My poor excuse for not much blogging lately -- the bug from hell

My apologies for the lack of content over the past few days. I've had the bug from hell. Even missed church yesterday with all the big Christmas music, plays and supper. Feeling somewhat closer to human today.

The real story of Christmas: Mary, Joseph and Jesus flee into Egypt

Matthew 2:13-23 (New American Standard Bible)

Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him."
So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.
He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my Son."
Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.
Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: "A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be comforted, because they were no more."
But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, "Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child's life are dead." So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: "He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Adventures in .22 Magnum land with AMT, Winchester, Kel-Tec et c.

We've had a scant few of the new Kel-Tec PMR-30 .22 Magnum pistols in stock at the gun shop where I work, but they disappeared so quickly I hardly got a peek of one. It's supposed to be at long last that elusive unicorn of a semi-auto pistol, a .22 Magnum that won't jam.

I had a brief fling with an AMT AutoMag II .22WMR, the compact 4.5"-barrel version, and found out why they have a reputation as a Jam-A-Matic. That's it at the bottom of the next photo.

The other two handguns are also now departed from my fold, at left is a Steyr M357-A1 that also had a slight case of jam-itis. I have zero tolerance for pistols that are not 100% reliable. This is my life we're talking about here when it comes to carry handguns.

At right is my former S&W 1076 10mm, which I traded away for a much more carry-friendly Glock 29 10mm subcompact, which has been 100% reliable so far. The big Smith was just too ... big.

I also had a Winchester 94 lever-action .22 Magnum that I foolishly traded away years ago. It was a great shooter but alas, I was young and oh, so foolish.

Now Oleg Volk give us a peek of the Kel-Tec RMR-30, a carbine based on the PMR-30 pistol.

It's still under development, so be patient. This is going be even hotter than the PMR-30 or the RFB-18 .308 semi-auto rifle. Speaking of the latter, we've finally been able to get a few of those and keep it in stock at the gun shop. Oops, spoke too soon, out of stock again.

And I've already picked out my next carry pistol after my long-awaited Sig P239 .357 Sig compact arrives from Exeter, Mass., where it's been on special order for about a month.

It will be a .22 Magnum single-action mini-revolver from North American Arms they call the Black Widow.

Mark Walters at Guns & Patriots recently rated a NAA .22 Magnum mini at the top of his list of Top 10 Carry Pistols. And I've decided he's right.

I had a 4"-barrel NAA model called The Earl on layaway at the shop briefly before I had second thoughts. It's a neat pistol, but just a shade too long of snout for easy pocket carry.

So I took another look at the NAA models and chose the Black Widow. This will have to be a special order also as we currently have no Black Widow models in stock at the gun shop.

I want the conversion model with adjustable sights which comes with two cylinders, .22LR and .22WMR.

We've got several NAA mini-revolvers in stock at the shop but they all have either 1" barrels or 4" barrels.

As Goldlilocks said, the 2" barrel on the Black Widow is "just right," not too short, not too long. It fits in the pocket of any garment I might ever wear. Please don't even try to imagine my large posterior wearing a speedo. It would not be a pretty sight. Shudder!

Tangolio T755 9mm Stainless Compact "Governement Model"?

How do you spell "Government Model" in Italy? If it's supposed to be in English for the U.S. market?

Ain't it embarrassing to misspell a word when it's stamped in steel for all eternity, or at least until the very last Tangolio T755 9mm Stainless Compact is ground up for scrap metal? Other than that, it ain't a bad looking pistol and it's listed on gunbroker for a mere $325, so this spelling mistake can be yours.

ISSC Austrian president corrects my mistakes about link to GSG

I got a Dear John email from the head honcho at ISSC (I get a lot of those).

Dear John:

Just wanted to correct a few statements that appeared on your blog about the ISSC M22 pistol.

    1.  There is no connection whatsoever between ISSC and GSG.  We are not part of anyone's stable.  Our guns are manufactured entirely in our own factory in Austria. They are designed by Wolfram Kriegleder who previously worked for Walther and designed the P22.

