Brother I have been getting cut open & stuff, starting over a year ago. It went from a cyst in a nasal cavity, to two different morphine pump implant surgeries, the second of which left a gaping hole in my abdomen that required a damn wound vac and later a plastic surgeon.
Summation: I been doing wat I do - “gutting it out.”
Yeh that was kind of a photo splash huh? I’ll post my 338 Lapua rifle setup later maybe - then we can talk about cartridge reloading and Bohr’s gas Law - woo fun!!
Great to be back and stuff. Hooooahhh!
1 Like
As promised.
Savage 110 BA Stealth in 338 Lapua Magnum.
On top a Leupold Vx-3, 5-25 x 50.
Haven’t fired this one yet…need space!
Not in Pic:
Muzzle Brake
Put this in a Plano hard case (has the wheels, handy)…Harris Bipod. In case a spotting scope, room for spare ammo. Took forever to cut foam in case to match rifle/scope but worth it.
This thing counts as a passenger when I put it in a vehicle. If it were going in the field a drag bag would be appropriate…it ain’t going in the field.
1 Like
Damn, what a mess. I sincerely hope you are on the road to recovery with no long term problems to deal with. Best of luck on the healing.
Yessir on the road…one surgery to go, by mid-June this year…long as they don’t F it up, yeh.
And thx.
That is really sharp. .338 Lapua Magnum, that bad boy is a true ass kicker. I don’t own one, but have shot several. Isn’t the price of decent glass just outlandish? BTW, what a nice looking shop, I am going to have to admit jealousy.
Thought for the day:
Thats actually a family member’s shop, and I too am jealous. Spent a cpl hours there yesterday behind the counter trying to help with customers…sadly I didn’t have authorization to “deal” so was essentially just handing ppl stuff from the case to fondle then they’d leave without buying a damn thing, like I’ve done a million times…
Anyway, yes glass is expensive as hell. Initially looked at NightForce and those prices chased me away! Was able to get the Leupold and the Savage at dealer cost so even though it wasn’t pocket change, it wasn’t as painful as it coulda been. I’ve fired a few 338 Lapua’s, just not this one. Could easily get it out on a 100 yard line but refuse to do that…it deserves more room.
What weight bullet you launching? Which brand? I used to like the Hornady SST’s. Can’t go wrong with Sierra matchkings either. They have them in 250gr and 300gr for the 338 IIRC.
You have to show us groups she makes. Wouldn’t be fair otherwise.
1 Like
I have 300gr SMK’s on hand with Lapua brass and H1000 to load some up…purchased some wayyy overpriced 280gr manufacturered stuff online (20 rounds @ $100) → These:
There is a range with a 1000 yard line 2.5 hours from me, but that is a hella drive. Right now I just want to verify my bore sighted zero. Can adjust the scope if I want to fire beyond 200…it ain’t rocket science.
Oh, and, this sportsmens club - the bonus is they have, guess what - monthly 1911 competitions 
Just so happens I have a new Colt match 1911 that needs to be fired in a match, go figure. Thing is, if only I had a reference for the club near me they host USPSA comps, 3 gun, etc…
I do NOT want to go through their “good ole boy system” to TRY to get them to allow me to pay for a membership, which is IMO a load o crap. As I see it, if I go there to shoot, they ought to compensate me!! Yeh I said it 
Back to the original question, yes, 300gr SMK (HPBT) bullets, Lapua brass, H1000 powder - will start with recommended charge (k, a hair more but well within specs). For those bullets and that powder, velocity range is 2383-2590, which is pretty kickin’ for a 300gr bullet…
I have 100 pcs brass + 100 bullets on hand, so that may be enough to work a load, maybe not. I will not use a lighter bullet, so that saves some test fire time.
<of course I’ll show groups!>
1 Like
Follow up:
The Sportsmen’s club thing —>
I emailed the online contact requesting a sponsor for my local club instead of attempting to show up to a meeting and solicit in person. Told them my totally disabled vet & retired military status along with other stuff they MAY give a crap about if they’re veteran friendly like most.
But see I really don’t like doing that cause it makes me feel as if I’m asking for special treatment when I’ve done nothing I consider special. My military service stuff - I did my F’n job like every soldier is supposed to. Big woo.
And I was injured bad enough in line of duty that the AF retired me on permanent disability, and now the VA has me 100% service connection disability. But again, so wat woo, I did my f’n job, got hurt, filed the proper papers I was instructed to file, and that’s just where I stand.
I don’t desire “special” treatment, I desire the club to realize I’m a F’n patriot and I’ll be an asset as a member. That’s it. No problem paying dues, following rules, etc. Just want a place to fire my 338 Lapua Mag & maybe do USPSA with the new Colt Gold Cup.
I’ve never competed, but I’m pretty damn good shot so it might be fun.
