Deal or No Deal

Came across an online Black Friday “deal” for a blemished firearm with a standard warranty from the manufacturer. The firearms are refurbished to original condition, but may have a cosmetic blemish. No problem I thought, let’s roll with it. The price is $75 less than the lowest retail price so it seems like a good deal. Like everything you have to peel the onion further. $5 to have the shipment insured. Without the insurance the firearm is on you if damaged in transit. Personally I think this is BS, but ok. Now our savings is $70. Then there is a pesky 3% fee for using a credit card so in this case the added charge is around $10. Since this is an online deal the firearm must be transferred through and FFL. Let’s call that $20. So our savings is now $40. Nothing to scoff at, but $40 off a gun which is refurbished and may have cosmetic defects to me is no longer a deal. I prefer to only have to add in my FFL fees when conducting business online and while nothing this vendor did was sneaky, it sure seems as if they try to tack on a fee everywhere they can. I guess I could ship the gun without insurance and find a way to mail them a check to get the price, but when a deal evaporates you have to decide whether to buy or walk away. I think in this case I’ll let it ride and my loss can be a gain for someone else.

Black Friday 2013

I scoured the ads and the internet and came up with only one universal truth about Black Friday 2013. If you need a safe, today is the day to buy one. It seems everyone has a safe, gun cabinet, or gun storage on sale. There have been a few bargains to pop up here and there, most of them are not local and so I saw no reason to jump out of bed at some crazy hour to drive to an area and push people around so I could snag a few bucks off this or that. There are certainly some deals to be found on the internet so be sure to check around. Letting your fingers do the walking ain’t too shabby, but standing in a crowd on a cold Friday is no fun whatsoever.

Here’s hoping you snag a deal if you are brave enough to be out and about. I think I’ll stay nice and warm and shop from home. 😉

Happy Thanksgiving 2013!

Have a safe, wonderful, and happy Thanksgiving Holiday!!!

PS: Not so sure about the pardoning the turkeys. Kinda makes it hard to have sandwiches the day after Thanksgiving. Just sayin’. 😉

Bullpup

I gotta admit when I am wrong, and boy was I ever wrong. The beauty this time is no one knew but me, but after some reflection I thought it best to come clean. There is a variety of rifle called the Bullpup. Essentially is it where the magazine is behind the trigger group and so the barrel is pushed backward to create a shorter firearm which is still classified as a rifle. Personally I think these short beasties are some of the ugliest firearms on the planet and had pretty much written them off until I happened to be watching this week’s episode of The Blacklist entitled “Anslo Garrick”. I won’t give away the plot, but in it they are clearing some close quarters and Liz is using what appears to me to be a FN2000. It was then that I realized the error of my ways.

To clear a building room by room pretty much requires the person to change position or move the rifle up and down when going into or out of doorways. With the bullpup the rifle can stay in position ready to engage the target and still be relatively close to the body. It’s not perfect, but with less of the firearm sticking out gives the ability to more quickly change direction than if you had a traditional design sticking out. I’ve never been in the military or police, but I do know if I was clearing a building this would be something on my wish list.

FWIW – I still think they are ugly as sin, but now I realize what purpose they serve.

Veramonte Procured!

About two weeks ago I was ready to give up on finding Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc in the store. Then yesterday I happened across it by accident. I knew that chain had sold it in the past, but was shocked to see it on the shelf. Even more shocking was when I grabbed two bottles not paying attention and when I got to the register found out they were different vintages. I really don’t think inexpensive whites have particular years to seek out, typically you drink each vintage because eventually they will turn south. I am hoping neither of these bottles is problematic, but I’ll be drinking the older vintage sooner rather than later. It is nice to know where this wine is hiding in NC and I would let you in on the secret, but that would ruin my supply. It looked like they had several cases so I doubt they will run out before I need another bottle and at the rate we drink wine that could certainly be awhile. I’ve left a clue where in the world you can find the wine if you are interested. All you have to do is picture it.

 

Reloads

For some reason this morning I got to thinking about reloads and personal defense. Probably because I organized my ammunition this weekend, or because I just watched a pretty cool video of a shotgun shell loaded with tracer rounds. Anyway, I’m going to suggest you do not use reloads as your defensive ammo unless you are an experienced reloader. I certainly would not bet my life on reloads purchased from various ammo suppliers. I’ve been at the range when a person had a squib load with reloads, in fact every time I have heard of a squib load the shooter was using reloads. Is that really what you want when you absolutely must have the cartridge fire?