    2.  The settlement with Glock does not stop us from importing the M22 pistol and our price reduction had nothing to do with any legal issues with Glock or anyone else. The price reduction is a reflection of the general slowdown in firearms sales and price reductions in competitive guns, particularly the Walther P22.

Otherwise, thank you for the free publicity.

Cordially,

Mike Weisser
President, ISSC, LLC

Nice to know somebody's reading my humble blog. I don't recall where, but I saw a website that combined GSG guns and ISSC guns, perhaps one of their distributors? Whatever, I was obviously mistaken to link the two companies together. And I still might have an ISSC M22 in my future, particularly at the lower price.

The real story of Christmas: Wise men come seeking King of the Jews

Matthew 2:1-12 (New American Standard Bible)

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: 'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a Ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"
Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him."
After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

The real story of Christmas: Angels proclaim Jesus birth to shepherds

Luke 2:8-20 (New American Standard Bible)

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
"This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."
When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us."
So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

The real story of Christmas: Jesus is born in a stable in Bethlehem

Luke 2:1-7 (New American Standard Bible)

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city.
Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child.
While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

The real story of Christmas: Joseph is visited by the Angel of the Lord

Matthew 1:18-25 (New American Standard Bible)

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.
But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call his name Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us."
And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

The real story of Christmas: Mary is visited by the angel Gabriel

 

Luke 1:26-38 (New American Standard Bible)

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."  But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.
The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end."
Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
"And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God."
And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

What did Mary know about her Baby Boy, the Lord Jesus Christ?

"Mary, Did You Know?" By Mark Lowry (with David Phelps & Guy Penrod)

Drastic price cuts offered for Glock-copy ISSC M22 .22LR pistols

I predicted some weeks ago that my next .22 pistol would be the ISSC M22 Austrian-made Glock copy.

It hasn't happened yet as I've found other handguns I wanted more than another .22 pistol. But the time may be at hand. J&G Sales is offering a drastic price cut on the M22 for only $199.95. My gunshop is selling the basic black model for $300 and even with an employee's discount, I couldn't touch the J&G price.

ISSC in Austria is part of the GSG stable of firearms manufacturers and I read the other day in one of the gun magazines that an out-of-court settlement has been reached with Glock to stop importing the M22 and redesign it to look a lot less like a copy of Glock pistols. GSG was sued by Heckler & Koch for their copies of the MP5 submachine pistol in .22LR and reached an agreement with H&K to stop the import of those and redesign it to be a lot less like a copy of the MP5.

This latest agreement between GSG/ISSC and Glock means no more importation of the M22 until it is redesigned. Hence the price drop as the U.S. importer, Austrian Sporting Arms of Ware, MA, unloads it's inventory of M22 models. The price cut is a great deal if you're looking for a Glock training pistol so if you're interested you better act now. When the importer sells out, there won't be anymore Glock-copy M22s.

A brief interlude of relief from the frosty days here in the Sunny South

Winter may not officially begin until Dec. 21, but it sure feels like it's already here in the Sunny South.

The frost has been on windshields in the mornings and in my sweet wife's backyard garden for the past several days. But they don't call it the Sunny South for nothing. Yesterday the sun was shining and it was nice enough to smoke a cigar on the patio during lunch break in our backyard for the first time in at least two or three weeks. Yet another reason I love working at home posting gun sales pages on the Internet.

Today's high is supposed to be 52 and sunny again with 50s predicted through the weekend. But then Monday and Tuesday are predicted to be down in the low 30's again. Oh well, the sun don't always shine on the same dog every day. But this ancient scribe is getting more cold-natured as the years advance. It's not even officially winter yet and I'm already longing for spring.

Becky Kelley - Where's the Line to See Jesus - OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

Inside The Gun Locker: Carrying A Glock 10mm - Guns & Patriots

I love it when a gun "expert" agrees with me, as Robert Boatman at Guns & Patriots does. He writes about the virtues of that little-known pocket rocket, the Glock 29 subcompact 10mm, as the ultimate concealed-carry handgun.
Inside The Gun Locker: Carrying A Glock 10mm - HUMAN EVENTS

My G29 got a custom makeover by a Glock armorer in Kansas for a previous owner, who swapped it to me for my S&W 1076, an all-stainless 10mm that's written about in the above article. The 1076 is commander-size with a 4.25" barrel but it's a brick to carry around. My G29 holds more rounds, 10+1 vs. 9+1, and it's much more carry friendly, as well as a great shooter.

