an excellent idea. I'd be a customer! I think you should add Scooby Doo to your product line.

Comment from SangerM on 2008-12-24

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 01:46:36 -0600

LoL! Barney. I imagine there's an entire subculture of Americans who hate that overgrown stinking purple rat! I even have a pretty cool audio wav file that sort of sums it all up... I'll have to look for it and post it somewhere (it starts with barny-call and ends with lots of explosions).

Of course, before him it was big-bird, and I'd imagine the old Howdy-Doody probably took one to the noggin at some point. There's just something really gratifying about killing toys and annoying TV characters... Hmmm, this sounds like the egg of a marketing idea: An entire line of targets and such designed just for baby-boomer hobby-shooters: Barney, Big Bird, Batman (from the 60s TV show), Wesley Crusher, Tweety Bird (really), Dr. Zachary Smith AND Will Robinson, the Taco Bell dog, Pee Wee Herman, and my all-time-favorite-wanna-see-done-in-hundreds of ways: Poppin'Fresh! I hate that little doughslug more than any other fantasy creature--even more than the alka-seltzer kid and the coppertone-tan-dog.

Hmmm, I think I'd better stop before I get the nut-job chasers on my trail...

Comment from Barb on 2008-12-24

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 00:56:08 -0600

Josh - no kids, just a desire to rid the world of Barneys :-)

There is a particular corporate Barney aversion among my friends in the Redmond area, especially those who had to do tech support for the Actimate Barney doll. Some of the dolls apparently made fine target practice.

Comment from Stan in Minnesota on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:50:58 -0600

For the final match at the pistol league I was president of I duct taped plush Barneys to the popper targets and we blasted them. The trap shooters heard us laughing and came up, one offered $10 to shoot a full mag through my .45 at them. A good time was had by all.

Comment from Josh on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:49:13 -0600

Oh jeez, I'm famous now, WTF?

I can't remember if I've seen that particular basement armoury before, but it's a thing of beauty. You have any Gewehr 43s in there you might be willing to part with?

Ah, Barney the purple dinosaur...Barb must have CHILDREN, yes? I happen to have a sister, myself, and I remember when she would watch Barney videotapes.

Well, just one videotape.

4 or 5 times a day.

So I've had similar urges. Mine centered more around the potential flammability of such a large, fuzzy thing...hey John, you have any flamethrowers in that basement there?

(Oh and you certainly didn't scare my off...I like this site, and yes I comment a lot, but I've got flying to do, friends and family to eat out of house and home, and trips to go on...Palm Beach International Raceway January 10-11, hooray!)

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:32:37 -0600

See? Fishmugger's got his priorities straight.

Comment from Fishmugger on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:09:27 -0600

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous.

The thing about shotguns though, is that you need to balance the load to the quarry. El's ammunition would also need to be in line with use. A nice 20 gauge over and under with skeet loads for plinking hippies; you don't want to kill'm, just piss im off. You got bear in the garage with your wife yelling about the garbage, you could use a 12 gauge pump with slug barrel and the plug out for 5 rounds. For taking the tires off a biker's bike that keeps coming around to date your daughter, a nice goose gun 30 in barrel pump with steel #4.

This could take some thought. I may have to go down to Effinger's tomorrow to talk to Phil the gunsmith and touch guns and see.

Peace on Earth, good will toward men...and women too.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:57:04 -0600

Oh, I've had the pilum for a while, Jim, but I don't exactly remember. Got 'em while I still lived in the Old Castle.

Comment from JamesLee on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:37:58 -0600

I like the basement better than the armory on the ship. On the other hand, nearly everything on the ship worked, usually....

Comment from JimC on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:20:06 -0600

When did you get the pilum? I don't think you had when last I was in your basement -- long ago I admit.

Comment from ry on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:45:39 -0600

Heh. Yeah. Shooting off the porch was fun. Though I think I'll have to help you set up something a bit longer than a 10m range at some point.;)

He isn't kidding about the ap mine collection either. I still remember the mini-lecture, for the most part, not verbatim or anything.

Though I still think I might want to try shooting lefty if I ever get another chance to play with The Arsenal again. Less trig to do in my head with the sights because of the left eye dominance thing, and I'm quasi-ambidextrous.

ANd based on bruising induced I'd say my fave was the SKS followed by the flintlock conversions---they're long and give me the oppurtunity to actually use the sights instead of trig guesswork.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:17:49 -0600

Dear El,

Abbey thinks it's a false choice. You want *both* a shotgun and a handgun. Not to mention a nice selection of rifles and carbines. Mortars, rocket launchers and RPGs are also nice, but certainly not all situations lend themselves to those choices.

