Can we change gun laws and preserve the 2nd amendment?

In the wake the latest mass killing, the talking heads have begun to scream for more "common sense" gun control.  While that kind of talk makes me nervous, it is becoming increasingly hard to simply say "it's not my problem and I refuse to do anything."  Now, I'm not saying we should reduce our second amendment rights in any way.  I believe that there are REAL common sense things that can be done to at least say, "there, we did it".

1.  Make a background check on every single gun sale.  Yes every single sale.

Here's the catch:  Make these checks instant and make them work!  In Illinois we have an instant background check system that we use to check the validity of a person's foid card when conducting a private sale.  I don't know that we necessarily need to issue foid cards to every gun owner in the USA, but I'm sure a similar thing could be done with a driver's license or state ID?  There would be a database of people, similar to the "no fly" list.  If you are clean, the system kicks back an approval number that the seller keeps.  If the person is barred from obtaining a gun for whatever reason, the system advises the seller to refuse the transaction.  Pretty simple

Of course, transactions made through dealers have always been background checked.  But, the fact that Dylan Roof got a pistol because the background system was screwed up is crazy.  The system needs to work, period.  If the system is down, you need to wait.  The current system where you get your gun even if the system hasn't run the check is stupid.



This is not registration, which I oppose.  It does not put any undue burden on the seller or buyer.  It simply makes sure that the person buying the gun is supposed to have one.  Really not a big deal.

  This would close the so-called gun show loop hole, which anti-gunners have screamed about for years, while imposing no burden on gun owners. I mean really, this is 2015.  You swipe your credit card and get an instant decision.  Why not an approval for a gun purchase?

2.  Eliminate/rethink gun free zones.  I understand that there need to be places where firearms are restricted.  Courthouses, jails, prisons, airport terminals.  Fine.  But, you better have a metal detector and you better have armed cops there to respond when someone storms in with a weapon.  The test should be, if you can't protect me, I should be able to protect me.  Simple.

I know that these shootings are not my fault, they are the fault of the people who pull the trigger.  But, why not fix the damned system and make instant background checks available to private sellers.  At the very least, it would shut people up about gun show loopholes.

LEE PRECISION BEAM-STYLE POWDER SCALE

I had for many years used my trusty old Lyman beam style powder scale.  It was slow to use, but very accurate and easy to read and adjust.  I knocked it off the table one day and well, it's now a pile of useless parts.

Lyman 500 scale is a classic and very easy to use

So, my Brother gave me his Lee scale.  It too is a beam style scale, but it is constructed a little differently than the Lyman.  The gross adjustment on the lee is a metal ball that you move into different slots.  The fine adjustment is a somewhat strange affair.  There is a plastic slider with a lock button to keep it in place once you have it where you want it.  I have found it to be tricky to adjust when the beam is on the scale.  I have started taking it off the scale to set and then putting it back on.  I can see the .10 grain marks better that way.  I find the .10 grain marks a little hard to see when the beam is on the scale.  I much prefer the Lyman's weight to this slider.  The adjustment wheel is likewise hard to use on the fly.  The Lyman adjustment was on the base where I could adjust it without moving the beam all over the place.  Honestly, I would much prefer a nice digital scale, but that is not in the budget.  Overall, I think Lee could do a little better.  That is unusual for me to say because I generally love Lee products.  Usable yes, Ideal no.

Can you be a "Liberal" and a gun nut at the same time?

Well, yes, sort of.

Media likes to tell you what you are.  ie you are a liberal if you like socialized medicine.  You are a conservative if you like guns.  Well, the pigeon holes might work for the media and the pollsters, but they wear thin with me.

Personally, I am very pro-gun, very pro-life, and I hate government telling me what to do.  Sound like a Republican?  Hold on.  I'm also pro-union, pro-socialized medicine, and I can't stand the Bush family.  I think Reagan was a great actor who did tremendous damage to our economy while serving as the nation's cheerleader.  So I'm a bleeding heart right?