PT - II //—>>
Reason I’ve decided, for now, to hold off on just paying and going to the club in the next County over until I hear back from these people is that they have no sanctioned matches, AND they’re about 30 minutes further to drive there. I did once belong as I was on a trap team there with my once employer for 2 years (we won both times - I averaged 98/100 both seasons using a Rem 11/87 with vent rib light contour barrel. Was first time I’d shot clay pigeons, but had shot shotgun since age 7 (was 25 then)…
Now this pay as u go club has a fishing lake, campgrounds, trap, skeet, sporting clays, 5 stand, rifle & pistol range, large clubhouse with bar & food for rent if wanted, and members are mostly briar hoppers like me. Lastly it’s kinda further out in the country than the club close to me so I consider that a benefit. HOWEVER, all the benefits of the “just pay and go” here don’t outweigh the USPSA matches at the one in my own county, or it being in a much closer proximity, OR ESPECIALLY it having long range rifle comps. ////////. I’d very very VERY much like to get some trigger time in with the 338 out to 1K yards, farther if possible, and if I could get variables like slope, winds, even rain/snow while doing it, that would just serve to help increase my comfort in practically applying my firing system no matter what comes up.
*Topic Alter a Little Here - Shooting pistol with only 1 hand, non-dominant side—>>
Saw an article in Concealed Carry Magazine today that pointed out something I’ve done for a long time, and recommend everyone who carries a pistol do the same. Practice shooting using:
- Two hand dominant side grip
- One hand dominant side grip
- Two hand non-dominant side grip
- One hand non-dominant side grip
ALSO, I know some do and others don’t, plus some ranges don’t permit it. However, for the one handed grips, also fire from hip, ready, and full ready positions. If ALL of these can be done from a draw (concealment best) then so much the better.
<<<<<>>>>>>
Now, I may well be an odd lad here, but my primary and secondary setups match in nearly every way, except the backup has an ambidextrous safety and is a RIA 1911 instead of a Kimber. I use Wonder No Print Holsters by clingerholster.com. They conceal my 5” 1911’s better and more comfy than any other, plus have adjustable cant, ride height, & weapon retention.
IMPORTANT—-If u use this holster, use red LocTite on the screws, purchase a replacement set of hardware with the holster just in case, and double check the screws monthly if u use it daily.
My primary holster got Loctite before it was used, and in the 8 months it has carried a 5” Kimber Custom II SS, I’ve merely had to tighten the screws a little, once. It’s the 4th different holster I’ve used, but I am pretty damn sure it will be the last.
Now. Depending on wardrobe, 1-2 days a month I’ll use a Mitch Rosen IWB leather holster with a snap over thing to secure it to my belt. Works great, but twice the bulk as the Clinger no print wonder AND it costed around 60-70 more bucks. Won’t scratch the metal and that’s nice, but the thick leather is not the best concealing stuff out there.
And I don’t understand why they would not, I would bet a months pay that the “directors” have never been through what you have. Thinking about this makes my blood boil. It they don’t allow you in, then fuck them, they are not worth having you.
Off topic, but this reminds me of the shit that is going on at Laguna Beach, California. The new police cars have the American Flag painted inside the word “Police” on the side doors. The citizens there are upset because they feel the flag is “too aggressive” and the city council is meeting this week to decide it our flag is too aggressive to be on their cars. Holy fucking shit, this is what you get when your country is dying from the encroaching disease of socialism…
Motivational Monday:
Tactical Tuesday:
Yesterday, I was assisting on the range when break time rolled around. Since this was a very frustrating class full of senior agents who should know better, I decided to leave and drive down to the local store for a coffee. ( I was tired of trying to help these dicks) The range is in a very rural area, so the only choice close was a small convenience store, selling everything from stale donuts to gas. I walked in, made a coffee, and was walking to the counter when a teenager walked in, drew a knife and pointed it at the woman behind the counter. “Give me the money”, he said. He never saw me until, I stepped between the counters behind the woman. I did this to put a solid barrier between me and the knife. I drew my handgun, shouted I was a federal agent /police and told him to drop the knife. He looked at me, looked behind him, and then ran out the front door. Further investigation revealed he was distantly related to the employee and a confirmed heroin addict. The locals arrested him about three hours later.
Now the moral to this little story is not what went down, but, the three people who were sitting outside on a bench, drinking Monster and staring at their phones. This went down about 6 feet from them, even my loud yelling did not break their worship of their phones. When I came out the front door and asked which way the perp ran, they had no clue what I was talking about. Don’t be a moron, don’t die over the latest crap on your phone.
5 Likes
Idaho, u know, I agree and thx for pointing that out. I haven’t even gotten an en email back from the assholes. Fuck ‘em, I no longer want to shoot there.
The bullshit about the flag graphic in Ca doesn’t surprise me simply because it’s in Ca. However, it does concern the fuck out of me since Ca is in the USA. Any citizen who takes issue with our flag, IMO needs to consider getting the hell out of the country and seeing how they like things elsewhere…and try it without being a US citizen, sans our protections.
I’m baffled nearly daily by stories like this. Whoever raised children that do such things should be ashamed. I know without question my kids are patriots and would expect ass kickings if they behaved like that - calling a flag graphic aggressive. They’d more likely ask why there weren’t some ammo graphics included.
