A Thought On Iraq . . .

¶ . . . My purpose is generally to post up my shooting activities and excursions, but I feel the need to weigh in on Iraq. Let me preface this by saying that I always feel uneasy discussing views on military actions as I have never seen combat nor, regrettably, have I even served in the Armed Forces. This may well be the cause of my great admiration for the men and women in uniform . . .
   . . . Hearing about a “delay” in the drafting of the Iraqi Constitution yesterday caused me further consternation in the ongoing actions there. I can’t say as I am well versed on all the occurrences since the March/April 2003 ouster of Saddam Hussein; my information comes mainly from news radio and what I read at times on the Internet. Republican and conservative by nature, I nevertheless tend to eschew the talk radio circuit. That being said, I fully supported the Bush Administration’s giving the boot to Saddam, but now I have my concerns about any kind of democracy taking root in what appears to me to be rocky soil at best.
   . . . I'm dismayed at reports of Sunnis not wanting federalism or this or that terrain, Kurds wanting Kirkuk or whatever, Shi’ites an Iranian-style theocracy; the country is already Balkanized, and I hesitate to even call it a country yet. Indeed, rocky at best.
   . . . I fear that some would not really regard mine as an objective opinion, as I now have someone near and dear to me recently enlisted in military service. I also feel deeply for those that have paid the ultimate price: the losses of loved ones in the just defense of liberty. But should we continue to build a nation that seems unable and unwilling to live as free men? As we near the 2,000 count of KIA’s should we sacrifice more? I tend to think not. Would we be branded as "quitters” or “losers” if we come home? I think not nor do I give a rat’s ass one way or another! In the meantime, let's allow the officers to prosecute this action and let our warriors take the gloves off! Every time I hear or read the dreaded acronym "ROE," for "Rules of Engagement," I cringe!
   . . . God Bless all who have served.

Out Of The Frying Pan . . . Literally!!

¶ . . . But not into the fire!! Week Two of my vacation had me heading out to Vegas to rescue my Ma from the searing heat, 120 degrees in Henderson. I walked out of a casino last Monday at 10:30 PM and it was still 102 degrees!! Next morning it was off to Tahoe!! 82 high temp, 42 low, you do the math! I felt like a hero to my dear ol' Ma. We drove up via NV 266/CA 168, cutting the White Mountains, adding a couple more Nevada Historical Markers to my list,the Palmetto site pictured here. Gave my Ma a whirlwind tour of US 395, Mammoth Lakes, Tahoe, Reno, Carson City, and Virginia City/Gold Canyon. I even turned a profit in the Horizon casino in Stateline, NV!! As always, a great time.

Advertising Apropos . . .

¶ . . . I'll be back soon, but I just had to put in a mini-post about how ecstatic I am to finally see my Google Ads finally feature items that might be of interest to my fellow gunslingers and outdoor enthusiasts alike . . .

Closure With Jiffy Lube . . .

¶ . . . Oh yeah, Jiffy Lube. As to my Yuletide dealings with these losers, I'm happy to report that they did come through with the proper recompense for the malpractice upon my vehicle, though it took a week to get my car and another two months for the reimbursement on the car rental. They did pay the full amount, not the "$20.00 a day" they told me was policy. It came out to more like $35.00. But, they did pay. Still, needless to say, I'll never take my vehicles to them or any other of their ilk. I now just drive out to Simi Valley to avail myself of the cheap Wal-Mart service there: no hard-sell, no offering to "fix" things "at a cut-rate," no other offers to use my car as an educational medium for nascent hammer mechanics.
    . . . My appreciation for righting an incompetence, but you'll not see me again!!

The Eastern Sierra . . .

