You might be a "gun nut" when...

you go through your collection and discover guns that you had completely forgot that you owned. Or worse yet, don't even remember purchasing in the first place...

WE WIN!

The Supreme Court came back today with their decision in the McDonald v. Chicago case, they came back in our favor. By "our" I mean the side of the U.S. Constitution, human freedom and common sense. Although I do have to wonder what kind of left wing nut jobs are on this court which came back with a 5-4 decision. This is a no-brainer, it should have be unanimous decision!

Livin' in the 70s - Star Wars

The following story originally appeared on my first website, jwilsonsworld, on 8/26/2006.

Star Wars: Movie event of a lifetime. I feel a little bit sorry for anyone not old enough to remember seeing Star Wars when it originally came out in 1977. The later Star Wars' films might have been bigger and certainly were more of a spectacle, but that is no substitute for the life altering effects that the original had on everything connected to movies, Star Wars would forever change what movies could be. George Lucas' masterpiece was like nothing that came before it, it was completely fresh and exciting to our young eyes and did not compare to anything else we had ever seen. The combination of its adventurous, entertaining fantasy story and ground breaking special effects created a film that compared to absolutely nothing that came to the theaters before it. After Star Wars the world of cinema would never be the same again; there were now only two types of movies, those that came before Star Wars and those that came after. Like a lot of other people I found in Star Wars a film that completely opened up my imagination and forever changed my expectations about movie making. Everything after Star Wars was compared to it and most came up short. Although released in May I actually didn't see the movie until the end of summer. Most of my friends had already seen it and were telling me how great it was, but because of the long lines, the silly title and all of the ensuing buildup I had put off seeing it and was most definitely prepared to be let down. I was sure that no movie could live up to all of the hype that this movie had created and I was positive that Star Wars could not compare well to the movie going experience that I had while seeing Jaws a couple of years earlier, nothing would ever top that. Boy was I wrong! After I walked out of that theater in August of 1977 neither me, movie making or the world would ever be the same again.

Gun product review - RB-17

After reading several good reviews of RB-17 gun cleaner on the gun forums I check in on I decided give the product a try myself. According to the company RB-17 "is a non-toxic, biodegradable gel made of natural products that contains no acids, phosphates or petroleum by-products. RB-17 Gun Cleaner completely dissolves (deep cleans) rust from all metal parts in seconds by removing the oxygen molecule from the process of oxidation. The breakdown of the oxides, i.e. lead, copper or iron, is done quickly and safely. RB-17 Gun Cleaner removes the rust off of your blued gun without harming the bluing. RB-17 Gun Cleaner will dissolve/remove lead, copper and brass build-up from the bore". Sounds like a miracle product doesn't it? Well it might be...

Let me say that I have used this cleaner a few times already and my initial impression is that the company's claims for their product are true. RB-17 is a gel, it can be applied to your gun and will actually stick to where ever you put it so very little is wasted. I purchased a 16 oz bottle and I expect I'll work from this same bottle for a very long while. As a cleaner it excels. I applied some to the inside of the barrels and chambers of my guns and left it there a short while; 6-10 minutes would probably do for everything but the most stubborn crud. After letting the RB-17 sit and work on the dirt for a brief time I found that my guns clean up quickly and easily. Fouling, powder residue and even powder burns come right off with almost no effort. It is safe to use on delicate finishes too, my Colt Python cleaned up fast and easy and it did not harm the fine polished blue finish. The company also states that it is great for cleaning up black powder guns and I have no doubt that it would. RB-17 is non-petroleum based and has a pleasant odor if those are issues for you. It is not a preservative though; you do need to apply a regular coating of your favorite gun oil after cleaning with RB-17. So far I am very happy with this product and the claims made by the manufacturer seem to be accurate. RB-17 appears to be as advertised...

Gone shooting - Revolver Day!