I think reloads are great and have never had a problem with using reloaded handgun loads in revolvers. Where I tend to see more issues is semi-automatic pistols and lets face it the vast majority of concealed firearms are semi-automatic. Where I never seem to hear of issues is with rifle and shotgun cartridges. I’m starting to believe the people reloading those are experienced while those reloading handgun cartridges may be new to the reloading bench. Don’t get me wrong, I would shoot whatever I had in a bad scenario, but if I was loading to be prepared it is going to be a factory loaded ammo I know and trust. Look at it this way, the only gun you have to carry is a .22LR and you have the choice between Remington Golden Bullet or CCI MiniMags, which would you choose. The unreliable crap that is Golden Bullet or CCIs which go bang each and every time?

Now if you are veteran with reloading and have 100% confidence in your cartridges then by all means rock on, but if you are new to the game I suggest you purchase high quality ammo as your defensive ammunition and leave the reloads for target practice.

Four Roses Small Batch

Recently I picked up a fifth of Four Roses Small Batch when it went on sale for $27. I took a drink the night it arrived and thought it was good, but last night decided to make it the first Bourbon I have had in over a week. I had been a little under the weather and so I decided to take it easy on the alcohol to allow the ailment to pass. For some reason FRSB just didn’t take me there last night. Don’t get me wrong, it was not awful or anything, but it just came off as a bit acidic. It could be my tastebuds need a reboot after some time off the field, but I suspect it’s just the nature of the Bourbon. I’m gonna hit this one again of course since I have a fifth, but I just look at it as good Bourbon, not outstanding Bourbon or one that I prefer. I do tend to like my Bourbon with restrained alcohol and a little sweetness and this one did have a nice level of alcohol, but the sweetness was low if present at all. To me this was much, much better than Woodford, but still just a bit on the harsh side.

 

How many glasses?

Recently I had to move the kegerator out to the garage and so the glasses which had found a home on it needed a new place to stay. Since the bar is pretty much full I figured it was time to thin the herd. I pulled out all the glasses which really don’t have any sentimental value and offered them up to friends. It was quite a pile with enough tasting glasses to host a large party.

If you ask my wife she would tell you I only need enough glasses to have a clean one each night since they could be rinsed. I guess that would ultimately equate to seven. The problem with that philosophy is the shape of the glass effect the aroma and ultimately the flavor of the beer. So you really should have at least a small collection depending upon the beer styles you are sampling. Sure you can get away with an Imperial pint glass for every beer, or a standard pint glass, but how boring and often you will notice the aroma lacking if the glass does not have some shape which drives those aromas to your nose.

So I did recently thin the herd and have no plans to add more to the family, but if a nice one pops up somewhere you never know. 😉

Momma Said Knock You Out!

And if she did, momma was dumber than a box of rocks! There is a stupid game being played out where teens try to knock out random people they meet in public. Lately I have seen it mentioned almost daily on some news outlet. Unfortunately this is not a new fad which has just started, this has been going on for quite some time and has ended in death on a few occasions.

Back during the summer a teen tried to take it to another level and used a stun gun on a gentleman waiting at a bus stop for his six-year-old daughter. The man was a concealed carry permit holder and he shot the idiot twice. The kid is now pulling a year in jail for his crime against the father and in the video below he indicates he did it because he was bored.

I try to be aware of my surroundings, but this could happen to anyone anywhere so please be alert out there. If someone I do not know comes at me trying to hit me in the head unprovoked then I am going to automatically assume they mean to do great bodily harm and the force they are using is deadly. This gives me the right to protect myself and stop the threat. I doubt there are many people reading this blog who are participating in this knock out foolishness, but know if I am your intended victim and you are not able to knock me out it will probably be because you suddenly suffer from acute lead poisoning. Doesn’t sound like fun anymore does it?

How Sweet It Is

Lately I seem run into Seven Daughters Moscato everywhere I go. The wine is sweet with a nice peach character and floral note. It is also slightly carbonated which ultimately restrains the sweetness and makes this refreshing. Tonight I paired it with a blackened tilapia with mango and it was divine. It put out the fire from the blackening seasoning and was awesome with the mango and the veggies which came with the dish. It’s a ten-dollar price point so well worth your time to seek out and give a whirl. I’m pretty sure as easily as I am running into it in restaurants you can find it in most any wine store. Check it out and if you like it you can thank me later. Some may find the sweet nature off-putting, but for me it’s just fine!