Category: All About Guns
There was plenty of product to go over from the participating vendors.
“I hear you knocking, but I can’t let you in..” is how the song goes. Tank has other ideas.
Walking along the narrow Billy goat like trail, the sun was frying my exposed skin. I was smart enough to wear a long sleeve shirt and ball cap, but my face and neck felt like it was being nuked from radiation exposure. Ambient temperature was triple digits. The dry desert mountain air evaporated my sweat before it ever surfaced my pores. Parched, I was looking for the next shooting station, thinking, “What twisted position would I contort my body for the next few shots?”
Scrub juniper has a way of letting you enter its confines, but then swallows you whole when trying to exit. But it does a dandy job of locking your body tight making your forward mounted scout scope reticle settle easier. Peering through it, I locate the steel silhouette targets. It’s amazing how far and accurately you can shoot with just a 2X scope. But, shoot we did. Walking the Military Crest trail was by far my favorite shooting activity of the series.
It’s a great training aid for hunters and shooters to get creative in what shooting position they can twist their bodies into while doping where to hold on targets 160-370 meters away.
Sighting-in under the watchful eyes of Lew Gosnell, Aimee Grant and Schylar Cloudt.
Rob Leahy looking like a stand-in for “The Wild Bunch.”
The Event
Where was all this fun at? Why a media event hosted by Rob Leahy of Simply Rugged and Andy Larsson of Skinner Sights, and of course, Gunsite Academy. We were treated to Gunsite’s training principles in the use of revolver, lever gun and scout rifle. The last day comprised of Col. Jeff Cooper’s thoughts on the Scout rifle.
The first day representatives from Tuff Products, Wilderness Tactical Products, Ransom Rest, and Doubletap Ammunition went over their products. This carried us to lunch and then it was to the range where Gunsite instructors Lew Gosnell, Aimee Grant and Schylar Cloudt gave us an introduction to the pistol craft. We all used revolvers, paired with Simply Rugged leather gear. We went over firearm safety, gun presentation, and holstering your gun, along with several shooting drills.
Whenever possible, it’s always easier to use a rest as Tank is doing here.
Rack ‘em! There was a great representation of leverguns at the York range.
Leverguns
The second day was leverguns. After hearing from Rob Leahy and Andy Larsson tell us what was new with their businesses, we went over the basics of loading and unloading leverguns. We also covered gun safety, high ready and low ready positions, as well as room clearing in the fun house and walking the Donga trail.
Rifle zeroes were checked with assigned leverguns outfitted with Skinner Sight Peep Sights and Simply Rugged slings and ammo carriers. Then it was off to the range. Everyone enjoyed the levergun portion, and you can’t blame them. After a full day of shooting, we called it a day.
Lew Gosnell doing what he does best, instructing!
Fond Farewell
Former Border Patrol Agent and Gunsite favorite, instructor Ed Head, was to help instruct this event. Unfortunately, Ed succumbed to a brief illness on the eve of the event. His guns were compassionately sold during his illness to support his wife, Jean, at Ed’s request. They were quickly bought by close friends, one of which was Ed’s scout rifle. The event proceeded, as we all knew Ed would have wanted it this way. So, we did, and we shot. And shot a lot! Ed would’ve been happy.
A picture of Ed’s Scout Rifle, now belonging to Matt Olivier, and
the one Tank used on the Scrambler and Military Crest trail.
Ed’s Scout Rifle
The rifle was converted from a Ruger American Ranch rifle in .308 caliber. A Skinner Sights Scout rail was installed, along with a Leupold long-eye relief Scout scope. The Scout rail incorporates an M4 A2 front sight and Skinner peep sight for iron sight capabilities. Ed also installed a Hornady over-sized bolt knob and Andy Langlois sling rounding out the build. Ed’s rifle was purchased by his close friend, Matt Olivier.
Rather than turn the rifle into a safe queen, or wall hanger honoring Ed, Matt unselfishly allowed me to borrow the rifle to participate in the “Scrambler” and “Military Crest” shooting trails. It’s a testament to Ed’s and Matt’s way of thinking, it’s a gun, so let’s shoot it!
When are you going to visit Gunsite?
The Trails
The Scrambler is, as the name states, a speed event where contestants run from one station to the next utilizing different shooting positions to steady their rifle while aiming. Next, was the Military Crest Trail which I described in the beginning.
The final event was a personal one. Seven members at the event, who also happen to be Shootists, honored Ed with a 21- gun salute shooting .44 Special revolvers. The volley of three rounds of seven shots echoed across the high desert terrain as winds helped wisp away the sorrow. Spent brass was collected for further dispersion and projects in honoring Ed.
Over time I will go into further detail with you about the vendors’ products, sharing my thoughts on them in future articles. Gunsite is a fantastic fighting school to learn how to safely fight with any gun you have, be it semi-auto, revolver, rifle, levergun, scout rifle or shotgun. If it shoots, learn how to shoot it, to your advantage, by being safe and efficient with it.
Why the Second Amendment matters
I don’t usually share emails, but this one is so good about the types of Americans who legally own guns, and why we need those guns, that I couldn’t resist.
Again, I didn’t write this. I don’t know who did. It’s clearly been making the rounds for a long time:
My old Grandpa said to me, “Son, there comes a time in every man’s life when he stops bustin’ knuckles and starts bustin’ caps and usually it’s when he becomes too old to take a whipping.
I don’t carry a gun to kill people; I carry a gun to keep from being killed.
I don’t carry a gun because I’m evil; I carry a gun because I have lived long enough to see the evil in the World.
I don’t carry a gun because I hate the government; I carry a gun because I understand the limitations of government.