Was off from work this Monday, so what do you do when you find yourself with a little free time and no real plans? You go shooting of course! Today I decided to make it revolver day and took my "new" S&W model 342PD along with my Colt Python. Since I will probably be carrying the Smith & Wesson a lot during the summer months I wanted to get in some more practice time with it. I also brought the Python as I have only shot it once since buying it and I am still trying to get used to the trigger. Over the years I've only owned a few double action Colt revolvers, I'm mostly a S&W man. Needless to say both brands of revolvers operate differently and have their own "feel". More practice is definitely needed.
First up was the 342PD. Today I brought another box (20 rds) of self-defense +P hollowpoints and a 50 round box of standard pressure ammunition both of the same bullet weight (130 gr). I kept the ranges short, 21 and 30 feet (7 and 10 yards), to keep more in line with the typical use of this small pocket gun. My groups were tighter today than last time (even with the occasional flyer) and I am definitely starting to get better with this gun. All firing today was from a Weaver stance and I used both practiced slow, aimed fire and fast "defense" shooting. I am happy to say that every single shot was in the "A". I really like the red ramp front sight as it seems I am able to get back on target just a little bit faster (compared to a plain ramp sight). Since the 342PD is a light weight gun I also thought it would be much harder to practice with. So far I've had no problem hurting my hand or with fatigue. I believe that I could shoot standard pressure loads all day in the revolver and could probably fire +P loads in moderate amounts too without any of those issues.Next on the line - Colt Python! Today I was shooting at distances of 30 and 45 feet (10 and 15 yards) and like the 342PD fired in double action and using a Weaver stance. I only used .357 ammunition in the Python, that being Blazer, Remington and S&B brand ammo all of 158 grain weight. The first time I shot this Colt it was shooting a little to the left. This time I remembered to bring a small screwdriver with me but then went too far right, by the end of the day though I believe I had it correct. I had run out of ammo by then so I can't be 100% sure until next time. Like the S&W I am slowly getting used to the Colt's trigger. Groups were about 1-2 inches smaller than last time, averaging at 5 inches. Again, like the Smith, I was able to keep all of the shots today in the "A" zone of a standard USPSA/IPSC target although at 45 feet they were spread about as far as they could go and still be in the A.

Another great day shooting with two great revolvers!

Livin' in the 70s - The red soda wars

The following story originally appeared on my first website, jwilsonsworld, on 8/14/2006.

Tiger Red® vs. Big Red®: The red soda wars. Wow, as a kid I lived on this stuff, I don't think there was ever anything more satisfying than one of these served ice cold on a hot summer day. Of course there have been other red sodas on the market over the years, but here in my small corner of the world these were the two big players. Fortified with plenty of sugar, caffeine and artificial color both of these syrupy sweet, fire engine red concoctions would appeal to any red-blooded American kid and would have to be the best soda pops ever created. Both sodas had what has been variously described as a "bubble gum" or "candy" taste, or sometimes simply described as tasting "red". But whatever you wanted to call the taste they were wonderful anytime you could get them. Both were great, although as a boy my personal preference was definitely for Tiger Red, it had to my fading middle-aged memory, a more "bubble gummy" taste and cooler more kid-appealing packaging. Well we know who eventually won this war; Tiger Red went the way of the dodo, becoming only a small footnote in the history of soda pop. Its main competitor Big Red still survives to this day though, the packaging has changed over the years but it still has that great "red" taste. Although I rarely have soft drinks anymore I will on occasion indulge with a Big Red, still just as refreshing on a hot day as it ever was.

Registered Magnum Reading

If you have any interest in reading more about Smith & Wesson's pre-war .357 "Registered Magnum" listed below is what I would consider to be essential reading to learn more about this historic handgun. Probably a good starting place would be the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson (3rd Edition) by authors Jim Supica and Richard Nahas. It's easy to find, relatively inexpensive and has a good basic overview of the topic. The current issue of Handloader Magazine also has a good, basic article worth seeking out. If after that you are still interested in more reading and don't mind a little searching I would recommend the 1990 Guns & Ammo Handguns Annual as well as the two other books. The G&A annual is especially good reading but can be a little harder to find these days. If you're like me and still want to read even more on this interesting subject you can search out the other magazine articles listed.

Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson (3rd Edition) by Jim Supica and Richard Nahas








Smith & Wesson 1857-1945 by Robert J. Neal and Roy G. Jinks








History of Smith & Wesson by Roy G. Jinks









The American Rifleman - November 1935 Article: The Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum by Elmer Keith







The American Rifleman - December 1980 Article: America's Workhorse Revolvers by C.E. Harris







The American Rifleman - February 1986 Article: The Magnum Era by Pete Dickey








Guns & Ammo - Handguns 1990 Annual Article: The First Magnum by Roy Jinks








American Handgunner - January / February 2003 Article: Magic: S&W's Rare Registered Model by Charles E. Petty







Combat Handguns - August 2003 Article: S&W's Registered Magnum by Wiley Clapp








Handloader - June 2010 Article: S&W .357 Registered Magnum by Brian Pearce

Gratuitous gun photo time!

