Category: Tacticool

December 16, 2021 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

December 16, 2021 /

One of the few things I don’t mind too much is Christmas shopping for the sportsman on the list. I did a lot of looking around last weekend not because I needed to but because I wanted to. I thought that I would give a summary of my observations today.  Between the run on firearms and ammunition to the supply chain issues I got a general sense of how things are fairing.

I wrote about the gun show earlier this week.  This particular one happens twice a year and happens to be my geographically closest, perennial show.  It also happens to be regarded as one of the best in the state, so I usually make a point to go even though I never buy anything.

The truth was I was looking for a few items.  I was looking for shotgun slugs for my next range trip. I am waiting for some on order but I also wanted a different style as well.  The way things are going these days between availability and quantity limits, it is very difficult to find all of what you want in one transaction.    I was also looking for reloading components, specifically powder.  

Here is what I saw

  • Firearms – Some of the same players were there.  The Old West Colt dealer was there.  He had his $3000 Peacemakers and his selection looked as healthy as ever.  The big, show dealers were absent.  Typically, these are regional dealers that take 3-6 tables and have that many new firearms.  The single table, 7-8 hunting rifles for sale seemed to also be missing.  The side racks usually hold the ‘value’ purchases.  Most of what I saw there were surplus bolt actions, the Mosin-Nagants, Mousers, 1903 Springfields and the prices weren’t bad.  Overall, I would estimate 50% less firearms than normal.
  • Ammunition- Typically there are several vendors that are selling ammunition only.  Sometimes they are reloads, sometimes they are just a selection of factory new.  There were no vendors of this description.  Ammunition in general was pretty scarce.  What was there was no deal, I would say above even market rate which is probably why it was still available.  Components faired worse.  I saw almost no powder, or bullets or primers.  I saw 1000 primers for $144.  That is 4x what I paid two years ago.
  • Knick-Knacks – I wouldn’t say that there any more dealers there than normal.  I would describe the most prevalent tables as dealers that had 5-20 firearms and 75% of the table space was other sporting goods.  I would describe it as a sort of a flea market or bizarre of related goods.  It is kind of fun to see once in a while but largely more of a time waster.  There was one dealer that had several tables of cheap knives, that was new.  There were several dealers of knives only which is unusual.

Because I failed at finding slugs at the gun show, I checked several other places.  Sportsman’s Warehouse had no slugs and no reloading components other than bullets (which selection does seem to be improving slightly). It seems like 9mm is available now, albeit the price is three times what it was and you are limited to two boxes per purchase.  As I said before, I don’t own a 9mm but it is the bellwether being probably the most common and cheapest centerfire caliber.  They even had some 22LR, the price was $50 for a 500 bulk pack which I last bought for $15 two years ago.

I next checked a regional chain called Coastal Farm and they did have slugs with a limit of two boxes.  A box is five slugs and I want five boxes (25) for my sight in test and to have a box or two in reserve.  This chain has several stores in our region so I went to another nearby town.  They also had slugs, but they restricted me to one box.  So, technically I have enough to do my test and that is it.  I suppose the good news is that I paid $8 a box which seems to be the best price I have seen.

In between the two, I went to a local pawn shop that I have had good luck.  They did have a couple boxes of slugs for $10 a box.  I wish I would have bought them based on how the rest of the day went.  They were busy with other transactions and no one was behind the gun counter, so I left. 

I will say it again, but when checking ballistics, having one lot (and brand) of ammunition is important for consistency purposes.  Now that I have surveyed the state of affairs, it will be really difficult to achieve this in this in the current times.

End Your Programming Routine: I am hearing on the national radio shows that the shortage is getting better.  The ammo/component makers are saying that they are making more than ever, yet the shelves still seem to be bare. The reason any ammunition is on the shelves, it is two – four times what it was. My analysis says that it might be infinitesimally better.   You might be able to buy something, be prepared to pay significantly more and don’t expect a lot of choice in load and bullet.

