Relax, Pauline. You're not going over the cliff. You are the succulent trough from which our Masters slurp, and they're smart enough -- just barely -- to keep you breathing. Certainly they'll rip your petticoats and rape you a little bit, but in due course you'll up and around, fattening yourself for the next episode. Which will end like this one, music at crescendo, another drama under the glaring Kliegs, and the most egregious case of political ham-acting since Marc Antony delivered extemporaneous remarks over the corpse of Caesar.
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It's fun to watch the posturing, like an evening at Bedlam, but it's too easy to have moments of taking these apes seriously. Resist that. Pay attention to the fine print projected hazily on the scrim:
"What liars these political things be."
For those lacking time or motivation to follow the link, the historical evidence shows governments as perpetual payday loan clients. Give them a new dollar and they will spend it, plus some -- $1.04 to $1.80, depending on how you slice and dice the survey data.
Dec 5, 2012
Dec 4, 2012
Gun porn, incomplete
Too late, after I locked them back up, it occurred to me that that I was one gun shy of hilarious vulgarity. There's 38 on top, descending to 22. The shot needs another 38 below, but I don't feel like re-opening the safe.
It's 1918 vintage. Someone later dressed it in beautiful Colt OEM walnut bloomers. They would be lovely adorning any of six or eight other D-frame models, just not this one. Anyone with proper hard rubber care to swap?
There's a small stash of .38 SW here, but I'll probably want to shoot more than that. I can reload with the .38 Special dies (albeit possibly with some crimping challenges). The .357* cast bullets will work well enough, and in extremis for brass I can trim .38 Special cases to fit. (Probably, anyway. I haven't looked into the rim-thickness question yet.)
The Hi-Standard Sentinel is one of those comfortable mid-grade guns that just "is" -- not special, no particular history or other distinction, but a kick to shoot. We pulled onto K's personal air strip on the way home and ran a few cylinders offhand just for the pleasure of listening to the noise and watching dirt fly around the only handy target, a corn husk 20 - 25 feet off. I nailed it a time or two double action and figure I scattered the rest over a dinner plate area. A big dinner plate.
But Jim, you damned fool, you already got enough guns and, besides, you ain't made of money.
Quite true, but let me explain it this way: "Bugger off."
Alternatively, take the $xxx Federal Reserve Cartoon price and calculate how few zillionths of a nanosecond it will take Ben to create xxx new ones out of thin air. He can't make Colts or even Hi Standards at all, even if we give him a 3D printer.
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*The .38 SW caliber spec is .361. The Brits designated the round .38-200. It used a 200-grain bullet which gave Tommy's leftenant leisure for a spot of tea before it became time to see if his projectile had yet struck the Hun.
The Police Positive is sort of a B-cup D-frame -- in .38 Colt New Police, equal to .38 S & W. There's no real difference, but originally there was an up-front variance. Colt got caught with its pants down in the revolver ammo wars of a century ago, so it stole the .38 Short Wimp. It gave up when no one was fooled by the cosmetic difference, a flat bullet rather than the sensuously curved Smith and Wesson nose.
There's a small stash of .38 SW here, but I'll probably want to shoot more than that. I can reload with the .38 Special dies (albeit possibly with some crimping challenges). The .357* cast bullets will work well enough, and in extremis for brass I can trim .38 Special cases to fit. (Probably, anyway. I haven't looked into the rim-thickness question yet.)
The Hi-Standard Sentinel is one of those comfortable mid-grade guns that just "is" -- not special, no particular history or other distinction, but a kick to shoot. We pulled onto K's personal air strip on the way home and ran a few cylinders offhand just for the pleasure of listening to the noise and watching dirt fly around the only handy target, a corn husk 20 - 25 feet off. I nailed it a time or two double action and figure I scattered the rest over a dinner plate area. A big dinner plate.
But Jim, you damned fool, you already got enough guns and, besides, you ain't made of money.
Quite true, but let me explain it this way: "Bugger off."
Alternatively, take the $xxx Federal Reserve Cartoon price and calculate how few zillionths of a nanosecond it will take Ben to create xxx new ones out of thin air. He can't make Colts or even Hi Standards at all, even if we give him a 3D printer.
