11/13/2022 - BLOG COMMENTS are again allowed and are moderated to exclude only the bots, advertisements, racial / ethnic pejoratives, and embedded links. I'll attempt to honor Chicago's historical "Bughouse Square" concept of free-speech and open debate --- spanning the curve from the far-left to the far-right. /JZ
Blogging to you from the Northeastern Badlands of The County of Lake, in the state currently known as Fatmanistan, DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP DEEP inside the heartland of the Banana Republic formerly known as the USA, WELCOME TO THE NEXT CHAPTER! WARNING! ALL FORMS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ARE ADDICTIVE; EXCESSIVE USE MAY LEAD TO MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS, REDUCED JOB PRODUCTIVITY, INSOMNIA, SOCIAL ALIENATION, GENITAL ULCERS, BLINDNESS, POLITICAL EROTICISM, AND / OR DEVIANT FUNAMBULISM. NOTICE: NO GUNS OR AMMUNITION ARE FOR SALE VIA THIS BLOG. (No, I will not trade my Colt Python for some lubricious adventures with your trophy wife and a future first-round draft pick.) CAVEAT: This blog is not suitable for viewing while at work, while inside a public library, while inside any public or private school, or while inside any public or private restroom. Do not view this blog while driving a motor vehicle or while piloting an aircraft. Viewing this blog may be illegal inside the EU, NYC, Chicago, Seattle, and other parts of the Third World. THIS BLOG CONTAINS (albeit often very childish) ADULT-CONTENT. DISCLAIMER: This blog is a hobby, it is not a livelihood. Even though much of what I blog about relates to firearms collecting and recreational shooting, I am not an expert (by any measure) on any facet of guns, shooting, hunting, or personal defense. Entries at this blog are akin to good old-fashioned campfire chats or post hunt bourbon-fueled barroom-bluster; I offer no opinion on what you should or should not purchase, or what you should be using or doing. What does or does not work for me could be rugged-country-miles away from your tastes and your needs. All products, places, and miscellany that I review for this blog are purchased / rented / leased at retail price by me. I do not accept payment, gifts, discounts, freebies, products on loan, distilled spirits, recreational pharmaceuticals, plea-bargains, probation, parole, Papal Blessings, Presidential Pardons, or sexual favors for doing any review or blog post. TRACKING COOKIES: Google et al stick tracking cookies on everybody. If you are online, you are being spied on via one method or another, for one reason or another; 'nuff said. You may be able to minimize your online DNA residue by using Tor and Duck Duck Go. Vive la liberté! Vive all y'all! Ante omnia armari. To each of you, thanks for stopping by!

Friday, March 30, 2018

Get yourself some self-defense Ammo to Go test results


The study looks to be top shelf.  They also made it interactive with their website; if you see something of interest just give it a click to see what's available and how much it costs.





As expected, some ammo doesn't perform well with short barrel pistols.  



The 124-gr +P stuff that I use in my Glock 43 looks to be borderline okay.   Good to know.




All very interesting.  Very well done.  CLICK HERE to give it a look.





Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Review of the Wilson Combat Lo-Profile Holster for a full size 1911

I purchased this matte-finish Lo-Profile OWB pancake style holster direct from Wilson's a long-long time ago, probably not too long after they started marketing via full color catalog mailings.  Right about then was when they changed their moniker to Wilson Combat.  This older Lo-Profile is the same ride that you and your pistol will get from the glossy, highly boned Lo-Profile holsters that Wilson's offers today.  CLICK HERE for photos and a review of a Lo-Profile holster that sports the newer look.

NOTE:  It is my opinion that the proper fitting and function of a holster requires a suitable gun belt, i.e a holster with 1.5'' slots needs a 1.5'' gun belt, not the flimsy 1'' dress belt we use to hold up our church trousers.  




A full size 1911 is not among the easiest handguns for me to conceal when worn outside of my waistband.  Then again, the primary intent of this holster design was not for deep concealment.










