Broken 44

So yesterday I took the ailing 44 Bulldog to the shop/range where I bought it to be shipped back to the factory. I showed it to the part time smith who pointed out that not only was the forcing cone split, but the frame as well. He said Charter is pretty good at fixing things like that, and that I'd most likely be sent a new gun. I was also told that the Charter of today doesn't produce the quality of firearm as in the past.

He also agreed that the cylinder end play was extreme.

The literature supplied with the pistol and the sticker on the box claim they have a "lifetime warranty" against materials and workmanship, but I wonder if they'll try to blame me for improper ammunition or something. Now it's a waiting game to see if they stand behind their product anything like Ruger does.

I have a Security Six that was fired so much that something inside the mechanism locked. I put many thousands of rounds of full house 357 rounds through that particular revolver. I sent it to Ruger asking for and estimate to repair, which I never received. What I received was a repaired and refitted revolver that cost only the shipping to them.

Many years later a friend gave me a Super Blackhawk with the barrel split full length. It was an obvious operator error. It looked like he followed a squib load with a full 44 Mag. cartridge. I sent it to Ruger for a requested estimate, and once again I received a fully repaired and refitted revolver for the cost of shipping.

So how will Charter Arms compare to this customer service? Maybe I'll find out in a couple of weeks.

Since I purchased it at that same shop, I wasn't charged for shipping. At least that's $35 that won't be coming from my pocket.

Happy Birthday

Yesterday evening we had a birthday pizza party here that the Boss organized to celebrate birthdays of January and February. The father-in-law (90), sister-in-law (64), myself (60), eldest son (39) and niece (19) all attended with other relatives and friends. We consumed 8 large pizzas and maybe 24 cupcakes.

Thankfully the Boss decided against candles. 272 flames might have been a fire hazard.
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I wonder if anyone noticed that I was carrying? I had been out and about so my 3" Kimber was on my hip. Once it's there, it tends to stay there until bed time. Even if somebody did notice the bulge under my T-shirt I doubt anything would be said. They all know me, and questioning, except with extreme politeness, what I do in my own home is very bad form. That's something that will get you thrown out on your ear.

Disappointing

A while back I posted about my Charter Arms 44 failing. A crack formed in the forcing cone. Something like 3 weeks ago I sent the customer service manager an e-mail, with pictures, asking if this is usual and if it's covered with any kind of warranty. So far there's no reply. This is disappointing.

The Bulldog not an expensive firearm by any stretch, and if I overused it compared to it's intended function, then so be it. But 4 or 5 hundred rounds in a couple of years is not excessive in my opinion, especially when shooting 240 grain cast lead at less then 700 f/s.

Despite it's problems I still like the little revolver. It's one of the very few double action revolvers that I can grip correctly and fire double action with just one hand. That's why I own just a couple of revolvers, and only the Bulldog is not intended as a hunting gun. The others are Rugers that I only shoot single action and with two hands.

So why not get a small framed Ruger or S&W? Because they don't come in a "large" caliber and because I'll never carry a revolver concealed. For concealed carry I carry a 3" 45, Kahr PM9 or the tiny KelTec 380, in that order of preference. And I can shoot them all one handed, with either hand. I want a 44 special just because . . . . well . . . . just because.

Tomorrow I'm going to re-up my membership at the outdoor shooting range, then stop by the indoor range where I purchased the Bulldog. I'll have a chat with the friendly gunsmith and see what he has to say about the situation.

I Forgot

Yep I completely forgot about Brownings birthday, the designer of my favorite pistol. Being 100 years old, it's one of the very few that fit my hands. Another is the Hi-Power that was started by JMB but not finished before his death.

In my humble opinion, the Hi-Power is a better design, except for that awful magazine disconnect. And the barrel action has been widely copied.

Browning was Utah born, and that state is considering adopting the M1911 as the state gun. They could do worse.

He Speaks

As a citizen who tries to stay informed concerning how the Fed Gov't is screwing us, one would think I'd be more interested in the yearly "pep rally" that's being conducted tonight. Well . . . . you'd be mistaken. You can tell a politician is lying when his mouth is moving. I'm a lot more interested in what they do, not what they say.

So tonight I'm watching recorded TV shows with the Boss.

