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.