¶ . . . I returned Friday morning from a quick yet wide-ranging excursion on the Sierran eastside, Tom's Place to Bridgeport/Twin Lakes. Prior to my arrival to Mammoth Lakes I journeyed up the well maintained Rock Creek road, a fine asphalt elevator to 10,000-plus feet elevation and the Little Lakes Valley Trailhead. This bears a return trip as a conversation with the ranger revealed it is a very easy day-hike to the backcountry, with evidence I had read about before of . . .mining activity! In fact, apparently, as i discovered later, Union Carbide still has a tungsten operation in the area.
    . . . The "Volcanic Auto Tour" served as the outline for Thursday's expedition. The tour guide, a small but informative pamphlet, is available at the Mammoth Lakes Visitor Center on State Highway 203.
    . . . The first stop, at the 203/US 395 junction, is the marker for Casa Diablo and is near the geothermal powerplant; it's said it supplies a third of the electrical requirement to the town of Mammoth Lakes. Continuing north, you encounter some interesting sites: Lookout Mountain (my favorite), Obsidian Dome, the Mono Craters, Panum Crater, and others. Some lightweight off-roading was required, the toughest being Lookout Mountain, but my '99 Saturn SL served well! I began early in the AM, so everywhere I went, excepting Panum Crater (a few hikers), I was alone.
    . . . "Good, by God, I'm going to Bodie!" (my preferred rendition of the famous quote!) I thought as I headed off east on the CA 270/ Bodie Rd. turn-off. It was actually quite pleasant for the middle of July, low 80's/ high 90's. I arrived at the perfect time to take in the tour of the Standard Stamp Mill, a twenty-stamper, and of course, I ate it all up. I even "got a job" as an electrician in the mill at $5.00 a day (miners got $4.00). VileBill highly recommends this side trip, whether you're a ghost town/mining buff or not. Bring water and a lunch and get the excellent self guided tour brochure at the ranger kiosk. The thirteen mile road to the townsite is paved but for the last three miles, but the "washboard attributes" have been smoothed-out since I was last there in '97. I seem to remember on a visit as a youngster the whole stretch was a washboard. Even people with trailers were up there this time. There had to be about two hundred people at the site on this visit.
    . . . Next, up to Twin Lakes, thirteen miles southwest out of Bridgeport. These are two quite large Sierran lakes, tarns I think, and are true jewels in the crown. At the upper lake you can even park next to the shore and fish from right next to your car. Another VileBill recommendation!
    . . . Though the Saturn has served me well and, continues to do so, it is a real dog on steep grades, again experienced on the next stop: Saddlebag Lake via CA 120/ Tioga Pass. Word was that the lake, at 10,000 feet plus, was still iced over; not so, but it sure was complete mosquito-ville here and at Lee Vining Creek, site of Bennettville, an old mining town. I should have hiked up to it; Ghost Towns.com shows structures there, but after reading the marker I got the impression it was wiped out. Next time!!
    . . . In only a two-night stay I completed a one-day, two hundred mile-plus tour of this East Sierra area, backroads, too, and came away with some good memories and only a few mosquito bites. What John Muir called the "Range of Light" is truly God-blessed and I'm grateful for it. There's nothing like it elsewhere on this Earth. Don't miss it!!

Shooting Las Vegas . . .

¶ . . . I finally planned one of my visits to the parents in Vegas to coincide with a match out there. I brought out my Commander for this one. The previous day I went to the gun show at Cashman Field (The Costa Mesa one is bigger, but this one has more of the evil weapons and their accessories for sale.) and purchased the complement of CMC Power Mags. Boy, what a difference from the Wilson Combat issue! The gun ran absolutely perfect (the fact that it doglegs left notwithstanding!), no FTF's, jams, extraction failures, etc. I was very pleased. My poor showing was not helped by my situation with my sights. Except for the confusing "house" at Stage #1, I think I could have done much better.Sin City Shooters, the local USPSA/IPSC club there puts on a good match up at the Desert Sportsmen's club site adjacent to Red Rock Canyon. Neat range, but no shade! Don't know if I'll shoot this in the summer months, it was pretty hot this (May) go-round. All in all, a great Vegas run this time.

There's A First (Last) For Everything . . .

¶ . . . and I finally did it!! I finished last place in April's club match! And with my newly acquired pistol to boot!! April Match Results are here if you want to see the sorry details!!