1990 Again

At about 1990 I bought myself a birthday present. A Hi-Power semi-auto 9mm that accepts 13 round magazines. At the time I had no perceived need, nor even great desire for a weapon such as this. I bought it simply because Big Mommy passed a law saying that she didn't want me to have it. So I also acquired 6 additional magazines.

History is repeating itself once again. I can easily see another magazine capacity law coming.

There's nothing like a new gun control law to boost the firearms market. Maybe I should acquire more magazines for my AR and 30 carbine while I'm thinking about it. I've got plenty for the CETME now.

Why the Hi-Power? Because it's the only design, then or now, that accepts double stack magazines and still fits my small hand.

Only in WY

Not only is WY poised to become the fourth state that allows legal concealed carry without asking government permission, but they will actually allow hunter safety classes in public schools. It's not law as yet, but I'm sure it will be.

In my neck of the woods, imitating a gun with the thumb and first finger is cause for expulsion.

Bulging Discs

Earlier this week, the Boss had 2 injections in her spine for her multiple bulged discs. She didn't ask the Doc if it was simply for pain or if it's supposed to help healing. I guess it doesn't matter because she feels a lot better, and is walking almost normal again.

Next week she's to get 2 more injections followed by 6 weeks of physical therapy. I hope all this helps because I'd like to have the old wife back. Besides, I'm not yet ready to live like a monk. Wink. Wink.

Another Funeral

This morning I drove the Boss to attend yet another funeral. In the last couple of years we've attended way too many of those terrible events that are, in my opinion, archaic and completely unnecessary. The excuse for putting people through these ghastly events is to show respect for those left behind, comfort the grieving, and saying goodbye to the departed. Having been in every shoe except "the departed" I can tell you that all the reasons I've heard are nothing but BS. It doesn't help one little bit. In fact, funerals make the whole mess worse.

The only acceptable reason for having a funeral seems to be that others expect one, like a bunch of lemmings running off a cliff.

Happy Birthday

To me.
I was born 60 years ago today.
For some reason I just don't feel that old, . . . . . most of the time.

Blame the Object, Not the Person

There are 2 individuals and 39 guns that live in this house. Between the 2 of us we own 40 firearms, with one presently on loan. Of the forty guns none have hurt a single human being since coming to our home. None have been used to commit a crime or managed to commit a crime all by themselves. Not even the evil black rifles.

Now I must admit that 1 or 2 of the old bolt action military rifles might have been used as a weapon of war. It's possible that the SMLE, Mosin Nagant, Arisaka or one of the Mausers were a tool of human destruction. But I'm positive none did this all alone without human intervention.

In a society with the liberties we enjoy, and accept as being the way life should be, bad things happen at the hands of bad people. Removing those liberties have never helped eliminate the evil things that some men do. Historically this has been proven time and time again. Wishing it different will not make it different.

This shouldn't happen in this country, or anywhere else, but in a free society we're going to be subject to people like this. I prefer this to the alternative. - John Green, father of 9 year old Christina Green From Kevin

So why do some blame the gun for evil acts, when the facts prove different? They say that easy access costs lives when even recent history tells a different story. Every country that has restricted citizen access to guns, especially relative free societies, has experienced a surge in violent crime. Where guns are outlawed, genocide has frequently resulted. Violent crime rate here in the US has been decreasing while gun ownership has increased, and at an explosive rate the last 2 years.

I suspect that some just don't like guns or don't trust their own responsibility which is projected onto others.

Then others truly want to reduce evil acts, but just can't make it happen. They don't know what else can be done other than blame the inanimate object. What they can't understand is that if they had their way, they'd actually make it worse.

Sheep & Sheepdogs

Remember the school board shooting that happened recently? You know, the one where only a woman had the balls to try and disarm the wack-job, and everyone else were sheep?

Now the wack-job in Arizona gets off many rounds while, again, the sheep cower, except for one guy. This guy happened to be carrying, but decided to grapple the bad guy instead. And he represents the type of people that the anti-gunners want to disarm. Time and time again the armed citizen has stopped the madness, before the police could arrive. Yeah, the police, those that come after it happens to investigate.

When will the sheep ever learn that sheepdogs are necessary in society?

2 Cripples

For the last few years the Boss has had occasional back pain, usually after indulging in more than usual physical activity. She had attributed this to arthritis along the lower spine, like her sister has.

Then in the last yeas she's had occasional leg pain that's been progressively worse.