I saw slugs available in September right before hunting season but the way these things go, that will be the last time I see them on the shelves until next hunting season.  I think that we have a long way to go.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see it still a problem in 2023.

 

 

December 9, 2021 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

December 9, 2021 /

Just because I don’t shoot as much as I would like, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t maintenance that needs to be done.  There is a saying in the used firearm world ‘Carried a lot, shot a little’.  This implies that there is what is called holster wear or places where the holster contacts the metal and rubs the finish but the bore is like new.

So, if you are in that carried a lot, shot a little camp like I am, then you should also take a look at things now and again.  The two primary things to watch out for are corrosion and lint build-up.  Both of those things are fortunately addressed by periodic cleaning.  This is a long way of saying, inspect and clean you firearms even if you don’t shoot them.

It is the similar justification I use for changing my own oil.  When I am in there, I plug in the scanner, look at the washer fluid levels, check the battery and the conditions of belts and hoses.  Most people argue that it is not worth their time to change your own oil, as you know from my previous post, I think it saves you time.  Plus, I am familiar with my vehicle and its’ condition.  You need to assess the condition of your tools.

I have heard advice from people that live in hot/humid climates to clean firearms once a week.  The premise being that you are constantly sweating and that doesn’t mix well with metal.  This of course has a lot to do with the construction of the item.  Polymer and stainless steel have much less issue with corrosion.  However the small screws and springs are rarely ever mad corrosion resistance.

You can see all of the crud in the barrel from the picture above.  This was clean, post the last use.  I also disassembled everything (for the first time) so that all the interior lint and powder crud could be cleaned out.  It is also worth noting that magazines should be inspected and possible cleaned as well.  It goes without saying but the last thing you want in a carry piece is a failure because of neglect.

There are other considerations after cleaning.  Particularly carry pieces, you want them as dry as possible.  I am not saying no lubricant, but as little as possible.  That reduces the amount of stuff that ultimately adheres to an oily surface.  If your firearms are in a high humidity environment and just stored, I prefer a wipe down with a light silicone oil lie Birchwood Casey Barricade. 

End Your Programming Routine:  If you are serious about personal safety, then you realize that concealed carry is a lifestyle.  Your wardrobe, your tools, your choice of spare time activities and where you spend your money is part of the consideration.  I think it has been over a year since I last cleaned this firearm, and I feel OK.  It doesn’t mean that you have to be obsessive, just be aware of the risks and responsibilities.

 

December 2, 2021 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

December 2, 2021 /

Today, I am going to try and talk about a technical topic in a simple way.  That topic is bore sighting an optic on a firearm.  In order to do that, you need to think about math.  And, I should add that there are different ways to do this.  I am showing my technique.

Before starting, I would also point out that this is a simplistic attempt.  In theory, the firearm should be levelled in two directions from bore to butt and left to right.  Then the optic should be levelled on top of the firearm.  That may require shims or modification any of the mounting components.  I plan on sighting this in at 50 yards so with that, slight inaccuracies are really negligible.  

The next step is to measure center of bore to center of optic.  This is to measure how much height difference there is between how the bullet will travel versus how you are seeing it through the sight.  If you imagine two lines, one will come from the bore and one will come from the sight.  At some point, those two lines will cross and that is ‘sighting in’.   You want the two lines to cross at the right point at the proper distance you expect to shoot.  The good news for me is that it takes a lot of adjustment at short yardage to make much change so slight inaccuracies are negligible.

I have an inexpensive laser sight I put in bore.  That laser will put a spot at whatever distance you like.  Ideally, I would put it at fifty yards and then adjust my sight accordingly.  But, I don’t have that kind of space so I just point it at the wall.  A couple of other notes about the laser.  It works best at low light and the farther away it is, the more distortion the dot has.  I have done this at the range but it is far more difficult to see.

Once the firearm is stabilized and aimed, mark a point that represents the measurement of the bore to sight centerline above the laser dot.  Adjust the sight  to the mark. That is your target and in theory, at the muzzle and 2 1/2 inches high everything will be ready to shoot.