Match Day, April 2005

¶ . . . Today I brought out my recently acquired Para Ordnance .45 to give it a real - time run at this month's club match. Man, what a difference from my tiny Commander!! This gun shoots real light with its tungsten guide rod and with some not - so - especially - light loads!! I did have some magazine issues, however, but I believe I loaded them up too much to their liking. The mags are a little old, too, so I think I'll tune them up forthwith by getting some new bases, springs, and followers. Again, the pistol itself ran great and my ammo functioned well (although it was recommended I might try shortening them a bit. I'll go to 1.235"). It's larger size sure fills out my hand well, too.
. . . The fact that I have a new pistol DID NOT, however, bring about any miraculous performances!! I'm still getting "lost" on stages ("Pay attention & plan them out!!") and I still don't have a steady hand for the "aimed" shots, i.e. plates, distance, Mozambiques. When I do get a good run it's marred by mikes or no - shoot penalties.
. . .Match Results as soon as they are posted.

V.B.'s Combat Shooting Genesis . . .

(Thought I'd put in this previously unpublished piece from 19 January 2005 about my competition origins. Hopefully it will inspire some that would like to learn to actively use their weapons competitively AND how to keep them running!!)

19 January 2005

¶ - The genesis of my Competitive Shooting career came about when I realized that my ownership of a firearm was, well, pretty dull without regular usage. I wanted to shoot frequently, but the only outlets I was familiar with were the desert or National Forest lands or indoor shooting ranges. The former are fast disappearing due to rapid population influx and the latter are just plain dull! One requires an environment where it is possible to have "free form" workouts. Here is where it all began for me, the great group of men I have been privileged to associate with, and how you, too, can get involved in this great and extremely rewarding pursuit.


About three years past I took the cash I had earned as an umpire and bought a Colt M1911 (Combat Commander,Stainless) pistol. I took it once to an indoor range and another time out to the range in San Francisquito Canyon. What a dud! Standing there slowly, plink...plink...plink..." The places I had known in earlier years were no more; there had to be something better. Sure, I knew about the U.S. Olympic team and Camp Perry, but was there some kind of "combat pistol" competition (a la the combat course in the picture "Magnum Force")?


My best recollection is that an Internet search provided me with the International Defensive Pistol Association and the United States Practical Shooting Association/ International Practical Shooting Confederation.


The IDPA site, while the premise itself was attractive,and has from what I later learned some large names in the sport, appeared to be somewhat of an "upstart" league. Its disgruntled allusion to the USPSA, well, naturally, occasioned my gravitation to the USPSA. The USPSA looked to be THE major entity in the kind of gunplay I was looking for and were the U.S. governing body of the International Practical Shooting Confederation(the "practical" shooting aspect derives from a more "P.C" manner to present the game to the international community.). This looked like a happening scene.

So, after finding a local club with the "club finder," I fire off an e-mail to the director of the Southwest Pistol League and the next day . . .the next day I get a response! I was impressed. The gent instucts me to go up to Piru and check it out. What luck! As I'm standing around with my best lost-and-a-newbie look, the first guy I happen to run into happens to be a champion USPSA shooter and lets me tag along. I observe for one more match after this, this same guy outfits me with my rig, and it's on!!The rest is history in the making! I've been at it ever since! This has become the passion in my spare time, my avocation, as it were. I now am a member of a pretty good club, with "my own" place to practice and practice the way I like, as it pertains to the game.What a hoot!

Oklahoma 2005, Part II

(Read the preceding entry first for chronology's sake!!)
¶ . . . Sunday was to turn out to be a much better outing. I stopped first at Stockyard City in downtown OKC. It was kind of neat for the clothing stores there. Then I went over to the Oklahoma City Memorial.
The Memorial here is very touching and very well done. What struck me most deeply was at the west side adjacent to the Catholic Church was a large statue of Jesus Christ, facing away from the building site with his face in his hands, as if to be crying in shame and despair. I failed to get a picture of this, but I will next time.