Abbey sez, "Whenever possible, beg, borrow, or rent a range of handguns in several calibers and try 'em all out, to see which one fits your hands, your eyes, and your needs best." It doesn't matter how powerful the the handgun, or how well recommended the weapon is if *you* can't hit your target reliably and consistently.

Abbey's fave, the Polish Vis35 for example, is not a choice for everyone - but for Abbey, it shoots just fine, even at 50 feet. By contrast, Abbey absolutely *hates* Glocks. Ick ick ick. They just don't fit our hand comfortably, and consequently, we don't shoot that well with them. But we also admit a preference for older iron, such as this Inglis Chinese Contract Hi-Power over those young whippersnappers. But other people lurve Glocks and other more contemporary iron, including Barb, BCR, and KCSteve, so you should certainly give the youngsters a fair shake.

As for shotguns - Abbey wants to know your intended usage. Home defense? Birds? Deer? Hippies? It all *matters* when choosing a shotgun.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:51:08 -0600

You're welcome, Pogue. And Fishmugger and others from yesterday, too.

Hope we didn't scare Josh off, though. He's been awfully quiet...

Of course, he might actually be working or something.

Comment from Pogue on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:30:19 -0600

A little off topic, perhaps, but I just wanted to thank you for the Castle and all of the information, humor, tears, and denizens that come along with it. Have a wonderful and safe Christmas John and family! Same to Bill, Dusty and all the other contributors and commenters.

Comment from Boquisucio on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:46:22 -0600

I dunno "El Capitán". Abbey seems a bit Lib to me. If I were you, I'd plead my case to SANTA instead.

Comment from Barb on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:43:07 -0600

A postal shoot would be fun, for sure. But having had the chance to visit the Castle in person (was that as a drib or a drab?), I definitely would love to get the gang together :-)

John's collection is not just about the quantity (and why would #82 need to worry about size, ennywho). I love the stories that accompany the pieces, and the loving attention to detail.

Comment from El Capitan on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:39:14 -0600

Dear Abbey,

I just applied for my purchase permit to buy my first firearm. I'm still undecided between a Remington 870 Super-Mag, or the H&K USP .40. As you can tell, I haven't decided between a shot gun and hand gun yet. Regarding the hand gun, what do you recommend? The priority is safety, which is why I really like the safety set up on the H&K. Glocks have no safety, so they're not an option. Do you know anything about the Beretta PX4? That's a close second, but I haven't fired it yet.

So, if you had a choice would you rather own a shot gun or a hand gun for your first weapon? And if you chose a hand gun, which would you own first?

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:33:27 -0600

Steve - I never claimed to have the largest selection in town.

Merely the most eclectic.

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:30:25 -0600

Yeah, I just shot his heart out. HL's hardware is a sweet-shooting piece of iron.

Barb - I just have to get you all to show up together, instead of in dribs and drabs.

Though I suppose we could organize a postal shoot...

Comment from Barb on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:20:58 -0600

And I believe I put most of those holes in Barney's unmentionables using the 9mm AR assembled by Heartless Libertarian :-) It was much fun ... We need another Castle Shootout!

Frank - you nailed it in one :-)

Comment from KCSteve on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:44:55 -0600

Truth to tell John, you may have fewer operational firearms than some of your neighbors - especially if you go beyond your immediate neighborhood and include the general area. Considering your supply of bolt-action rifles I'm sure you have more working toys than I do, but I've got a friend near Smithville...

Speaking of such things, there's another Christmas party come up Jan 3rd in St. Joe if you and Beth would care to join us. Same deal as last time - lots of socializing, snacking, showing off new goodies and, of course, shooting.

Comment from fdcol63 on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:43:35 -0600

Geez, I thought I detested Barney! Looks like someone didn't want any little Barneys "popping up" .... if you know what I mean! LOL

Comment from John (not the armorer) on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:42:19 -0600

Thanks for the tour!

My wife spends way too much ime watching silly shows on Home & Garden TV. If she wants decorating ideas, all she has to do is visit The Castle

The Governor's Palace at Colonial Williamsburg is another model home full of decorating tips.

I suspect other spouse could also benefit from these beautiful examples of happy homes.

Alas, they won't listen.

Comment from Fishmugger on 2008-12-23

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:39:47 -0600

Whoa...this is better then the Sears Wish Book when I was a kid and the Daisy didn't come with a bayonet.