Friday Funny

Joshua addendum

For those interested my novel Joshua is now available on Nook.

Also there were some minor glitches in the Kindle version (mostly words in bold for some reason) that didn't show up until after I proofed it the first time. My apologies to those few that purchased a copy before the issue was discovered. If you bought my book on Kindle and it had problems please email me at the address in the side bar.

People with guns collection # 47

"RIOTS CHICAGO - APRIL - 1968 - Private policeman standing behind gate in front of a store he was hired to protect. He said he stood guard all night with his .38 cal. pistol in hand and chased away several attempts by people to loot store."

This photo brings up an interesting question, one that certainly doesn't have any easy answer. I believe that an overwhelming majority of my fellow citizens would agree that you have the right to defend your life with deadly force. But do you have any such right when defending your property? Please note I'm speaking here of ethics, not the law, which would vary greatly depending where you live. Do you have a right to defend your property? Always. Never. Maybe, depending on the circumstances. This is where the lines get blurry. I suspect that if you asked ten different people, even ten different gun owners, you would get as many varied answers. It's a tough question that many people don't even want to consider. I've thought about it and I don't really have a definitive answer myself. I'm sure many would say no, never, under any circumstances. You don't have any right to kill someone over "stuff." I would imagine that most people wouldn't shoot someone trying to steal their TV or car. But what about someone trying to burn down your house? Could you watch and do nothing as somebody destroyed everything that you spent a lifetime working for? Could you stand by while you were made penniless and homeless? Like I said, there are no easy answers here. I only bring it up because I believe it's a question that every American needs to ask themselves. It's better to think about it now, when you can do it calmly and rationally, rather than later when you might not have that luxury.

Friday Funny

Gone Shooting - Finally

I finally went shooting yesterday. I didn't go much in 2011 and haven't gone at all in the last six months. I really had to get some practice in. I have several handguns and long guns that I need to shoot but I only took two with me, my "new" 9mm and my .45 Colt Commander. I was pretty rusty so I kept it simple, all shooting yesterday was from seven yards and using a Weaver stance.

First up was my BAG day gun. One word fits for the session - FAIL! I brought 100 rounds of Remington 115gr round nose to practice with but became so frustrated quit after only 50. The pistol had one failure to extract with the first magazine and got progressively worse from there. By the end it was failing to extract the case about every other time. I field stripped and lubed the gun when I bought it but didn't break it down completely. I will now. I'm hoping a thorough cleaning will cure the problem. But it wasn't all bad news. The 9mm does have a very good trigger for a service type pistol, just a little bit of take up and it breaks cleanly at five pounds. I was easily hitting in the A zone. As I tried to speed up my shots it started creeping upwards into the C though. If I can cure the extraction problem this one will be a keeper.

The next pistol up was my Colt Commander. I'm thinking about carrying this one and I needed to test it with self-defense ammunition. I brought along 100 rounds of Federal hollow points that it ate up (nearly) effortlessly. It did have one failure to go fully into battery. The gun did the same thing last time I shot it and with the same magazine too. I'm thinking it is the problem. It's my favorite mag for 1911 pistols, the Wilson 47D. I've used them for many years without an issue. Maybe I finally wore one out. The pistol performed flawlessly with a stock seven round Colt mag and another Wilson I had with me. I will test it again before actually carrying it though. I had the exact opposite problem with the Colt than with the Danshway. The faster I shot the lower I would hit. But every single one was in the A zone so I'm not complaining.

Despite the problems with the 9mm I had a good time. Any day shooting is a good day.

Happy BAG Day!

Well another BUY A GUN day is upon us. I showed you my purchase a little early. How about you, did you buy something? I know not everyone could participate this year but if you did I would love to hear about it.

Pawnshop rescue

I wasn't planning on buying many guns this year. There are two I want for sure, I inherited more, now I go and buy another. At least this one is just in time for BAG day.

Recently saw this one for sale, I always wanted a Beretta 1951/951 (Brigadier) and thought I finally found one. A closer look had me thinking it was an Egyptian made Helwan, but it wasn't. Helwans flooded the US market for many years and I've handled a lot of them. Nearly bought one several times. Turns out this pistol is neither, it's a Danshway, the predecessor of the Helwan. My friend the internet tells me that the Danshway was a Beretta copy made for the United Arab Republic. It has Arabic roll marks, including the serial numbers that are matching on the slide, frame and barrel. There is also an alphanumeric import mark (Navy Arms) and serial number that was added to the receiver too. I can say that this pistol is definitely better made than those Helwans I looked at in the 1990s, both in materials and workmanship. The Danshway seems almost Beretta in quality and I wonder what their role (if any) was in its production.

I wasn't specifically looking for this but ever since reading a post by Carteach0 last year I've kept an eye out for inexpensive guns. This post by Tam now has me looking for another reason altogether. The shop wanted $225, not outrageous and probably a fair price. But I wasn't interested in fair only in cheap. The pistol didn't have any obvious problems so I thought I might take a chance. Finally I offered $175 expecting that it would be refused, or at least countered, but he immediately took it! Lesson - don't make an offer on a gun unless you're really sure you want it. As for this pistol, it's mine now. If I can get it to function reliably with ball ammo I will consider this little experiment a success and tuck it away in the corner of my safe for the future.

Joshua - On Sale Now!

It's been a long time coming but after numerous delays my novel Joshua is finally ready. For those expecting complementary copies you should receive them in just a few days! If you followed along with my first draft please note some story changes have been made, nothing major, but you probably want to start over from the beginning.

On my Joshua website I have posted the first five chapters of the book. If you like what you read I hope you will buy a copy. It is available in paperback and also on Kindle.

When I started this in July of 2010 it was just an interesting experiment. I had been writing (websites and blogs) for years but always wanted to try my hand at fiction. I had an idea that I thought would make a good story but never got around to putting it down. Finally I decided to just do it and with a few chapters completed knew I had to show it to others. I couldn't keep it to myself. Fortunately for my ego the large majority of responses were favorable. You early readers really encouraged me to finish it!

I've had a lot of fun working on this book and learned a great deal about writing and myself too. I finished a project I wasn't sure I could and (hopefully) created something that others might enjoy. That's all I really wanted, to do what I loved and at the same time entertain readers with my words. I hope that I did.

Now if you'll excuse me I have to get to work on my second novel!

Friday Funny