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Shooting Times Magazine
June 1980
General Delivery
Horsethief, NM
(Sunday Night)
Alex Bartimo, Editor
Shooting Times
Box 1790
Peoria IL 61656
Dear Bart:
This isn’t actually from Horsethief. I’m camped in the big timber about halfway up the side of San Miguel mountain. Saint Mike, we call it. You may not be able to read my poor handwriting because of the the watermarks on the paper. I know I should be weeping about missing the deadline on this month’s gun review, but I’m sorry to say these splotches weren’t made by tears.
Rain and snow did that.
I’m trapped here, and it’s my own fault. Down at the house in Horsethief, I contracted cabin fever. No pals had visited in more than a month. I don’t take a newspaper (you can get bad news anywhere). I’d read every book on the place at least twice, and Horsethief has no library or newsstand. We get one television station from Albuquerque via a repeater in the mountains, and it runs Bozo the Clown, As The World Flips, intriguing situation comedies about the family problems of New York taxi drivers, and wilderness stories about mountain men who feed themselves and their pet mountain lions with mushrooms and rosehips gathered in the dew.
My set is still like new-it never gets turned on.
The fact of the matter is, I was bored stiff when I got this foreign .380 you wanted shot and decided to make it my excuse to come up to this big stretch of forest belonging to a friend of mine. I was going to stay a couple of days, shoot, and drowse in the sunshine.
Didn’t work out that way.
I like to carry extras, so I packed my old pickup with sleeping bag and big tarp, groceries for two or three days-including canned corned beef hash, chili con carne, coffee, bacon, eggs, and a sack of fresh biscuits. And one jug of Henry McKenna redeye to ward off the weeps around the evening fire. Luckily, I also brought a Coleman camp stove and lantern because I planned on cooking on an open fire.
I stowed the camera equipment, figuring on getting pictures of .380 on tree stump and (using a selftimer) heroic poses of my classic profile looking off into the horizon.
The trip up was nice. Plenty of sunshine. Few melting snowbanks left from winter. Jeep road a little tough on pickup, but made it to campsite okay. Strung lariat rope between two trees and wired end of tarp to it. Made lean-to. Took rocks from clear, cold stream and built fireplace. Gathered enough dead wood to last two days. Unrolled sleeping bag, laid holstered Ruger .44 beside it. Was home.
Built fire, had hash and biscuits, raunchy coffee. Took tot of McKenna while looking at stars. Wondered what city folks were doing. Turned in early.
Up before first light. Drizzling rain. Get GI poncho from truck’s toolbox. Trouble getting fire going with wet wood. Pour on Coleman fuel. Burn fingers…..Biscuits, bacon and coffee.
Sitting in lean-to, I examine new .380. Most unusual. Called the Mama Mia. Made in Costa Rica by Hijos de Basura, S.A. and imported by Larson E. Rippoff Inc. Homossa Springs, Florida. Price: $469.98. About five inches long. Ten-shot staggered magazine extends one-half inch below butt. Double action with pull of approximately 20 pounds; single-action pull about 25 pounds.
Shiny plastic grips. Shiny plastic trigger guard (combat style). Shiny plastic sight rib and sights. Rear sight adjustable for windage. One click equals 12 inches at 25 yards.
Extra 48-shot magazine is curved. Might not do much for feeding but looks jazzy, making pistol five inches long and 1 ¼ feet deep. Optional flash hider and grenade launcher supplied with my review gun. Extras cost only $189.98.
Many cast parts in pistol. Nothing wrong with well-cast parts, but these of somewhat lesser quality than lead soldiers I made as a boy.
Can’t shoot, must wait out rain. Wait all day. Except for small supply under tarp, wood is soaked. Crank up Coleman stove. Chili and biscuits. Wish had brought tortillas and refried beans. Hit sack early. Sleeping bag feels damp.