This is a down and dirty bore sight.  After this point, I go to the range and start working on actually sighting in at the range.  Start at the closest target and make sure that the bullet is hitting the target.  Adjust just enough that you can move on to the next distance if that is your goal.  Remember, changing loads can change results dramatically, so stay consistent when sighting in and always check for verification when changing.

End Your Programming Routine: Right now, I do not have confidence that this firearm will be accurate without taking to the range for verification.  This is why I have held onto this sight for over a year without mounting.  Life is super busy and this will likely have to wait until after the holidays at this point to get to the range.  But we will get there.

November 18, 2021 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

November 18, 2021 /

I have had a red-dot sight ready to mount on a shotgun for almost a year now. Part of what was holding me back is that I already had an existing red dot sight mounted and sited in so I wasn’t going to replace it until I got to a point were sighting in was next on my agenda. Otherwise I would end up with a non-functional firearm.

Times and plans have changed. I started writing this over two weeks ago with plans to go to the range on the weekend. I got busy, plans changed and I went ahead and swapped the sight out with the intention to sight it in. This post is not about my failures, but more to learn something.

I actually learned something. When I bought the sight, it is setup (height wise) to be used on an AR. Something I don’t really understand is why those sights stand so high, 1 1/2″ above the barrel. The best bore line from a physics point of view is as close as you can get to the barrel. At an exorbitant cost of $90, I got what is called a low-mount base.

When I finally decided to mount the sight, the existing sight I had on was called a Weaver mount (left below). It is a series of slots on an aluminum plate that a screw sits in the slot and clamps two dovetail ends over the rail. It is a pretty simple and strong connection compared to other existing solutions.

But the new sight has what is called a picatinny connection (right below). This is very similar to a Weaver only larger slots. It is used in mil-spec or tactical applications. That means, I needed to also replace the plate to mount the sight.

If you are like me and never paid much attention to the jargon, Weaver bases can be mounted on picatinny rails but not vice versa because of the size of the mounting screw and the slot. I suppose if you do a lot of swapping, then you probably know all of this. But hopefully is is helpful for people like me.

A couple of other notes here. First, sights are not allowed in clay sports such as trap and sporting clays. That is largely because they are not allowing in bird hunting, with the exception of turkeys. I think sights are encouraged in other shooting sports like three gun and it is a really good idea if you are hunting with slugs. Finally, sights are also encouraged in self defense setups. So, know what you are aiming for, it can help with the decision to use or not use sights. Remember too that you should check your sights each time you remove them as the point of impact may have shifted. So, don’t plan on willy-nilly changing with repeatable results. I haven’t had any problems but I also don’t do it a lot and I check them.

This is less about attachment types and more about sights themselves. Red dots tend to specify 2-5 Minutes of Accuracy (MOA). The more inexpensive, the greater the MOA rating. Taking a 5 MOA sight, that means that at 100 yards, you should expect a group of 5 inches. The closer you are, the smaller your expected groups, in general. For precision shooting, use a rifle (preferred) or traditional glass scope (better). But slugs should be limited in range because of low velocity and high mass causes large drop over long distances.

End Your Programming Routine: It seems like people generally fall into two camps. There are the hunter and the tactical leaning types. Weaver bases are more prevalent on the hunting side and picatinny more on the tactical side. I personally think Weaver sights are more petit and make a firearm look better, not that it really matters. But, picatinny are more universal and for that reason more practical.

October 21, 2021 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

October 21, 2021 /

Maybe I should called it the shit I forget plus some more bags of stuff Today, I am showing the remaining gear that I have for my hunting excursions. The question might be, why do you need so much stuff? The ultimate answer is comfort but there may be some additional nuance there.

What is comfort? It can take on some deeper meaning. To me, comfort is knowing you have something even if you don’t necessarily need it. So is also having it packed and ready to go where you don’t search and gather every Friday night. There are also some traditional definitions of comfort. Like, have you ever spent all day in the rain without rain gear? Talk about miserable.