About halfway through my post surgery physical therapy, the Boss also started going through therapy, mostly to help with her leg pain (inflamed bursa). It helped her leg issue, but post therapy exercising created extreme back pain, probably helped along by her moving some furniture by herself. And recently she fell down the stairs, landing very hard on one butt cheek, which is now turning purple.

She calls it "the dark side of the moon".

Early this week she saw a pain management specialist. According to the Doc., she has 2 bulging disks in her lower spine. Now she's taking vicodin to dull the pain. Next week she'll get some sort of injection in her spine. For now she can hardly move.

So now I'm a lot better, but usually stiff and sore, and she's practically an invalid like I was.

I'll be turning 60 tomorrow, and the Boss asked what I want for my birthday. I answered a healthy wife.

This too shall pass.

Sick Bulldog

Well it seems that more than just a little gunsmithing is needed. Before cleaning I was checking to determine what I could learn that might explain the inconsistent double action trigger feel. The first thing I found was that this revolver has significantly more cylinder end play than my Rugers. It's enough such that I think the head of the cartridge might occasionally bind on the frame.

The second thing I found caused me to stop investigating the inconsistent trigger. If you look closely at the photos taken before cleaning the weapon, you'll see a crack in the bottom of the forcing cone. I sent an e-mail to Charter Arms. We'll wait and see what kind of a reply I get.

Taxes European Style

According to an e-mail I just received;

United Kingdom
Income Tax: 50%
VAT: 17.5% TOTAL: 67.5%

France
Income Tax: 40%
VAT: 19.6% TOTAL: 59.6%

Greece
Income Tax: 40%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 65%

Spain
Income Tax: 45%
VAT: 16% TOTAL: 61%

Portugal
Income Tax: 42%
VAT: 20% TOTAL: 62%

Sweden
Income Tax: 55%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 80%

Norway
Income Tax: 54.3%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 79.3%

Netherlands
Income Tax: 52%
VAT: 19% TOTAL: 71%

Denmark
Income Tax: 58%
VAT: 25% TOTAL: 83%

Finland
Income Tax: 53%
VAT: 22% TOTAL: 75%

And so if you're one of those that want to be more like Europe, keep this in mind. Also keep in mind that a couple of those countries have, or are on the verge of defaulting. Large social programs don't even work in small countries. Here in the US, disaster awaits.

At The Range . . . . Finally

Today I managed to get to a local indoor range for some recently rare trigger time. Other than a few rounds of demonstration, I hadn't thrown lead since sometime in September, before surgery. It sure felt good to erase the withdrawal symptoms, even if only to prove that handgun skills erode. I also once again proved to myself that double action revolvers, in double action, are significantly more difficult to shoot with accuracy than a single action semi-auto.

Most of my trigger time was with the 22 long rifle through a Browning Buckmark and an old Charter double action revolver. At 50 feet everything through the Buckmark was within a 4 inch diameter circle, and 8 inches for the revolver. That was about 150 rounds split between them.

I also did some weak hand and strong hand only shooting at 50 feet with the Buckmark. The results are too embarrassing to report.

I then fired 50 rounds of 44 special, double action and two handed, through my Bulldog. I was able to keep all within the torso of a half sized silhouette target, also at 50 feet. By the time I got to the Bulldog I was shooting a little better, despite the weird trigger pull. That gun is nice and crisp, single action, but inconsistent double action. When shooting double action it will sometimes feel like it is binding. A little gunsmithing may be in order.

Which One ?

We received new furniture for the family room today, including 3 end tables. One of the tables has a compartment that 's not noticeable unless you know it's there. The Boss, bless her heart, said that's a good place to stash a gun. Now comes the hard part. Which one?

Read What ??

I find it mildly amuzing that there's such a stir concerning members of the house reading the constitution. After all they all swear to uphold the constitution, so why not read what it says.

I'd bet those that protested the loudest would rather there wasn't such a document, and many others had absolutely no idea what it says.

Concealed Carry, Thoughts From a Professional

A very good, informative post.
Being Smart at Concealed Carry

Fundamentally concealed carry is a comprehensive approach to predicting the future. No different than the reason we wear seat belts. . . . . When we walk out the door there are inherent risks and unforeseeable events in the day ahead that may prove detrimental to your over all well being; therefore you take precautions.