I don’t carry a gun because I’m angry; I carry a gun so that I don’t have to spend the rest of my life hating myself for failing to be prepared.
I don’t carry a gun because I want to shoot someone; I carry a gun because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed and not on a sidewalk somewhere tomorrow afternoon.
I don’t carry a gun to make me feel like a man; I carry a gun because men know how to take care of themselves and the ones they love.
I don’t carry a gun because I feel inadequate; I carry a gun because unarmed and facing three armed thugs, I am inadequate.
I don’t carry a gun because I love it; I carry a gun because I love life and the people who make it meaningful to me.
Police protection is an oxymoron: Free citizens must protect themselves because police do not protect you from crime; they just investigate the crime after it happens and then call someone in to clean up the mess.
Personally, I carry a gun because I’m too young to die and too old to take a whoopin’!
A LITTLE GUN HISTORY…
PLEASE DON’T THINK FOR A MOMENT, THAT THIS COULDN’T HAPPEN IN OUR COUNTRY ALSO !!!
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In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control: From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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In 1911, Turkey established gun control: From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated
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Germany established gun control in 1938: From 1939 to 1945, a total of 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.
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China established gun control in 1935: From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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Guatemala established gun control in 1964: From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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Uganda established gun control in 1970: From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
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Cambodia established gun control in 1956: From 1975 to 1977, one million educated people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated
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56 million defenseless people were rounded up and exterminated in the 20th Century because of gun control.
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You won’t see this data on the US evening news, or hear politicians disseminating this information.
Guns in the hands of honest citizens save lives and property and, yes, gun control laws adversely affect only the law abiding citizens
With guns, we are ‘citizens’; without them, we are ‘subjects’.
During WW II, the Japanese decided not to invade America because they knew most Americans were ARMED!
Gun owners in the USA are the largest armed forces in the World!
If you value your freedom, please spread this anti-gun control message to all of your friends.
The purpose of fighting is to win. There is no possible victory in defense. The sword is more important than the shield and skill is more important than either.
SWITZERLAND ISSUES A GUN TO EVERY HOUSEHOLD!
SWITZERLAND’S GOVERNMENT ISSUES AND TRAINS EVERY ADULT IN THE USE OF A RIFLE
SWITZERLAND HAS THE LOWEST GUN RELATED CRIME RATE OF ANY CIVILIZED COUNTRY IN THE WORLD!!!
IT’S A NO BRAINER! DON’T LET OUR GOVERNMENT WASTE MILLIONS OF OUR TAX DOLLARS IN AN EFFORT TO MAKE ALL law abiding CITIZENS AN EASY TARGET.
I’m a firm believer in the 2nd Amendment!
If you are too, please forward this. If you’re not a believer, please reconsider based on these true facts.
This is history; not what’s being shown on TV, sanctioned by our illustrious delusional leaders in Washington.
Categories
F*cking A!!!
SAN ANTONIO, Philippines — The Philippines’ president was on hand Wednesday as one of the U.S. Army’s best-known weapons missed its target — a decommissioned warship floating miles away in the South China Sea — during a live-fire exercise.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. observed from a tower as the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, fired six times at the Philippine navy corvette, invisible over the horizon, and a narrator over a public address system described the action down range. U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson sat beside Marcos.
The two HIMARS launchers — designed to strike targets on land — missed each time, but a barrage of ordnance from U.S. and Philippine artillery and aircraft eventually sank the vessel.
“Shore-based fire against a ship is exceptionally hard,” Lt. Col. Nick Mannweiler, a spokesman for Marine Corps Forces Pacific, said during the drill at Naval Station Leovigildo Gantioqui.
The training was part of Balikatan, an annual joint exercise involving more than 17,000 U.S. and Filipino troops that wraps up Friday.
Balikatan, the largest ever in terms of troop numbers, demonstrates further evidence of a decided shift by Marcos toward the Philippines’ longtime ally the United States. His predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, employed a friendlier approach toward regional rival China, which nonetheless continued to assert control over maritime territory the Philippines claims in the South China Sea.
The HIMARS’ failure to hit a vessel at sea wasn’t a big deal, according to Mannweiler. The training tested troops’ ability to sense a ship and pass targeting information to weapons operated by the U.S. and Philippines, he said.
The training “sets the condition for more fruitful work like this in future,” Mannweiler said.
Once the HIMARS was fired, artillerymen from the 25th Infantry Division and their Philippine counterparts pounded the boat with 105 mm and 155 mm rounds fired from howitzers. Those rounds were on target, said U.S. Army Maj. Jeff Tolbert, a spokesman for the 25th Infantry Division.
Finally, U.S. and Philippine aircraft took turns attacking the target boat with guns and bombs. An Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone soared overhead, feeding images of the target to commanders calling in the attacks.
A Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter delivered the final blow, and the vessel sank around 2:50 p.m., Tolbert said.
The HIMARS launchers belong to 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash., said battalion commander Lt. Col. Tim Lynch.
Marcos inspected one of the launchers before the live-fire exercise. That launcher, dubbed Wild Bill, is part of Outlaw Platoon, said Alpha Battery commander Capt. Cody Dobiyanski, who showed Marcos around.
The U.S. provided HIMARS batteries, designed to strike targets on land, to Ukraine last year. It’s been credited with evening the odds for the Ukrainians, who are battling Russian invaders.
In combat, U.S. forces would likely use a torpedo or Harpoon missiles against a warship, Mannweiler said.
Philippine army Col. Mike Logico, director of the Joint Command Training Center, told reporters that Marcos understands the challenges of a large-scale bilateral exercise.
“What we demonstrated was the capabilities of the HIMARS and probably also its limitations,” he said.
