I own and shoot four black powder muzzleloaders–three pistols and a rifle. Years ago, I crossed over to the dark side of black powder because of the history and tradition of it. The clouds of thick, stinky gray smoke, fiery jets of muzzle blast and really loud explosions were just the sooty icing on my […]
Gunpowder is at least 1000 years old. it’s the oldest explosive known to humans, and it’s not like the formula of 75% potassium nitrate, 15% charcoal, and 10% sulfur remains some sort of closely-guarded state secret. There are some hardy souls who still make their own gunpowder at home. You might know one of them without […]
A long, skinny brown box arrived today, courtesy of our fearless leader’s connections with Thompson Center. When I opened the package, my curious eyes were greeted with the spectacle of a stainless steel, synthetic-stocked, fiber-optic-sighted flintlock. It was like seeing George Washington wearing his uniform and cocked hat cruising around Philly in a custom Escalade with ground-effect […]
The other day, I interviewed a couple of Arkansas ranch owners for an agricultural newspaper. During our chin wag, the owners revealed that they had a bit of a feral hog problem. Selflessly, I offered to apply my hog hunting skills to the infestation issue. To metaphorically paraphrase Henny Youngman, I was up so early […]
On September 13, James Ray Palmer rode his motorcycle to the Crawford County courthouse in Van Buren, Arkansas. He carried three semi-automatic handguns with him, along with an AR-15 style rifle. He wore a tactical vest holding several magazines full of ammunition for his various firearms, with everything apparently concealed under a long duster coat. […]
Would you like to shoot some High Power rifle matches, only you don’t have the bank account of a Mexican drug lord to spend on a [gold inlaid] match rifle, [ornately embroidered] shooting jacket, [monumentally expensive] spotting scope, [the world’s best] match grade ammo, et al? Especially in this economy? Scan the gun clubs in your local […]
Life in the scenic Ozarks woodlands of western Arkansas means adjusting yourself to the natural rhythms of the seasons: colorful leaves in the yard in fall, at least one wonderland snow in winter, and venomous reptiles nesting under the house in spring and summer. To put it bluntly, if you live out in the […]
In a town a little north of me, police shot and killed a woman armed with a knife in a convenience store. At this time, that’s all I know. I don’t know the identity of the woman who died, or what she specifically did to prompt the people in the convenience store to call the […]
For some folks, the M1 Garand is a venerated object, a potent symbol of American greatness during World War II. Some of these people make an almost holy exercise out of researching serial numbers and finding the correct elusive parts. Yea, verily, for some searcheth out the lock bar rear sight, even from the very […]
[HTML1] There’s nothing like seeing yourself on video to make you feel self-conscious and awkward, unless you’re Anthony Weiner. On the orders of, uh, I mean gentle request of our Fearless Leader, I videoed myself going through a house with the Stoeger Coach Gun I reviewed a while back for TTAG, and learned several things […]
[HTML1] RF recently reviewed the Smith & Wesson Governor. Unfortunately, our Fearless Leader lives in a part of the world where shooting inanimate objects requires a court order and direct supervision by a Plinking Safety Officer. RF suspected that the Governor had a hidden forte: shooting stuff. So he sent Smith’s Black Beauty to Arkansas for my […]
In yesterday’s Question of the Day, our Fearless Leader posted the links to Birchwood Casey hostage targets and an American Rifleman article on how to take the “hostage shot” with a shotgun. The post generated quite a few responses. I’ve got this one wired, especially if the hostage situation ever takes place inside my house and involves somebody I […]