Well folks, it's just not that simple.  When you pigeon hole yourself, you give up your identity.  When you say"I'm a conservative Republican" or "I'm a liberal Democrat", you give your ability to reason and think for yourself away in favor of the party line.  I personally hate the idea that I have to be one thing or the other.

I'm more complicated than that.  I bet most people are.

So, yes, I can have liberal views about some things and still love my guns and the second amendment.  That doesn't mean I love Scott Walker, Dubya, or any other dumbasses.  Nor do I like Hillary and her deceptions.  I'm usually not "for" any politician.  I will listen to the proposals, run it through the BS filter, realize that most politicians are bought, then agree or disagree.

2 cents

DO NOT DRY FIRE RIMFIRE GUNS!

Dry firing a gun, (Pulling the trigger on an empty chamber), is an often performed and often misunderstood practice.  People do it for various reasons with many different types of firearms without thinking twice.  This practice can be completely harmless, as is the case with the AR platform.  It can also be damaging to some guns because of their design.

It is generally accepted that rimfire guns should never be dry fired.  This includes all of your .22 rifles and pistols.  .17 hmr /VMag etc.

If you think about how a rimfire works, it makes perfect sense.  In a rimfire, the rim of the cartridge is actually pinched between the firing pin and the surface of the barrel or receiver.  This causes no damage to the pin or barrel/receiver because the cartridge takes the brunt of all this pinching.

However, when you dry fire one of these, the pin moves forward and smacks the receiver/barrel causing damage to the pin and whatever it hits.  Over time this can lead to serious damage,  The pins can become bent and whatever the pin hits can erode away.  All of this damage causes misfires and poor extraction.

So, DON'T do it.

Problem is that many rimfire rifles do not have a last shot hold open.  This makes it very difficult to not dry fire.  The only way that I can think of is to count your shots.  Good luck getting the kids to do it.

A typical flat style firing pin on a rim fire rifle.

The new price of .22 ammo?

Hmm, so I continue to see .22 ammo on the shelves just about everywhere. Supply is definitely up from where it was just a few months ago around here.  Problem is that the price is up too.  The best price I have seen was Wal-Mart.  $18.99 for a 333 pack of Federal auto match.  17 cents per round.  I didn't think that was horrible for this day and age.  Then I saw a local store advertising 500 round bricks of Remington thunderbolts for $40.  That's around 13 cents per round.  A little better, but really $40 for cheap .22 bulk ammo bricks?  I used to buy those things for $10-$15 back in 2002.  I know that was a while ago but still.  .22 ammo has been the go to for cheap fun for well over 100 years.  I don't think it has ever been as relatively expensive as it is now.  When I find 50 round packs, and I find them quite a bit, they are marked at $8-$10 for bulk stuff.  I'm also finding match grade stuff for much more.  That's fine, I understand that, but these prices on bulk ammo are hard to stomach.  Personally, I just don't buy it.



But, all this has got me thinking.  Is this the new normal?  Are we destined to pay $40 for the same 500 round brick of thunderbolts and golden bullets that we used to pay $10 for just 15 years ago?  That inflation is worse than college.


We have heard for quite some time now about the shortages of .22 ammo.  Shortages always lead to price gougers, particularly among private people.  In my experience, big box stores like Wally World have been the best at keeping the prices reasonable.  The local gun shops have been hit and miss on price.  And then there are the people asking $75 for 500 round bricks of cheap ammo.  Asshole is the only term I have for them.

I understand shortage and its effect on prices, However, I am now finding small amounts of ammo at nearly every store I walk into.  That tells me there is less of a shortage.  So why the ultra high prices?  Is this temporary?  Or is it the new price of .22?

