In Memory

Before we get on with our cookouts, our super retail sale events, our war movie marathons, our auto races, our ball games, let us stop, if only for a moment, and remember what this day is really about. It's about our fellow countrymen who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this nation. Those that have given all, all that they had or will ever have. Given it for this country and the cause of freedom here and around the world. Don't ever forget that. Please don't ever forget that...

Goodbye Mr. Hopper

A truly great artist has left us. An artist with just too many wonderful performances to list them all. I would say though that my personal favorite is from Apocalypse Now. Thank you Sir, thanks for your contribution...

Gone shooting - S&W 342PD

Went shooting this morning, the only gun that I took was my "new" S&W model 342PD. I want to start carrying this right away so I decided to run some rounds thru it and see how it did.

First of all performance was flawless. I fired exactly 80 rounds in the gun (50 standard - 30 +P) without a malfunction; it was also a real pleasure to shoot. I've never owned a lightweight J frame and assumed the recoil would be much worse than my steel frame models. It was worse but nothing that I really found bothersome. Maybe next time if I do a lot more shooting with +P ammo.

I started off at 10 yards (30ft) using standard pressure 130 grain ammunition. I just wanted to take it slow and get a feel for the gun. This 342PD has a great trigger right from the factory. I also really like the red ramp front sight. The front sight definitely helped me get the little powerhouse on target and to keep getting back on target for follow up shots. Firing at a moderate pace I was able to keep most (about 85%) on my shots in the "A" with more than a few touching, but I did have several shots drift into the edge of the "C" zone.

Next I closed in to the more appropriate "belly gun" range of 7 yards (21ft). This time I wanted more "real life" practice and used my hollowpoint +P ammo. I also tried to fire as fast as I could get back on target. I brought one of the 20 round boxes of Federal ammunition that I got yesterday and half a box that I had of Speer Gold Dot +P ammo. I did about the same with both types of ammunition; the picture below is of the Federal but is representative of both. That's 10 rounds rapid fire (looks like 8) with a spread of 5 inches. All hits were in the "A".

Had a great morning shooting with this impressive little J frame and can't wait to get it out again!

Ouch!

Early this morning went down to my local gun purveyor to buy some more self-defense ammunition. Recently I've shot up a lot while practicing, especially with my USP .45 pistol, and I wanted to restore some of my inventory. I also wanted to buy some to try out in my new S&W 342PD. They had plenty of brands including my favorite, Federal Hydra-Shok. I bought a 50 round box of 230 grain .45 ACP for my USP and 2 - 20 round boxes of .38 Special +P (129 gr) for the 342PD. Gave the clerk a hundred dollar bill and with tax got back .85 cents in change. That hurts!

Went and done it

Finally broke down and bought some factory 12 round magazines for my HK USP 45. I purchased the gun late last year and it took me some time to decide that it was a "keeper". High cost of accessories being one of the issues that caused me apprehension. Since I first got the gun I have been looking for good deals on factory mags. Looking around, the best price I could find for new ones was around $50. Over the last few months I also narrowly missed a couple of opportunities to buy some lightly used magazines on gun forums I visit, but I kept looking. A couple weeks ago I checked in again at CDNN and found that they had new 12 round factory issue magazines for $44.99. Not much of a "bargain", but the cheapest I've seen (for new) since I've been looking. I went ahead and bought four, and with the one that came with it that makes five. That's enough. I won't be buying anymore new magazines for this pistol. If I find some good deals on used ones I'll pick them up, otherwise I'm thru. CDNN was running some of their internet specials that helped sweeten the deal and that was part of the reason I went ahead and bought the magazines now. I bought the four mags, they threw in two nylon mag pouches (one for each pair of mags), a cheap but serviceable folding knife, and gave me free shipping on my order to boot. As I said that was enough of an incentive to go ahead and buy them now. I certainly didn't think I was going to find new mags much cheaper than that no matter how long I looked.

For now I have decided to make the HK my "house" gun (along with a Remington 870 Police model I have). I don't know if I am going to carry concealed with it yet but I probably will. If I can carry a S&W N frame I can carry anything, and 13 rounds of .45 ACP hollowpoints makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But that's a moot point for now; first I will have to find (or probably special order) a holster for it. I'm partial to Milt Sparks myself, but even if I ordered one right now I wouldn't get it to the end of the year...