Next I visited Bricktown, also downtown; pretty much just a cental watering hole area. Didn't stay here to long.
Next was the real highlight of the whole weekend. Over to the 45th Infantry Division Museum. I spent about three hours here. It is free to go in, they ask only for a donation, but it isn't pushed. Give 'em a couple of bucks: it's definitely worth it. Lots of vehicles on the surrounding grounds, World War II to post-Viet Nam, including trucks, artillery, armor, and aircraft. The small appearance of size of the building from the outside belies the amount of treasures within!! Mostly militaria from World War I through Gulf War I. There is a great tribute to Bill Mauldin, caricaturist of the WWII Dogfaces and a display of a few hundred of his cartoons. Very well done.
The real highlight here however is the museum's weapon collection. Donated by a private citizen it is one of the best I have ever seen. Though relatively small in size, I believe it rivals that of the extremely large collections of the J.M. Davis Arms & Historical Museum, Claremore, OK, and the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, Cody, WY. Weapons include pieces from the Colonial Period through Gulf War I, with a good array of WWII and Korea-era battlefield weapons, mortars, recoilless rifles, etc. Any history buff traveling through Oklahoma City should make it a point to reserve time to visit this property, absolutely a true gem!!

Oklahoma 2005, Part I

¶ . . . As promised, some on my trip to Indian Territory . . .
The one weekend I was there I took to the road, as usual. Dodge City, Kansas it was this time, as any real Wild West aficionado, I thought, should make a pilgrimage. This has to be one of the biggest all-time duds I have ever experienced!! What a total letdown!! So-called "Front Street," actually really a front pushed back from U.S. 50, wouldn't have made even a good movie set!! The cowboy town for the S.A.S.S. guys at 5-Dogs in Bakersfield looked more realistic!! And for an added touch of realism, there was an Applebee's restaurant on the corner of it!! Even though it was a Saturday, the Visitor Center was closed; only the kitschy gift shop was open. This didn't even warrant a purchase of the customary 'fridge magnet!! After not even an hour, I was able to call my parents and say for real:
"I'm gettin' out of Dodge!!"
Though this would eventually turn out to be a 700 mile day, I decided I would just head back to Norman (which was a good thing; Sunday's outing was superb. Next post will have that!).
¶ . . . In summary, you can pretty much scratch Kansas off of any list of places I would want to live!! Although my Pop says the run along I-70 to the north is pretty nice, I'm not buyin'!!

Back From Indian Territory . . .

¶ . . . I'm a little tardy in posting, seeing as how I've been back from Indian Territory for a week now. . .
. . . I did make it out to Norco before I flew out and shot with the Running Gun guys and had a real swell time! I saw a Texas Star (though not this fancy) for the first time and boy was it tough!! Wasn't able to clean it off. Shot at my usual ability, could do better if I could work out my gun malfs. I did feel I was hitting my reloads well, however, so there's much improvement there. Six stages, including a classifier, "El Strong and Weak Pres." You can get Match Results here.
Out to Lopez Canyon the next day to complete two days of shoot-'em-up before my trip, the usual malfs/jams/screw-ups, but it's great to get in this much gunslinging. Sure need those weekends off!! Match Results here.
. . .Oklahoma, Kansas, and the 45th Infantry Division Museum in OKC in forthcoming post . . .

I'm Going To OKC . . .

¶ . . . It's off to the Great State of Oklahoma (OK!!) come this Monday, but not before I head out with my blaster for some back - to - back pistolero action, IPSC - style, with the boys at Norco Running Gun and then my esteemed fellow gunslingers at Lopez Canyon.
I really like my Postal training excursions to the Sooner State. Hopefully the Owlhoot Trail will take me up to Dodge City, Kansas this go 'round. Yee-Haw!!

Area 2 3 - Gun Championships . . .

¶. . . Went out last weekend to the Area 2 3-Gun Championships at the 5 Dogs Rifle & Pistol Range. It's a little northeast of Bakersfield, east of the Oildale area, and it's quite a range. To me, it seemed gigantic, a neat looking Cowboy town for the Cowboy Action shooters, plenty of action pistol bays, and expansive rifle ranges. I tagged along for five stages with Darin and Rob and got a good look at the action. I even got to talk a few minutes with Matt Burkett!(No, Darin, I'm not asking for his autograph!)
This is another shooting discipline that's definitely for me, but as long as I reside here in Kalifornia, it's gonna be tough. I cannot purchase the proper weapons here. Shooting Heavy Metal is possible, but no optics, and the outlook for tricking-out a Ruger Mini-14 is not very encouraging.
The Battle Born State continues to look more and more attractive, its siren call beckoning!!