Being a former owner of a Mateba Auto Revolver, Macchine Termo Ballistica - Unica 6 for you nitpickers out there, I can say that the Italian made oddity may not have been very practical but it sure was a fun gun to shoot! I've heard the gun described as being the ugliest ever made and I won't try to argue. You either liked it looks or hated it, there didn't seem to be much room in between. I thought it kind of grew on you but I've been known to like some weird stuff so maybe that's just me. But there can be no denying that the Mateba was a pleasure to shoot and it made even the heaviest .357 loads feel like .38 Specials. I sold mine a while back to help finance a S&W Registered Magnum I really wanted. If I had unlimited funds I would have kept it but such is the life of a "gun nut" and given that I really wanted the RM more I can't say I regret it too much, although if I ever see another at a price I can live with I would probably pick it up...

Flag Day

Don't forget that today, June 14th, is FLAG DAY. Adopted as our flag by the Continental Congress on this day in 1777!

People with guns collection # 26

From my own personal collection!"Me and Sissy with our 22s. I was best shot that day! 4/67"

ME WANT!

Every gun owner needs one of these. Of course this is not a new invention, years ago we had this. Same objective, entirely different concepts on how to get there…

You've come a long way baby!

Saw this ad in an old magazine and couldn't help but post it. This is what the future of hand gunning looked like, circa 1978. I especially like the regular sights on top of the unit, nice touch. The first time I remember seeing laser sights was in the 1984 movie The Terminator. By the time Arnold asked the gun shop owner for "The .45 long slide, with laser sighting." six years had passed and laser sights were already getting better, but still had a long way to go. Now days the entire laser unit is small enough to fit inside the gun's guide rod or in a thin plastic grip and doesn't weigh much more than the grips that it replaces. Note that this unit still dwarfs the 6-Inch Colt Trooper .357 that it is mounted to. Not a small gun by anyone's definition! How would you like to carry this on your duty belt a full shift? Also notice that no price is mentioned in the ad. You probably wouldn't want to know what this behemoth cost, not even in 1978 dollars!

Livin' in the 70s - Kristy McNichol

The following story originally appeared on my first website, jwilsonsworld, on 8/7/2006.

Kristy McNichol: Ultimate 70s tomboy. I first really noticed Kristy McNichol in 1977. Of course I had already seen her before in numerous tv programs like Run Joe Run, Starsky and Hutch, The Bionic Woman as well as her appearances on the ABC network's After School Specials (which I watched religiously), but it wasn't until '77 that I really took note of her. 1977 was a great year for Kristy, not only was she starring in the critically acclaimed drama Family but she made over a dozen television appearances that year in various primetime and syndicated programs. With appearances that not only included two episodes of Celebrity Challenge of the Sexes, US Against the World, Battle of the Network Stars II and III, the Donny & Marie variety show, Circus of the Stars # 2, The Mike Douglas Show, The Carpenters At Christmas, two tours on The Love Boat as well as a very memorable performance in the short children's film The Pinballs I guess it would have been hard not to see her on television that year. Well I certainly saw her and thereafter made an effort to see her every chance I got. I had liked other girls on other shows before her but they were all "stars" and never seemed real, they all seemed to be beautiful dreams that only existed in the world of television. Kristy was different; she was a real person, she was the first girl that seemed like she could be someone that you might actually know in real life. She played sports and loved to compete, she also liked skateboarding, dirt bikes and go-karts just like one of the guys. But she wasn't one of the guys; she was a girl, a girl with big beautiful brown eyes and a bright smile, a smile that only seemed to be a small sampling of some brilliant glow that she carried inside her. And have no doubt that there was something very special inside her, it was quite obvious to anyone that was paying attention. Well I was most definitely paying attention and to my pre-adolescent mind she was the perfect girl, an ideal combination with just enough tomboyish charm to be appealing yet at the same time not too much of a "girl" to be threatening. The late 1970s were Kristy's; this was Kristy at her height. Television appearances, awards and accolades, movie deals and hit records would all come her way before the decade ended. She would become a superstar and she got it all just by being herself. Over the ensuing years her career had many ups and downs as she had her own personal demons to deal with. Finally this very talented lady's career came to an end with her self-imposed retirement in the late 1990s. Although it has been many years since Kristy has brightened our television screens, even all of these years later when I see one of her old shows I still can't help but be reminded of that pretty little tomboy with the inviting smile that first taught me that maybe, just maybe, girls might not be so bad after all.