For my needs, the Lo-Profile under a properly sized coat, a vest, or even my untucked frumpy oldman shirts adequately hides the bulges and disguises the outine of the 1911 pistol.






Below is a copy and paste from Wilson's:


The Lo-Profile® holster is designed for the person that carries all day long and demands maximum comfort and concealability.

  • Designed For All Day Carry, Maximum Comfort And Concealability

  • Pancake Style Design Actually Conforms To The Shape Of Your Waist

  • Two Belt Slot Design Positions The Holster With A Slight Forward Cant

  • Very Smooth Draw From Just About Any Position

  • Low-Cut Front Will Have You Clearing Leather Just Above The Belt Line

  • Custom Formed Safety Guard Protects The Thumb Safety And Your Clothing During Carry

  • Meets I.D.P.A. Holster Criteria

The Lo-Profile® holster is designed for the person that carries all day long and demands maximum comfort and concealability. This holster's pancake style design actually conforms to the shape of the waist, blending its lines to those of the person wearing it. This feature has obvious benefits for concealment, but also helps the holster feel more comfortable with less likelihood of it hanging up on objects or shifting position.

The two-belt slot design positions the holster with a slight forward cant while providing incredible stability. This carry position offers maximum comfort and concealability while allowing a very smooth draw from just about any position. The low-cut front will have you clearing leather just above the belt line. A custom-formed safety guard is incorporated in this design to protect the thumb safety and your clothing during carry. Bill Wilson says: "It's one of the most comfortable holsters I've ever worn."






Sunday, March 11, 2018

Yugoslavian M48 8mm Mauser


This lightly fired circa 1950 military-grade rifle is still fairly close to being in new condition.  Goodness, wouldn't it be nice if we all aged as well as it has.   CLICK HERE for the historic lowdown on the M48.  I forget exactly how long ago it was when I bought this rifle ... I've had it for around a dozen to fifteen years or so ... maybe it cost me around $180.  This was going to be my knockabout rifle for use in rugged nasty-ass terrain, primarily intended to harvest an occasional nuisance feral hog ... it turned out that only once did I ever manage to drive way down south with this rifle for that purpose ... the arrangements fell through and the M48 did not come out of the locked travel-case until I returned home.   Life keeps getting in the way of my dreaming and scheming another trip ... it's been many years in the thinking ... dunno if I am young enough to be trekking through any rugged nasty-ass terrain.  Long gone is the agility needed for me to scurry up a tree in the event of an attack by righteously pissed-off hogs.  If I do my part, I get to chew bacon; if I screw up, the bacon chews on me.  My age, along with my lousy physical condition, tips the odds in favor of the feral pork.  Maybe I'll fortuitously find someone needing a nuisance hog removed from the fairway of a posh golf course ... and will let me stalk it using an armored cart.  "Tally-ho!"

For an excellent read regarding the M48 rifle, CLICK ON OVER to Carteach0's blog site.









The two top boxes in the above photo are Sellier & Bellot 196 grain FMJ target fodder
The 196 grain Norma Oryx is a game thumper with ballistics in the .30-06 realm
The 170 grain Winchester and Remington loads are closer to being in the .30-30 neighborhood


OMG! LOOKEE THAT PHOTO! CALL CNN!  Eight boxes of ammo containing twenty-rounds each is ... OMG! ...

(Blammophobia = anxiety caused by loud noises and / or the irrational fear of the number of cartridges perceived to be in the possession of a law abiding citizen)





Friday, March 2, 2018

The physical sizes of various capacity AR-15 magazines

A recent news article mentioned something about standard and high capacity AR-15 mags not fitting into a Florida murderer's "duffel bag." Well, I guess much would depend on the size of the "duffel bag." A blog post I did around 3-years ago has some photos of different capacity AR-15 mags and may be helpful (or not) in trying to visualize what the article was implying. CLICK HERE OR ON PHOTO BELOW if interested.

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