FUBAR
Thought for the day: From Frank McRae (Former Army Special Operations)
Soft skills are important. I’m never not looking, never not conniving. I’m always paying attention to, “ I can use that if I have to, I can use that if I need to .” I was in a convenience store and a guy came in to rob the place… All I had in my hand was a Mountain Dew bottle, so I was going to use that. Soft skills are extremely important. A good run is better than a bad stand any day. Even if you win the fight, if you die on the way to the hospital I still win as the bad guy.
A good run is better than a bad stand because only you know if you’ve prepared for the fight up to that point. A warrior can only afford to die once. Running headlong into defeat is not only stupid, it endangers others. That is more important than self-preservation. If a man has the jump on you with a gun or knife in your throat or head, give him the wallet. It’s only money. Turn away if you’re not prepared for that fight in the right way. But if the fight is happening anyway and there’s no way to avoid it, go down biting, screaming, punching, kicking and anything else you can do to cause harm. Always pick your battle space, prepare your defenses and have a way out if need be.
First off, let’s define what a microclimate is. In survival terms, a microclimate is the immediate area around you. To stay out of the rain you create a microclimate by using a hat, rain jacket and rain pants. In the city, your microclimate may be a jacket and umbrella. In this article we’re going to discuss your microclimate with respect to personal defense.
Most attacks happen within what’s called the combative bubble. If you held your arm straight out in front of you and turned 360 degrees, that imaginary circle you just created is your microclimate. Anything that happens within this microclimate will happen too quickly for you to present your primary weapon (your pistol if you are carrying). In this case, you need to have a backup plan. To survive, you’re going to need to create enough chaos for the assailant to think twice about continuing their attack.
Part of this concept of creating a microclimate of chaos also involves a certain level of fitness. The stronger you are, the more confident you’ll be and that will go a long way if you find yourself in a confrontation. A great routine to help prepare for a confrontation is the XXXXXXXX… During a street fighting seminar I attended, the following points were covered and demonstrated. Keep these in mind when developing your plan.
There are no rules
The outcome of the fight is determined within the first 13 seconds. That means you have 13 seconds to turn your defense into an offense.
Strike hard and strike fast. In other words, the violence of action.
Always keep constant forward pressure on the threat. Stay on the balls of your feet and drive forward until the threat is no longer a threat
There are no rules.
1 Like
Very good!
Reminds me of a t-shirt I saw that said something to the efffect of "be nice but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
If I may, the “microclimate” spoken of here where we put an arm out then turn 360 degrees - well, that is what I explain to my family and friends as “my personal zone.” They’ve been trained to not startle me when I can’t see them inside that zone due to my having a very exaggerated startle response that might get them hit before I realize they’re not an enemy and am on the way to retrieving my firearm…as mentioned, that range is too close to draw really, so we have to push someone out of it to get our weapon drawn, usually.
Great post Idaho!! Thank you. I always look forward to seeing what is on here.
1 Like
I would blame millennials. In my classroom only two students will stand for the Pledge. One has a brother in the Marines and is himself joining the Army after graduating this year. The other just understands the concept of respect.
1 Like
Great article. I would agree with this when you’re talking about AFTER the whistle blows and it’s on.
As the article alluded to, most good outcomes are generated from avoiding the fight in the first place. There’s plenty to talk about with appeasement behavior leading up to a fist fight, victim selection leading up to predatory violence, and general situational awareness, but sometimes you end up fighting anyway.
I’ve seen a lot of fist fights brew up when I had a side-job working in a bar. I stopped most before they got bad, but not all of them. The three most common mistakes I see people make are…
- Not being able to walk away from an asshole.
- Being the asshole.
- Not keeping their hands up when the verbal engagement escalates to the moment of violence.
You can be ready without getting into a stance that says “let’s fight”. You can scroll up to read about prayer stance and variations thereof. Elbows in, hands up, feet staggered and rear foot on the toes. I haven’t run up against the meanest or baddest, just an assortment of bar assholes, but sticking to that concept has kept me safe on a number of occasions. You have to be ready to get hit, grabbed or stabbed and you have to be ready to counter with your own plan if you’re engaging with someone you think may get violent.
Lots of guys will literally chest-puff and flare their arms out, or stiffen their arms at their sides. I’ve seen one guy standing there with his hands in his pockets while some guy was raging at him in the parking lot. Folding the arms with the hands in the armpits is bad for a number of reasons too. Turning your back without moving away is an equally poor choice.
These unusually confident people often get decked with a sucker punch when the other guy decides it’s on while they were doing something useless with their hands. The next 13 seconds are off to a bad start. Don’t be like them.
1 Like
They didn’t get the idea to resent their own country by reaching that conclusion with an objective review of history. That idea was force-fed to them by folks with an agenda.
We could go off the rails for thousands of posts with this tangent and ruin what @idaho wants this thread to be. But blaming a generation of children for absorbing the lies they were told as children isn’t quite fair.
4 Likes
Thanks, brother, hope you are feeling better today.