Mrs. Tarina Qnsillano needs my help

This lady really needs my help. From reading my blog she could tell what an honest and trustworthy soul that I had, perhaps the only person in this entire world that she could trust her 21.5 million with...

"Hello My Dear Friend,

Please I got your contact Details from this site:blogger.com; Pleasures to write you after viewing your profile communication with you Little about me.I love sport, swimming,reading and singing.My favorite colour is blue and green.I love sea food, pizza, Chinese food, Arab food, Italian food ,spaghetti, America and other. I love plenty of salad too.Before I proceed further, please permit me to introduction myself to you. I am Mrs. Tarina Qnsillano. A complete citizen of Philippines, 42 years old living in the Philippines, widow to the late former minister of finance in Philippine who died on 21th of August 2006.

I inherited a total sum of $21.5 Million American dollars from my late husband, the money was concealed in a metallic trunk box and was deposited with a security and finance company in Abidjan Cote D' Ivoire, that was because I needed a maximum security/safety of my consignment and no body nor government organization can trace the where about of the money until I am ready and prepare to claim it. but the Secuerity company didn't know the real content of the box, because it was deposited as a family valuables.

My main purpose of sending you this mail is because of the way I found you and perhaps trustworthy to give you this priority of shipping the box of money to any address that you think is very secure and save in your country for onward lodgement your account for the purpose of future investment with your percentage of which we shall chat on soon. I will send you the Authorization Certificate to call them in my next mail which is the Certificate of deposit that they gave me on the very day when the box of money was deposited under their company. I give thanks immensely for your co-operation as I look forward to hear from you for quick conclusion of this business.

The percentage will be your reward for all your moral and financial assistance during the period of moving the money to your country.Please if you can assist me I will be very grateful. And repay you many times over,declaring your willingness to assist me in this venture. Waiting for a very quick response from you so that i can send you my photo to you to see me in my next reply as soon as i hear from you again. Have a nice time and remain blessed

Best Regards,

Mrs. Tarina Qnsillano,"

Just one of the many perils of posting your email address on the world wide web...

Random Gun Ramblings

Well, here we are thru the first week of June and I haven't posted a thing. Sometimes it's like that, I might post every day for a while and then all a sudden have nothing I want to post about for days or weeks...

I did have a few minor things to blog about so I thought to put them here all in one.

First, I spent a few hours last week trying to rearrange my gun safe. I have a smaller Browning model and after some effort on my part I finally came to the conclusion that I need to either A) buy a bigger safe, or B) sell some guns. I have absolutely no room for any more long guns that is definite. I have a rifle that I don't have the room for now, an Lee-Enfield Mk III that has been left out in the cold. With some effort I probably could squeeze a few more handguns in there but that would be it. Besides guns my safe also has other valuables (coins, cameras, knives etc.) and I have also put my semi-auto magazines in there too. I have the mags stacked in cheap plastic fishing lure boxes and I might have to take them back out, although I would prefer to keep them in there if I could, some of those mags are quite valuable. Something is going to have to give or this safe is going to pop...

I also read on several forums and blogs last week that wallyworld® was no longer limiting the amount of ammunition you could buy at one time. The limit used to be six boxes per customer. I went down to my local store a couple of days ago and yes the rumor is true. All that I can say to that is Hallelujah! Does this mean that the ammo shortage has officially ended? To be honest this rule never affected me very much as I usually bought 2-3 boxes of ammo at a time. I can only think of two occasions since this went into effect that I wanted to buy more than I could. But it is nice that it is no more… And yes I did buy some ammo (9X19) while I was there.

Have been carrying my S&W M342PD for a week now and I must say that I am very happy with this little lightweight revolver, should've got one sooner. This is a great little gun for the humid summer months. So far I have been carrying it in my Kramer pocket holster, the same one that I have owned since 1997 and have used with my Bodyguard all these years. This little J frame, holster and five rounds of hollowpoints don't feel any heavier than my wallet, maybe even lighter. Also, to try something new I purchased a DeSantis Nemesis pocket holster but I haven't had time to really evaluate it yet...

And finally, I went to the surplus store and bought some more ammo cans in the .50 cal size in an attempt to organize all of my ammunition. I now have a total of 13 cans, most of which are filled to the top with various calibers. I'm not done yet though, I will need at least 2-4 more before this project is over...