Chinese Type 53 carbine Mosin Nagant

The Mosin Nagant is without a doubt the most popular surplus rifle on the market today.  While prices have gone up over the years, they are still an awesome value.  Most of the Mosins out there are standard 91/30 full length rifles.  These were built in the Former Soviet Union by the millions and stockpiled just about everywhere they had influence.  Among the 91/30s, you will also find the occasional M44 Carbine.  These short rifles are essentially a 91/30 with a shorter barrel and a permanently fixed, folding bayonet.

In 1953 the People's republic of China went looking for a carbine and found one in the Soviet Union.  According to some sources, the Soviets packed up the machine tools and shipped them to China as a gift to their fellow communists.  In any event, the Type 53 was born.  Type 53 = Chinese M44.

I acquired mine in a trade for some guns that I was no longer in love with.  I had sold my Mauser and felt naked without a surplus bolt gun in my arsenal.  Therefore the Mosin.  Everything about it is straight Mosin.  Other than the Chinese script and the import marks, the untrained eye can't tell it's not Soviet.  I am no expert on the Mosin and really don't want to be.  I find the old bolt guns fun and historic.  I like shooting it, so that is good enough for me.  

Speaking of shooting, these things do have a kick.  I find the Mosin to have less of a sharp kick than the Mauser 98, but it is still an arm bruiser.  Steel butt plates are great for cracking your opponent in the head with, but they are murder on the shoulder.  A slip on pad from Pachmeyer works wonders for me.  There are other pads out there that screw on, but I have read mixed reviews.

If you like owning a flamethrower, get a Mosin carbine.  They throw flames from the muzzle every time.  I have also found that it is more accurate with the bayonet out.  Actually Mosins were usually meant to fire with bayonets attached.  That is how the Soviets carried them and that is how they were sighted in.  Of course that can be adjusted, but I just deploy the pig sticker and fire away.

I have to admit, I was a little disappointed when the guy pulled a Chinese Mosin out to trade me, but I'm glad I have it.  It is everything a Mosin is supposed to be, but didn't get drug through WWII.  I have a decent looking, good shooting, surplus rifle that didn't break the bank.  I would think that the value of these things will go up more.  Who knows how much.  I doubt they will ever be big bucks, but you never know.

7.62x54r .32 caliber shell adapter

Being a strange and cheap fellow, I'm always looking for wacky ways to use guns I already have in new ways.  When I came across this cartridge adapter, I just had to have one.



So basically what was done here was that some enterprising person duplicated the exterior dimensions of a 7.62x54r cartridge, minus the bullet.  Then they chambered the inside of said item just like a .32 H&R Magnum.  This allows the use of .32 caliber pistol ammo in the calibers of .32 S&W, .32 S&W long, .32 ACP, and .32 H&R magnum.  That's quite a selection to choose from!  Sadly I don't see the .32 federal mag listed, but hey, how much can we ask for?

I bought mine from the Sportsman's Guide, but they are on Ebay too.  They are mainly for use in Mosin Nagant rifles, as using one in a SVT 40 would be comical.  Cost is around $25.

They are also offered for a few other rifles as well.  Just Google chamber adapter for whatever rifle you have.

I have used one of these in my Chinese Type 53 using my handloaded .32 S&W loads.  They have zero recoil,  Accuracy is actually not bad at pistol ranges.  I wasn't expecting to hit anything, but it does.  Turning a hard hitting battle rifle into a soft shooting plinker is worth $25, even if it turns it into a single shot.

And that is the only trouble with the adapter.  It's a one at a time operation.  Stuff whatever .32 ammo you want into it, push the loaded adapter up into the Mosin's chamber and close the bolt.  After firing, the adapter comes out just like a 7.62 shell.  However, you are best advised to pull the bolt back slowly and catch the adapter, lest the adapter fall on a hard surface.  If you allow it to fling out and smack the cement it will dent the tip of the adapter.  Shooting it has always straightened it out again, but I'm sure that isn't good for it.

Conclusion:  Fun yes.  Rapid fire no, It's great tool for teaching people who are new to the old battle rifle how to shoot without burning up their shoulder or your full size ammo.  It's also a lot of fun for anyone.