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*The .38 SW caliber spec is .361. The Brits designated the round .38-200. It used a 200-grain bullet which gave Tommy's leftenant leisure for a spot of tea before it became time to see if his projectile had yet struck the Hun.
Dec 2, 2012
The latest gun market report
At a small country auction this morning in Northwest Iowa:
Mossberg Model 185D-B 20 ga. bolt action, 2 3/4" chamber; $160
Winchester 3030 Model 94, used very little; $900 and note that this was recent production, routinely available NIB at near half the hammer price.
Marlin Model 19G, 12 ga. pump shot gun w/long barrel; c. $125
Marlin Model #37 -22 pump rifle; $210. I dropped out at $150 due to condition; the butt stock was too trashy.
Colt DA 32 (sic) w/case & US issue holster, was Jim's dad's WWI issue; $500. My "sic" was sic. It was a .32 Colt, an old 4-inch Police Positive, and undoubtedly a POW rather than an "issue" revolver. The holster was issue but too long for this piece and likely intended for the earlier GI Colt .38.
Colt Huntsman 22 long rifle, auto; $500. Arguably reasonable, but I considered the condition to be low-average and the price too high for a shooter.
Rohm 22 Magnum Model 66; $160. Junk in any condition, and this one was about average.
Ruger .22 auto .22 long; $310. A routine Ruger Standard, 6-inch, which are all over the loopholes here at c. $210-220.
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I believe I mentioned that our agripersons stagger under the load of Obama/Bernanke/Congressslug cash and tend to get somewhat "excitable" when under the thrall of a good auctioneer offering blue steel. I apologize for the poor characterization and should have written that they get galactically freeken hysterical.
Mossberg Model 185D-B 20 ga. bolt action, 2 3/4" chamber; $160
Winchester 3030 Model 94, used very little; $900 and note that this was recent production, routinely available NIB at near half the hammer price.
Marlin Model 19G, 12 ga. pump shot gun w/long barrel; c. $125
Marlin Model #37 -22 pump rifle; $210. I dropped out at $150 due to condition; the butt stock was too trashy.
Colt DA 32 (sic) w/case & US issue holster, was Jim's dad's WWI issue; $500. My "sic" was sic. It was a .32 Colt, an old 4-inch Police Positive, and undoubtedly a POW rather than an "issue" revolver. The holster was issue but too long for this piece and likely intended for the earlier GI Colt .38.
Colt Huntsman 22 long rifle, auto; $500. Arguably reasonable, but I considered the condition to be low-average and the price too high for a shooter.
Rohm 22 Magnum Model 66; $160. Junk in any condition, and this one was about average.
Ruger .22 auto .22 long; $310. A routine Ruger Standard, 6-inch, which are all over the loopholes here at c. $210-220.
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I believe I mentioned that our agripersons stagger under the load of Obama/Bernanke/Congressslug cash and tend to get somewhat "excitable" when under the thrall of a good auctioneer offering blue steel. I apologize for the poor characterization and should have written that they get galactically freeken hysterical.
Incoming!
This is what happens when a guy yields to his tender feelings and starts pandering to an orphan. (And also when the auto-fuzz feature on his new three-volt Nikon Cockroach goes into action.)
And this is what happens when her yowling snaps the patience of visiting Hungarian Royalty, to wit, Her Royal Visla-ness, Buda.
And this is what happens when her yowling snaps the patience of visiting Hungarian Royalty, to wit, Her Royal Visla-ness, Buda.
The delinquent cat disappeared for a while. The dog was unhurt. I assured Buda's retainers, my heir the Lady-in-Waiting and and her esteemed husband, the Footman, that no mentionable harm was done and that I, myself, had not totally lacked a similar impulse.
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All in all it was something of a favor. That was the last truly ugly window in the Great Room of the Commandant's Quarters here at Camp J, headquarters of the Northern Expeditionary Force. The incident will move me to direct the Base Maintenance Section of my G-4 to redesign it.
Meanwhile, a little more Gorilla tape stays the winter gales.
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