The short of it is this. Some men are bent on destruction, their end goal is to inflict mental and physical trauma on people, make widows and orphans and take the lives of children from their parents. Know your target, accurately assess the crisis at hand and engage. Men and women who aren't willing to stand up and fight to safe guard life are in the way of those who are.

Christmas Presents

This Christmas the Boss decided that several of my T-shirts were beyond usefulness. I disagree. So what if they're faded, have small holes and the pictures and/or writing is worn off. They're comfortable. There's a reason I call her the Boss, so at least they'll be useful rags. In any case I now have 6 new politically incorrect T-shirts, my favorite kind. One of the best says "don't be stupid, we have politicians for that".

According to one comedian I must be a red neck because all of my T-shirts have a picture or writing on them.

Another item of note from the Boss is a book entitled Understanding Firearm Ballistics by Robert A. Rinker. On the front it says "Basic to Advanced Ballistics Simplified, Illustrated & Explained". And yes it does contain good information that is basic, all the way to advanced. If you're into this sort of thing, and you're also into math, science or engineering it's well worth your while. I'm now on page 126 and it's still interesting.

New Ruger 9MM

I see now that Ruger has a miniature 9MM. For me at least, they're a little too late, by a couple of years. That's when I was looking for a pistol smaller than my 3 inch 1911, but with more punch than a 380. At the time the only thing that fit the bill was the Kahr PM9. Springfield had a small 1911 in 9MM that I liked better but I wasn't prepared to spend twice as much for a sometimes carry piece. I prefer to carry the 3 inch 1911 in 45ACP.

If you consider the specifications you'll see that the PM9 is smaller and weighs less than the new Ruger. Unfortunately the PM9 also costs considerably more.

I think a more direct competitor might be the Kahr CW9. I also considered one of those, but found it wasn't enough smaller or weighed enough less than my Kimber Ultra Carry to be worth spending the dollars on the difference.

So depending on the situation, what I'm doing, where I'm going and what I'm wearing, my choices are 3" 1911 in 45ACP, Kahr PM9 in 9MM and Keltec P-3AT in 380. In that order.

And as usual, your mileage may vary.

Still no Satisfaction

I had hoped to get to a range today for some one on one time with a few of my toys. Unfortunately it just wasn't to be. And that's a shame because I'm having some withdrawal symptoms. I haven't launched any lead but one time since September. Which end does the bullet come out of again?

I spent this weekend helping the Boss (she fell down the stairs) and doing some household repairs that have been on hold because of my hip replacement surgery. Bummer.

Anniversary

In about 2 weeks I will have been a temporary employee for 1 year. My co-workers occasionally ask when they're just going to hire me. My standard reply is that they are not going to hire me because this is less expensive for them. Being an old geezer engineer means I have a slim chance of finding other employment. At about the same time as my first anniversary I'll also be turning 60. GASP!!

I found a company document that states their standard practise is to go temporary for 18 months and then re-evaluate. What I think will happen is the same as for another engineer they hired. He was temporary until getting an offer from another company, then he was offered a direct hire instead of temporary.

Assuming I find another position that I want, this place will be out of luck since I don't play those games. If I'm offered another position that is satisfactory then I'm gone. I won't play their little game. I'll turn in my notice and leave. Assuming, that is, another place wants an old grandfather engineer.

Odorous Candidate

On FOX News this morning there was speculation as to who from the GOP might be running for the fun of challenging Obama. The consensus is that the decision of Palin will have a big effect. Well I suppose it will. I don't know why I pay any attention because anyone having a chance to win in a national election is never conservative enough for me. It seems that I always end up holding my nose when casting the presidential ballot.

They also talked about whether this congress could accomplish anything. Other than driving a stake into Obamacare and passing a budget that makes sense for a change, I hope we have continual gridlock. As long as they do nothing, then they can't screw up the country any more than it is now. The more government does, the worse it gets.

Down She Goes

A few days ago the Boss had an accident. She was carrying he laptop computer and power cord down the stairs. She dropped the cord, slipped on it and fell down the stairs on her ass. Now one cheek is much larger than the other and sports a completely new color. Adding that to what sounds like a pinched nerve causing shooting pains down her leg and she's less than mobile.

If you looked at her ass, and you better not, you get a view of the sunny side and dark side of the moon, at the same time.

Now I'm not completely back to normal from hip replacement surgery, so between us we have just one healthy body. Neither of us are mobile without some degree of pain.