It's got a stippled frame with a grip reduction to the 1911 angle, a chromed slide, Trijicon night sights, a 3.5-lb. trigger and HD springs set up for Double-Tap 10mm ammo. It's about as good as a Glock can get, IMHO. I bought a full-size G20 10mm after I got the G29, but I seldom carried it so I sold it later.

If I was heading into Grizzly Bear country, my S&W .44 Magnum and my G29 would certainly go with me. And when I'm feeling like going loaded for bear down here in the flatlands, I carry my G29.

Top 10 Concealed Carry Guns - Guns & Patriots

Mark Walters at Guns & Patriots lists his top 10 for concealed carry and I bet you'll be surprised to read his No. 1 choice.
Top 10 Concealed Carry Guns - HUMAN EVENTS
Here's my favorites, but I won't rank them or some of my handguns will get jealous and start bickering. It's hard to keep peace in the family when you're trying to decide what to carry at work at the gun shop or at play.

The one I carry most often at the gun shop is my Para P12-45, heavily customized by Cylinder & Slide. In addition having a great trigger it has several other custom features that make it a joy to shoot. And a really good single-action trigger cures my tendency to pull my shots a bit to the right, being a lefty shooter. No matter how good a double-action trigger is, a great single-action trigger is still better. And if 12+1 rounds of 230-gr. Winchester Ranger or PDX-1 won't get you out of trouble, you just ain't shooting straight.

My next most-often carried handgun is also a single-action .45 but of a slightly different stripe, unlike the P12-45, it's a single-stack with only 6+1 capacity. It's my Sig P220 Compact Elite SAO. Once upon a time I wasn't interested in single-stack pistols, but when I began to consider weight with daily carry, the trade-off for rounds vs. comfort started looking a whole lot better.

And an interesting thing happened when I shot my first P220 SAO, a full-size pistol I bought before I got the P220 Compact. I discovered I actually shoot tighter groups with better control than with any of my 1911 .45s, compact or full-size. The Sig P220 has a 5-lb. trigger pull vs. 3.5 to 4 lbs. for my three 1911s, but I just shoot the full-size and the compact P220s better. Don't ask me to 'splain it, it just is.

I also have a pair of Sig P229s in .357 Sig, one plain and one fancy, and I shoot both of them pretty fair, too, with their double-action/single-action set-up.

The first one I bought is a Sig P229 Two-Tone SAS Gen2 .357 Sig with the Short-Reset Trigger. I liked it so much I bought a plain P229R and I carry it more than the SAS, cause it's just too pretty to get skint up.

Then there's the revolvers I carry when I'm feeling like a wheel-gun kinda guy. My absolute favorite is a S&W 65 stainless .357 Magnum with the slickest double-action trigger I ever met, courtesy of the S&W Performance Shop. It's a K-frame with six holes in the cylinder, more than adequate for most social affairs.

My Charter Arms Patriot .327 Magnum with Crimson Trace Laser Grips also holds six potent rounds that are nearly the equal in ballistics of the .357 Magnum and it's get its share of carry duty.

And then there's my two .44 Special carry guns. I quite often carry them together at work. My S&W 396 Night Guard 5-shooter with front night sight usually gets main carry position in a left-hand holster.

And my Charter Bulldog stainless .44 5-shooter resides in a Galco small-of-back holster for access to my right hand, should the left be otherwise occupied.

And even if the left is not out of play, what's the quickest way to reload after you've shot one handgun dry? The late-great NYPD Detective Jim Cirillo dubbed it "The New York Reload." Shoot one dry and pull another one.