Third day now. Raining harder. Decide to go home. Dismantle camp, pack truck. Trouble starting engine. Drive 10 feet from camp on muddy trail, skid, nose into boulder. Rear wheels spin. No four-wheel drive. No tire chains. Stuck. Rebuild camp. All wood wet. Hunker around Coleman stove. Things have to get better. Feast on bacon, eggs, soggy biscuits. Long pull at Henry McKenna, then dream in wet sleeping bag. Fourth day. Bear sign around truck. Glad I hadn’t woke up. Might have made mistake and shot bear with .380. Wish I was in Horsethief, watching taxi driver program. Still no interest in mountain man and lion.
Go to stream for coffee water and wash. Bank full, running fast, water chocolate brown. Wash in muddy water and get gallon jug of emergency water from truck. Use sparingly. Going nuts.
Sun peeps through in afternoon. Rain stops, but pickup still stuck. Grab opportunity to shoot the Mama Mia. Staple dry targets from toolbox to big conifer pine. Have W.W. R-P, and Federal factory loads. Load 10 round magazine. Brace against tree now. Squeeze off first round at target. Low/left in 7 ring. Empty case smokestacks. Feed next round into chamber manually. Not on paper. Now shooting low/right 6s. Go through 20 shots, all hand operated. Group is high, right, low, left, 16 inches (diameter of tree).
Forty-eight-round magazine loaded and put in place. Will not feed first round. Note for first time that loading ramp is very steep-about 45 degree-and narrow. Get screwdriver kit from toolbox and dismantle pistol.
Many tool marks inside shiny exterior. Horseshoe rasp, maybe. Springs all piano wire type. Apparently from very small piano. After some difficulty, reassemble and try 48-round magazine again. No dice. Big magazine apparently meant to be handy place to carry ammunition.
Shoot single shot for a while. Groups don’t improve. Curious square holes cut by bullets. Perhaps due to quadrangular rifling in bore. Try all brands of ammunition. Results the same.
See squirrel munching acorn in nearby tree. Very fat. Squirrel out of season, but I get an evil idea. Rations low. Squirrel rolled in biscuit crumbs and fried in bacon drippings would be great morale builder.
Sight seven inches high and left on squirrel with Mama Mia. And miss. Squirrel munches acorn. Hold upper right quadrant or rodent. Does not disturb dining squirrel. Working slide by hand, fire five quick shots. Squirrel looks on with interest. Think of going for .44 Magnum, but don’t believe squirrel tail and ears would make good supper.
Fifth day. Grub low. Biscuits turning green. Hunting squirrels, porcupines, and even bears with .44 Magnum. Mighty hunter in magazine articles; dripping dud in wet forest.
Sixth day. Definitely in deep trouble. Old bones won’t stand up to 40-mile walkout. Wife home from Flower Arrangers Convention in Santa Fe by now. Will find me gone and cats unfed. Will be mildly irritated. Probably throw things. But she will call friends in State Police and Forest Service. They will check out jails, hospitals, then Kelly Canyon, Desert Saloon, El Paso. Then they will settle down to look for me. Shouldn’t be longer than one more day….
Down to dregs of coffee by seventh morning. Broken clouds. Mama Mia WD-fortied and put away. Reading labels on empty hash cans. Stomach growling.
Suddenly hear chopper working way up canyon. Use Coleman fuel. Make smoky fire. Helicopter hovers, lands in mud near pickup. Pilot is Dick Shaw, a State Police friend.
Embarrassing situation. Shaw disgusted. Dismounts from machine, walks toward pot of weak coffee, gets dirty cup, and drinks. Sees I’m cold, wet. Gives me a cigarette.
“How’d you get yourself in this fix, Skeeter?”
Mutter something about big job I had to do-caught by weather. Shaw not at all sympathetic. Says he will radio for four-wheeler with chains and winch to come get me. Will probably cost at least $100. I say okay.
Shaw blasts off. I start breaking camp again. Must go home and face music. Will mail this letter tomorrow.
Might be just as well if this was one gun review that didn’t get printed.
Su amigo,
Skeeter
Categories
SOCOM 16 M1-A
Kansas City, KS (November 14, 2023) – The CZ 600 AMERICAN is a modern, American-style bolt-action centerfire rifle that’s equipped with a beautifully crafted Turkish walnut stock with a fleur-de-lis on the grip. Available in a wide range of calibers, from .223 Rem to .300 Win Mag, it is ready to meet the needs of a wide range of hunters and sport shooters.