As I talked about on Monday, some years we hunt five hundred miles away. The same bags/gear that is loaded for a Saturday is the same gear that go on the week long trips. I suppose that a very good argument could be made that excluding survival gear or strict protection like rain gear, all the rest is unnecessary. It doesn’t take a lot of gear to drive around in the woods and look over the edge of logging landings.

The technical term for these type of bags are called blind bag. This means that they are meant to be used in duck blinds which means that they are water resistant and they float. The bag on left is really used to haul decoys, so it is just a open container like a large shopping bag. I use this one to put my rain gear in and it is a catch all for anything that I just want to throw in, like extra water, change of clothes etc.

The bag on the right, is a little bit more tailored for hunting with places to put chokes and calls etc. If I ever went duck hunting, I may to look for a replacement of what this bag is carrying. Moving from top left to bottom right

  • Rope
  • Rangefinder 0-1000 yards
  • firearm cleaning kit
  • game bag
  • thermos (for coffee)
  • 3000 calorie ration bars

The rangefinder is going to go into my backpack and I mostly use that when I am sitting for a while. I like to pick out places in my field of view and then check the distance. That way, if some animal comes into my sight, I will have an idea of how to hold for bullet drop. I also use it to determine where to sit. Distance can be surprisingly deceptive sometimes and if the field of view is over a thousand yards, you are not going to be able to shoot without moving anyway. This is a luxury item for sure, but I find it really useful.

The game bag keeps the carcass somewhat clean if you were to drag it or you put it on if you are going to hang the animal for some time to reduce the chances something else will start eating it too. All of the rest of it is self explanatory.

End Your Programming Routine: You don’t need all of this gear to hunt. If I am honest, most of it never get’s used. But if you have ever bonsaied your rifle into mud (or snow) then your day is done unless you can get that barrel cleared. I hope to never eat those 3000 calorie bars. Some day I might taste one just to see. If I cant figure it out with all of this stuff, I am not sure what else can be done.

October 14, 2021 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

October 14, 2021 /

I think that I wrote about this early on. If I did, I guess that I will repeat myself a little bit. But if not, I will talk about my journey into self-sufficiency.

I think that the tendency was programmed into my brain when I was a youth. I was a Boy Scout for a number of years and the motto as you should know is “Be Prepared”. That was all fine an dandy, I thought that I was from a camping gear standpoint. When I was in college, I bought some reloaded ammunition at a gun show and the second round was a squib which got the bullet stuck in the barrel. At that time, I had a Leatherman, a small adjustable wrench, a four in one screwdriver and a hammer.

I remember distinctly the moment when I thought to myself that I didn’t have enough tools to do most jobs around the house, the car or anywhere else for that matter. I bought a 3/8″ dowel at the local hardware store and pounded the bullet out from the muzzle and then set about buying lots of tools. With my graduation money, I bought my first socket set from Sears so that I could work on my (now) wife’s car.

After I had mostly one of everything, I started putting together bags that were task oriented. I have an electrical bag and a plumbing bag and then I started adding duplicate tools like screwdriver sets and hammers. Once those were largely complete I started thinking about adding tools to the car so that I wouldn’t get stuck somewhere without tools. That is when I started changing my thinking from just tools but also survival gear.

One site that influenced me early on was Doug Ritter’s site. I definitely looks 20 years old at this point but it started me thinking about assembling ‘survival kits’. One big thing back then was the ‘Altoid tin survival kit’ which was all about having stuff with you when you need it because it is small and compact. This is a long way at arriving to the point that I carry a survival kit in my hunting pack. Today I will take a look at what is in there.

From left to right and top to bottom.