A Note On On - Line Poker . . .

¶. . . Just nickel and dime, I know, but I've gone from twelve bucks to fifty-eight dollars this past week playing Texas Hold'em a few minutes a pop a couple of nights.
. . . Would be kind of cool to say, "I bought this shotgun with my poker take!"

Target Practice Notes . . .

¶. . . a brief session out at the range to try what I learned from the Matt Burkett conversation with Brian Enos: starting the fundamentals by shooting from the bench, learning to "call the shot," and learning to keep from blinking. As pertains to the bench work, I took to task the sight alignment on the target and not "waiting for the perfect alignment." As was stated, my gun is already aimed, it's the "mischievous friend" out there moving the target about. What can be done about that? Nothing! Shift more consciousness to the hands and pulling off the shot and . . . my groups moved into the center (from the left) and though not so tight yet, were considerably closer, within six inches. This at twenty five yards. Great! Can' say as I've made any progress toward not blinking or calling the shot, however. I'll keep up the practice, I can do quite a bit with a brief run up there.
Worked a few "Bill Drills," the 50-yard plate a little, too. Some slower, more patient execution seems to be the order for now, let's remember this next match!!

An Intoduction To Trap Shooting . . .

¶ Well, today was kind of neat . . . I went up to the range to help on the work party scheduled for today and I'm quite glad I did! I helped a couple of the guys install a pedestrian gate at the entry (which came out looking pretty good!) and afterwards I got an intro to trap shooting from Maurice P., a fellow club member: singles and doubles. It was really quite fun! I guess I got a chance to shoot at least fifty birds, so it was a pretty good introduction and more of a workout than I had thought. I shot the singles with a . . . single barrel, and the doubles with a . . . double (over and under)! I actually hit the very first few that I attempted!! Can't say that for the doubles . . . they're pretty tough. I inquired about the club's involvement in the "Round Robin," so maybe I'll look into getting a trap gun and pursue this. Sporting Clays look rather intriguing, also. Oh, to have the time . . .

24 January 2005

¶  Up to the range yesterday, Sunday, with great intentions, recently acquired knowledge, and my new Limcat Stealth holster. And another disaster it was, too!! In the box for Stage 5, I reached over to pick up a mag up off of the ground and the gun fell out of my holster! I didn't lock it, something I hadn't accustomed myself to yet (reason, not excuse!). Concept grasped: Do NOTHING other than start the stage after the gun is loaded and made ready! Other items shown to need work:

• Practice my draws


• Acquiring the grip


• Presentation


• Off the table


• GOTTA NAIL THOSE RELOADS!!


• Sight align/picture


• Patience, and


• The long shot!!

  Not an auspiscious start for 2005, so let's get out to the range for those workouts and do the home drills!
MATCH RESULTS

17 January 2005

¶ . . .I just started one of the free website hosting services to see if it's worth the effort to actually get my very own. The one at Tripod looked to be OK as I have a choice of using the "auto" or HTML forms of editing, so I gave it a shot. As soon as it's presentable, I'll link from here to it. What little I've done so far with this weblog and trying to learn a little of writing code from scratch has demonstrated that it all can be quite time consuming, so I'll try to stay motivated and do a little at a time.

¶ . . .Wasn't able to go up to the range for some practice today do to the damage from the weather inclement of late, so I did some reloading and readied-up my pistol for the coming weekend match. I was up there yesterday and the road was barely passable for a sedan like mine. I sure wanted to work on my draw and presentation.

12 January 2005

¶  Trying this with my editor:  Getting ready to start a new pistol season, so lets see if I can put together some of the things I've learned the past two years.I had been practicing some more toward the end of the last year,applying some of the principles I've learned from the videos I "won" in November. The heavy rains of the past three weeks has put a damper on that; however, I should be able to head up to the club Monday for another workout before next week's match. I should also have my new holster by then!