Jan 1, 2016

Yes, George, a Happier New Year to All of Us

For my friends and enemies:  I'm afraid I must insist that you read Mr. Wills' review of the year just interred. If it is credibly reported that you don't, I shall disappear you with my magic ring, even if it gets me suspended from 4th grade.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/goodbye-to-2015-a-year-of-absurdity-and-overreach/2015/12/30/16cdaa4a-ae6e-11e5-b711-1998289ffcea_story.html




Dec 13, 2015

Just another old Mossberg

I've sometimes mentioned my weakness for old Mossberg .22s, the price-point builds from mid-century. We  cheapskates who like them tend to be a little apologetic for the apparent penuriousness this implies.

But, then, there's my buddy Genius Jeff.




Once delivered to his shop as woodless and near-worthless junk.


















A little case-hardening...



A little polish and blue work. 





All topped off with a period-correct tang peeper.



The wood speaks for itself on this Mossy Model L, a falling block, .22 rimfire single-shot with a lever that would have made John Wayne nod in approval.





Dec 11, 2015

I'll bet they would be fine with the USS Jesse Jackson

If the twee-twee left wants to wet itself about naming a new man-of-war after Andrew Jackson, let it be consistent. To be more precise, the hanky wringers object to naming the ship after Jackson, Mississippi, which was named after Old Hickory.

The beef is that Jackson held slaves a generation before the Civil War and that he killed some Indians and pushed others around via the Indian Removal Act. Therefore it is horrible to memorialize him even as a second-hand namesake for the new littoral combat ship.

It is  fine to debate the issue  but only if we apply a logical consistency. What, then, do our air headed ninnies propose  as new names for Washington, D.C. and Washington state?  How about, for the capital, Ignoramia?

And for the state maybe Rain-in-the Face?

I leave it to others to quell the anguished cries of American citizens unaware that George owned some black slaves and was never known for close personal relationships with his  Chickahominy neighbors.

Sep 30, 2015

Gun show giggles

As World War Two segued into Korea, a hot spot in the Cold War, I was almost old enough for the Boy Scouts and all those camping adventures. I decided to be prepared, so I haunted the war surplus stores. They were jammed with left-over field gear, and even the poorest kids could afford it. A dime would get you a canteen. A quarter would buy an entrenching tool and a buck both halves of a pup tent.

My camping kit was so composed. We argued about which was neater, official Boy Scout stuff or the equipment "our guys" used to wipe out the dirty Krauts and Japs. The latter was infinitely cheaper and hence, in  those days of small incomes, won the argument.

No one ever thought of "collecting" web and leather gear. How could you imagine collecting something as plentiful as dandelions? You bought the stuff and used it, period.

Flash forward a few decades and check the 21st Century prices  for 1940s militaria and note the awe with which some identify the stuff as jen-you-ine World War 2  relics. The louder and more precisely pronounced the "jen-you-ine," the higher the price.

I started noticing the trend early enough to take small advantage of an unsettled and asymmetric market and started picking up the stuff at garage sales and auctions. A buck here, two there,  up to three for decent 1911 holsters. Over the years the stash grew big enough to outfit a fire team (roughly two privates and a PFC or junior corporal), then, most of a squad (roughly three fire teams under a buck sergeant).

And I started taking a liking for and interest in all that canvas, webbing, and leather, so kept it up. If I live long enough and don't run  out of storage space,  I may someday correctly fancy  myself able to supply a platoon.

Especially if I keep going to gun shows in semi-northern Minnesota, home of the clueless.



Five bucks for the .45 holster, two each for the first aid (and compass) pouches. An 11-dollar total for a dandy addition to my pile. The holster especially tickles me because it is much better than the picture shows. It looks warped because someone set heavy stuff atop it, but the lack of inside wear suggests it hardly ever housed a pistol.

A small geekout for serious aficionados:

The holster is undated, made by Gratton and Knight, issued in russet, and blackened later, suggesting manufacture during or after the big war and possible re-issue for Vietnam,  by which time most of them were issued in black.

The top two pouches are pre-war or early war. The color is OD3. The bottom example is later, perhaps 1943 forward, in OD7.  (OD=olive drab). They're almost universally called first-aid pouches and were designed to hold a Carlisle bandage. At some point the Army decided they were fine compass carriers, too.

And that's what I did on my vacationette last weekend. Doing it in company of two fine St. Cloud kids, who are not among the clueless,  just made it all the more pleasant.