  • paracord – It is said that cordage is one of the most difficult things to build in the wild. This is the stranded core which can be separated into individual strands if necessary
  • bandana – can be used as a bandage, tourniquet as well as traditional handkerchief usages.
  • quart zip lock bag – keep things dry and well as temporarily hold water
  • clip-able flashlight – has a lanyard but could also be clipped to a hat bill
  • small first aid kid
  • Knife sharpener
  • 25# fishing line – Along with the sewing needles, this is primarily for field repair. but it could be put into service for fishing as well
  • zip ties – the biggest use is securing tags to antlers but also field repairs
  • kit bag
  • garbage bag – poncho or shelter
  • signal mirror – making yourself visible from the air
  • fire starters – matches and lighter
  • tinder – wood shavings and cotton balls with Vasoline in a water tight container
  • cable saw – hand operated saw for wood cutting
  • steel fishing leader – fishing or snares
  • Leatherman Wave
  • Small length of duct tape

While this isn’t a course on wilderness survival, you can see that my kit is oriented toward the basics primarily first aid and shelter. Fortunately I haven’t hardly ever needed anything in here. Some of them cross the line between use in my normal hunting and survival, like the knife sharpener. I have used the needle and fishing line before to fix a tent.

Part of the nice thing about this is that the kit can be moved from bag to some other location, car, daypack, etc. Knowing me, I would probably just build another one if that happened frequently. When I started out, I was thinking that I would add one to each scenario that I build but I came to the realization that not every situation is a wilderness survival situation and that didn’t make a whole lot of sense. What I am trying to convey is that building modularly is efficient and convenient when it comes to this sort of thing.

End Your Programming Routine: When I was in Boy Scouts, I was taking the wilderness survival merit badge. Part of the requirements was to build a survival kit, so I already have done this before. When evaluating the kit, he said it should contain whatever you think you need. Looking back today on that statement, I feel like that was kind of a disserve. I think that I need a lot of things more than this. But remember that each added item comes with a weight and bulk penalty. If I were to add anything, I think a way to purify water and more shelter would be in order.

October 7, 2021 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

October 8, 2021 /

**Note: I restored from backup 10-8-21 and I didn’t realize this post wasn’t included as the latest post from an Oct 7 backup. I don’t feel like rebuilding it completely but I will try to capture the essence**

It is hunting season, although I am not going out this weekend. I am hoping to do so next weekend. Today I thought that I would do a gear dump and explain what and why for the different pieces.

First, I will start with the bag. It is a Kelty that I am guessing is 24/28L. The most important thing about the bag is it is made from fleece which reduces the distinctive nylon on branch sound. It has a bright orange rain cover as well that helps you find it when set down. I also carry 2L bottles which is always more water than I need. One other thing that I have noticed is when they are not entirely full, they make a splooshing sound as water moves around. What is on the inside from upper left to right

  • Orange gear – I usually carry a cap and stalking hat. I also have some extras in case I have some guests. These are worn or stored
  • Spare ammunition and cartridge loop – I usually carry a box (20) which is way more than I need.
  • A headlamp (with corroded batteries) – Its a good thing I checked
  • Toilet paper
  • lens cleaner pen
  • bug spray – don’t need that for hunting
  • Survival kit – I will go through that next week
  • deer tag
  • field glasses
  • fingerless gloves
  • hatchet and saw
  • hunting knife

I can fit all of that in with a lunch. I always walk a fine line between having everything I need and having way too much stuff. I don’t know what to do. I guess my thoughts were always better have it and not need it rather than not. I also have used this bag as a day pack for hikes and such. When I use it that way, I usually purge all of the hunting specific items.

End Your Programming Routine: I have several other things that I take with me, I think I will cover them in the following weeks. These are things that are left in the vehicle or camp. This will be the second weekend of deer season. I am hoping to catch weeks 3-5.

September 16, 2021 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

September 16, 2021 /

I am definitely feeling a little rummy today. I have been burning the midnight oil canning peaches and getting up early for work as well as managing some of the estate cleanup activities and all of the household. I tentatively set plans to go to the range today after work but there is just too much going on I am going to have to look for another day.

That leaves me at the same place as I was last week with reloading and I have a new red dot sight that I want to get bore sighted before I go to the range. Since I am abandoning that idea, then I don’t need to that yet. So what else is going on in my Tacticool world? As you can probably guess, not a lot but that doesn’t mean that I cant talk about something relevant.