The CZ 600 AMERICAN centerfire rifle is equipped with a thin profile and cold hammer forged barrel. The single-stage trigger features smooth operation and easy user adjustment of pull weight. A locking five-round magazine allows for quick changeovers from fixed to removable operation and vice versa.
Like most centerfire rifles in the CZ 600 series, the CZ 600 AMERICAN features a patented vertical safety with intuitive and virtually noiseless, operation. The bolt can be removed by pressing a spring-loaded button on the right side of the receiver without having to disengage the safety and manipulate the trigger. The controlled feed system with short extractor ensures reliable delivery of cartridges in any position, even during rapid reloads.
The new CZ 600 AMERICAN centerfire rifle is the latest addition to the popular CZ 600 family, which includes the hunting, sport and hobby models – ALPHA, ERGO, LUX, RANGE and TRAIL.
CZ 600 AMERICAN Features:
- Guaranteed sub-MOA accuracy (three-shot groups at 100 m with match-grade ammunition)
- User-adjustable trigger pull weight (CZ patent)
- All metal components treated with CZ’s patented, extremely durable anti-corrosion finish
- Symmetrical AMERICAN-style stock made of Turkish walnut
- Steel receiver with a Remington 700-type mounting interface
- The bolt can be safely removed without manipulating the trigger and disengaging the safety
- Thin profile, cold hammer forged barrel
- 60° bolt handle angle allows for fast reloads
- Locking, double stack magazine
- Unique bolt system ensures reliable feeding, even during rapid
CZ 600 AMERICAN Specifications:
- Calibers: .223 Rem, .243 Win, 270 Win, 30-06 Spring, .300 Win Mag, .308 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor
- Magazine Capacity: 4 (3 in 300 Win. Mag.)
- Magazine Type: Detachable
- Weight: 6.5 – 7 lbs
- Barrel Length: 24-inches; 20-inches (.308 Win, .243 Win)
- Barrel Profile: Thin
- Stock: American walnut (American High-Grade .308 Win, 6.5 Creedmoor, 30-06 Sprg)
- Sights: None; receiver drilled & tapped for Rem 700-pattern bases
- Trigger: Single-stage, Adjustable (4 positions)
- Safety: 2-Position
- MSRP: $849 American ($1499 American High Grade)
To learn more about the CZ 600 AMERICAN, click HERE!
“If the US can’t fix its gun policy, maybe an international lawsuit can,” attorney and Global Action on Gun Violence (GAGV) President Jonathan Lowy declares in an opinion piece in The Boston Globe. “Lax US gun policy has caused an international public health and safety crisis, and blatantly violates human rights laws.”
Lowy, former Chief Counsel and VP Legal for Brady, “filed papers … under the Foreign Agents Registration Act to provide legal and consulting services to the government of Mexico and plans to work with other nations on similar efforts,” Time reported in 2022. “Lowy has already worked with the government of Mexico and lawyers in Canada to file three lawsuits against U.S. gunmakers in the last four years.” (The Mexican government argued that the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) does not extend to damages caused in Mexican territory and tiled an appeal after its $10B complaint was dismissed in a Boston federal court last year).
“Joaquin Oliver v USA was filed in the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an independent legal body of the Organization of American States,” New York advertising agency Zulu Alpha Kilo announced in September. “The lawsuit argues that Inter-American human rights law requires the United States to prevent firearms manufacturers, distributors, and dealers from recklessly making and selling guns in ways that cause deaths and injuries.
“The US, like other nations, is obligated to protect the exercise of these human rights; a State cannot simply tolerate its people to be systematically and repeatedly deprived of their lives,” the publicity release elaborated. “The suit explains that US gun policies and the Supreme Court’s Second Amendment decisions are inconsistent with the human right to live that the US is required to respect, and enable the gun industry to profit from crime throughout the region.”
The ones truly profiting, of course, are corrupt Mexican officials and their cartel patrons, who aren’t getting actual military equipment and grenades from U.S. gun shops and onesie-twosie “straw purchasers.”