And I haven't even mentioned my two Steyr 9mm pistols, MA1 and SA1, the best striker-fired pistols from Austria that nobody ever heard of, or my Ruger LCR and Charter Southpaw .38 Specials, or my CZ P07 Duty 9mm, or my Glock 29 10mm subcompact, or my S&W M&P Compact .357 Sig, or my Kel-Tec PF9 9mm subcompact with Crimson Trace laser grip, which gets carried off-work as main and at-work as backup. So many choices and only one me to carry them all. See why I try not to play favorites so I can keep peace in the family of carry guns?

Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1968 was a "Twilight Zone" experience

I was in Pearl Harbor early on the morning of Dec. 7, 1968, serving in the U.S. Navy on board the USS Mullinix (DD-944) on the way to Vietnam when a very strange "Twilight Zone" event happened.

It was a Twilight Zone kind of experience that got even weirder years later when I learned the Mullinnix actually was filmed in an early 1960s episode of the TV show.

Gun Q&A: Should I buy an old High Standard Victor .22 Target Pistol?

Guess I've started a new series as I keep getting questions about guns. Might as well do another Gun Q&A.

Q: I enjoy your writing and the straight forward responses you have for the various guns and purchases.  I need your objective advice before I spend $$$ on an old Victor High Standard .22 in 98% condition and 4 clips. It is a good looker. Many of the reviews on it list mag feed issues, lack of repair services, and warnings against high power ammo.

What do you know of these HS Victor target .22’s? Would the $500 be better spent on a new Ruger III Hunter? I like my old Colt Woodsman and SW K-22 for target shooting. 

A: High Standard Victor models are rare and $500 is a good price. If you're looking for a collector .22 that may have some problems as a shooter, buy it. Any competent gunsmith should be able to fix any common ailments, such as spring replacements and perhaps even magazine springs or followers. But anything requiring manufacturer's parts could be an issue.

High Standard has a new owner selling guns under the HS name, but finding parts for old guns will always be a problem. You probably have some experience in that area having work done on your Colt Woodsman, which is also long out of production. But there are a few sources for hard-to-find parts, Numrich Gun Parts is one.

If you're looking primarily for a reliable shooter that can handle high-velocity ammo, a new Ruger Mk III or S&W 22A-1 would be a better choice. I would also add a Browning Buck Mark onto your list to consider for new .22 hunter/target pistols. Use should be your standard.

But speaking for myself, I doubt I'd pass up the chance to get an old High Standard Victor in good shape for $500. It's one of the great .22 target pistols of all time and was used for championship bullseye competition from Camp Perry to the Olympics.

High Standard under new management has brought the Victor model back into production with an MSRP of $800. Ouch. Patrick Sweeny reviewed the new HS Victor for Guns & Ammo Handguns magazine and he liked it a lot. And Sweeny points out the new HS Victor magazines also fit the old models. Nice to know.

Sweeny looks at the price tag for the new model Victor and asks:

Why would you want a Victor? In a world where you can buy any number of plinker-grade .22 LR pistols for half the cost of a Victor or less, why spend more than what it costs to get the basics? Because you get more, that's why.

You get more accuracy than you can shoot, more reliability than you can believe, a link to the past and incredible durability--a pistol that even if you won the lottery tomorrow you could not afford enough ammo to wear out. It's a pistol, like so many others that have been seen on the line at Camp Perry, you can leave to your heirs in your will.

If that's not enough of a return on your hard-earned cash for you, then I don't know what to suggest.

Cats do not have self-esteem issues -- Ego thy name is kitty

Taking Your Own Personal Safety Seriously - HUMAN EVENTS

Taking Your Own Personal Safety Seriously - HUMAN EVENTS

The sad fact is that criminals and predators enjoy the holiday season as much as the rest of us. They love the fact that we are distracted by our surroundings and many are lying in wait for us to make that one mistake that they can capitalize on...

The point is to prepare yourself, by being aware of your surroundings and avoiding any and all confrontations at all times no matter what by using your eyes and your brains. Prepare yourself by purchasing a gun, training with it and obtaining the necessary state weapon/firearm permits. Embrace it, get to know it intimately, love everything about it, the way it looks, the way it feels, its beauty in design and engineering, its disassembly and reassembly, its features and accessories. Carry it with you and never be afraid to use it to defend your life or that of your family and loved ones.