Let me diverge for a minute. A couple of days ago, I saw that 20lb propane tanks were on sale. Since the ice storm in February, they have been chronically missing at stores, The ones that I have seen the normal price has gone up at least 33% since last year. I have been waiting for them to come back in stock and better yet, go on sale. That was the day so I bought one.

My son asked me why I needed another cylinder. My answer was that I only have one and I would like to at least have a spare so that I could use one while I was refilling the other. And I also tried to get across that the time to get one is when you don’t actually need one because as we can see from this real world example, it may never be back in stock when you need it. I do want to get one more and have them all filled for if we ever needed emergency heat or cooking in the future.

That is a good lesson but let’s apply it to Tacticool. I spend a lot of time in my office. Being that it is in the basement and isolated from the rest of the house, stuff can happen and I don’t really know about it. We do have recently installed Ring cameras so I do hear the chime and can login to the portal to see what is the cause of the movement but I don’t always do that.

I was thinking about moving some of my firearms into my office. This was mostly for climate control purposes but the thought did cross my mind that it would be nice to have ready access (just in case) something should ever come up. Currently, I have stuff kind of distributed across the house.

As my juices started going, I started thinking about my options for better access. One option would be to carry consistently. I have to say that having my permit for over six years, I find to to be a large inconvenience and it is not comfortable. It also doesn’t work well with light summer dress or informal clothes that a belt is not necessary or possible.

Another option would be to just have access in my office. I don’t really want to have loaded firearms just sitting around, that is not really a great option. So, now I am just carrying one around, I might as well have a holster. I will solve this one way or another.

My point for all of this is that just like the propane cylinder, it is difficult to be prepared after the fact. And since I am kind of blind in the office, I would feel better if I didn’t have to run upstairs to get the keys to the gun cabinet should I need access.

End Your Programming Routine: The probability that I would have an altercation is extremely low. It doesn’t mean that I can’t be prepared from a thought experiment point of view. I am encouraging you again to do the mental exercises to think out what if the power was out for days in the winter or what if someone broke in or even wandered in. The time to be ready is not after the event happens.

September 9, 2021 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

September 9, 2021 /

From what I have seen on TV, the time when the weather shifts in Alaska from below freezing to mostly above freezing is called ‘Breakup’. The ice in the rivers that have been frozen over start to break up. Icebergs can end up floating down the river and damage equipment and structures. It seems like a time that is tumultuous and semi hazardous and there are a lot of unknowns.

We are in the breakup period of pandemic buying of guns and ammunition. I am speaking mostly about ammunition and components to reload in this context. There is some availability and the prices have started to stabilize a little bit. It really depends on what it is you are looking for. What I have seen is the auto pistol calibers 9mm, 40 S&W and 45acp and not really the revolver cartridges 38/357, 44, 45. And if you are looking for anything obscure…good luck.

I was able to buy 45 Colt brass and and bullets a couple of weeks ago. I do already have some primers and powder, so I have enough to load a batch. I slowed my roll on reloading about two years ago, it did coincide some with the pandemic but also my economic status and the activities I was engaged with (remodeling). By the time I had time and money to shoot, There wasn’t anything to replace what I was shooting so I tempered a bit.

The real reason that I stopped reloading was really that I didn’t have enough data to continue to reload. Meaning, I have done a lot of planning (and reloading) but really haven’t shot much to speak of. So I didn’t want to keep going without getting some feedback on how I was doing. Can you imagine loading 1000 rounds of really poor shooting ammunition? It would be a waste of a lot of time and money.

Every load is kind of a controlled experiment. By changing one variable, the entire load must be tested again for optimum performance. In some cases, substituting one component for another is not a direct replacement. Take a look at the picture above. The lead bullets are the same weight as the jacketed ones. Lead versus jacketed bullets perform differently. One of the advantages of jacketed bullets is that they can travel at higher velocity because Lead can coat the inside of the barrel if the bullet is pushed too fast.

