Jan 1. 2008 had me posting this
It's going to be a shitty year. The Mrs. has decreed that I shan't be buying any firearms this year since I bought 3 last year. It's going to be hard to figure out how to get around that one.
It's going to be a shitty year.
The Mrs. has decreed that I shan't be buying any firearms this year since I bought 3 last year. It's going to be hard to figure out how to get around that one.
Today, gun #3 arrived at my doorstep. I have to admit, this ain't a bad haul for having the above declaration hanging over my head.
Click to embiggen
From bottom to top, that's the Gun Blog .45 from Para USA, the EBR in 6.8 Rem SPC, and on top my newest addition, a Gamo 220 air rifle courtesy of Say Uncle in trade for his redesign (yes, folks, I can be bought cheaply).
The first one I bought was the EBR. I realized fairly quickly that it was going to be either Hillary or Obama running for the Dems, neither of which were going to be good for gun rights. I considered that to be an emergency purchase. It has every thing the anti-gun politician despises - black, a pistol grip, collapsible stock, flash suppression, and worst of all, a barrel shroud. Luckily my wife understood why I felt it important to buy one this year rather than wait. It's looking now like I made the right decision. McCain is much better on the 2nd Amendment than Obama, but McCain is hard to stomach for conservatives, and they might not show up for him. Luckily for me, I managed to snag some other web work to pay for her, but the Mrs. still ain't too thrilled about it.
The next purchase was the Gun Blog .45 from Para USA. Basically, it's a souped up version of the TAC-S. With the Crimson Trace grips, you're looking at a $1200+ firearm. I got it for so much less than that that I absolutely could not stand to pass up the offer. Kari was even less thrilled about this one than the EBR and has read me the riot act over it, but even she realized that I got it for a steal and that it makes a great competition gun.
Finally, the Gamo 220 Air Rifle - AKA The Squirrel Destroyer 3000. It chucks a .17 caliber pellet over 1000 fps. Say Uncle had approached me at Blackwater about buying it, but when I decided to get the pistol, there just wasn't any way I could swing it. Later, I remembered he wanted a redesign, so we bartered. The Mrs. seemed ok with that arrangement.
This rifle is going to be a great training aid for the girls. What better way to get them accustomed to shooting with all the safety that goes along with it than with a pellet gun? We can plink all day long in the backyard for the cost of 6 pack of soda in ammo and then shoot the cans. The dead squirrels? Bonus!
I've already taken it out and while Uncle has informed me that 1/4" plywood won't stop the pellets (apparently from experience), I have a nice, gnarly old tree that let me plink of 10 shots or so without too much complaining.
I thought I was missing, but it turned out I was hitting the can each time, it just went straight through it (yes, I was aiming lower on the can). The trigger is stiffer than I'm used to and it was interesting to catch myself flinching over a silly air gun. However, I was able to nail the can with pretty good accuracy. The scope is decent for the backyard, although I may take it off to get the girls more used to iron sights, just for the basics.
Georgia seemed interested in it although she wasn't in the mood for learning the 4 rules. So, no air rifle until she can at least recite those by memory, and from there we can work on the reasoning behind each of them.
The only thing left on my shopping list is a BUG / Mouse-gun. Something I can toss in my pocket if I'm going to be out wearing something that doesn't facilitate easy concealment. But I'm in NO hurry for that. In fact, outside of the EBR, I really didn't plan on any more guns this year. Luckily, I have a wife that tires easily of my incessant whining understands my needs as a firearms activist.
This year may end on 100% SUCK, but at least I'm now pretty confident that if my house were raided, it'd show up on the news as "Crazy Guy With Arsenal".