Another item to consider is that bullets of the same weight and density (and diameter) should be roughly the same length. However a heavier bullet will almost always be longer. A longer bullet is seated more deeply inside of the case so that when the powder ignites, there is less overall volume and therefore the bullet exits with higher pressure. All this is to say that bullets cannot just be willy nilly substituted from the load data.

If you are knowledgeable about reloading then this is all old hat. 45 Colt was first introduced in 1872 and this was in the black powder era which is why the case is so tall. There are still firearms around from that period and overly high pressure can actually blow up that firearm. So, you need to know what you are loading for and the boundaries for what you are shooting.

The same can be said for primers and powder, etc. Above is some guidance that I have used to load 250 grain loads. In this case, I have 200 grain bullets now. I think that the best way to proceed and learn something is to use the same powder and primer and only change the bullet weight. Looking at the 250 grain load guidance, you can see that the starting powder charge is 5.0 grains and can be loaded up to 6.2 grains of powder. When you look at the 200 grain ranges, the powder goes from 6.4 – 7.7 grains.

I don’t know what the ‘leading’ threshold is for velocity and pressure issues. I am presuming that Hodgdon has done the research and and would be conservative in their recommendations. I will probably load some through the spectrum of powder weights to see if I can determine any differences.

End Your Programming Routine: Don’t be scared, this is relatively safe and fun if you are diligent and follow good practice. I like the idea that I can make my own custom loads and especially save some money at the same time. I also like the idea that I can makeup what I need based on the application that I am using i.e. hunting vs plinking vs bear defense. I have been guarding my stash of ammo and components watching how this whole ‘breakup’ unfolds. But it does seem like spring is here.

September 2, 2021 – ‘Tacticool’ Thursday

September 2, 2021 /

As I talked about last week, I had two lessons. This is the second one from my recent experiences. It also might be a little juvenile, but I have found myself in this position in the past as well so let’s get into it.

I haven’t written about it much, maybe not at all. I am a member of the Brotherhood of the Protective Order of the Elks (or Elks). The biggest reason that I wanted to do so was to get involved in the local trap range. The Elks sponsor the local high school trap team by providing the facility to shoot. My son is part of the high school trap team.

Our local state representative is also an Elk in our local lodge. He hosts an annual campaign fundraiser at the trap range and the trap team helps operate the event. I wanted to help out but I had to work that Saturday so I dropped my son off while I went back home. When I went to pick him up, I found him with his shotgun in pieces.

When I asked my son what was going on, he said that his shotgun was not functioning. He took it apart at the gun club and parts were all piled on the ground. People were trying to put the furniture away and clean up to close down the facility and event. I was finally able to persuade him that we should do this at home and not on the ground.

On the ride home, I was trying to figure out what was the problem and why he was so disparate. I got that the shotgun wasn’t cycling so he cleaned it and then it wasn’t firing. He told me that a pin in the trigger group occasionally works it’s way out causing the trigger not to work. He was trying to get the trigger group out at the club to determine if he had already lost the pin when he was cleaning it.

As it turns out, he did lose the pin somewhere on the grounds of the trap club. We probably ought to take a swing at looking for it again just in case but I don’t know where to look and he has been working at night since this happened. Fortunately, Brownells stocks the pin and it is $4 to replace.

I have been guilty of being frustrated and taking apart a firearm in the past. One time I lost a spring to pistol because it wasn’t firing properly and I took it apart in the woods. I have since learned to stop and do things in an appropriate time and place. Sometimes, part are not so readily available as this time.

End Your Programming Routine: In contrast to the story above, sometimes field repairs have to be done. It is a matter of weighing the risk vs the reward of the situation. I would highly encourage that evaluation is done before something irreplaceable goes flying off into the unknown. I even worry about stuff being torn down too long in a controlled environment; stuff gets moved or piled on top of. Another good practice is put the parts in a small box or something to keep them together. I am expecting the pin early next week.