That Lowy’s shakedown effort is being managed by professional ad agency spin doctors says much in terms of Astroturf vs. grassroots. Gun owners have seen before the misinformation that results from high production value “PSAs” representing themselves as reliable documentation instead of what they really are – scripted commercials engineered to get the viewers to “buy” something. So where’s the money coming from?
At this point, it’s not that obvious. A Who.Is registrar search shows the GAGV domain hidden behind a proxy, and its IRS ruling is so new that no tax documents are posted yet on the Guidestar nonprofit reporting website. It is shown there to be a Washington D.C. entity, and a business filings search at DC.gov CorpOnline shows Lowy operating at the same address as the Violence Policy Center. They’re the ones who advocate exploiting public ignorance to gin up mob demands for gun bans:
“The weapons’ menacing looks, coupled with the public’s confusion over fully automatic machine guns versus semi-automatic assault weapons—anything that looks like a machine gun is assumed to be a machine gun—can only increase the chance of public support for restrictions on these weapons.”
So much for Lowy and his new lawfare group. What about Manuel Oliver, the plaintiff?
Read more: https://www.ammoland.com/2023/11/international-tribunal-lawsuit-an-unconstitutional-attempt-to-subvert-second-amendment/#ixzz8Jf7SyMBt
He and his wife had their child Joaquin brutally taken from them. Those of us with children who have not suffered such a soul-eviscerating loss can only imagine the terror and agony they have had to endure and will be forced to live with every day for the rest of their lives.
With that in mind, all people of good conscience will naturally feel sympathy and would offer comfort if we could. And with that acknowledged, our sympathy does not give sufferers leave to lay claim to our rights, especially when doing so serves the interests of violence monopolists and power interests obsessed with disarming their countrymen.
We’ve heard their arguments and we reject them. The Parkland monster, who passed a much-ballyhooed “background check,” was nonetheless known to authorities and exploited an ostensible “gun-free” zone “defended” by a school resource officer who sheltered himself outside the building while his young charges were being slaughtered.
They’ve heard our arguments and rejected them. Our solutions are mutually exclusive. We can’t all get along.
“If the US can’t fix its gun policy, maybe an international lawsuit can. It’s time to change the game!” Oliver repeated Lowy’s assertion. And we can see from other posts in his account some of the “gun policies” he means to “fix.”
He’s against allowing Lake City ammunition to be sold to the civilian market. He spreads the meme that the NRA and the GOP (and their tens of millions of policy supporters) are devils. He calls Gov. Ron De Santis (and by default his supporters) “political rats.” We could go on all day.
It’s existential with this guy. He wants it all. He won’t take “No.” And there can be only one.
He understands that and fights that way. He was arrested for disrupting a House meeting, but got handled with kid gloves and only issued a citation. Those of us who aren’t useful to Democrats can see what “obstruction of an official proceeding” and conspiracy charges can result in when the government wants to press charges.
And as long as there can be no peace between our people, note he’s a Venezuelan immigrant (making great money in speaking fees here) who opted to leave a corrupt Marx-inspired tyranny and mandate the same “gun control” edicts on his adoptive home as are imposed in the land he fled.
Sorry, but this is where sympathy gets replaced with resolve. When you take it out on me and mine by going after what is ours and not yours, you invite being repelled as certainly as any other criminal, tyrant wannabe, or political swindler. Hands off the Second Amendment!
The same goes for the OAS and its Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, both of which have no authority, legal, moral, or otherwise, to impose their diktats and override “the supreme Law of the Land.”
Like the UN, they presuppose rights come from the government, as opposed to being preexisting. Their “American Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Man,” with “rights” others are forced to provide, and “duties” (“to obey the law, to serve the community and the nation, to pay taxes”), whether just or not, is a blueprint for codifying “legal” slavery.
It could be argued that the OAS hand in opening the Darien Region in Panama (now being overrun by hordes from its member states on their way to the U.S.) ensures continued lawlessness and human rights violations, and the continued unchecked invasion and attack on U.S. sovereignty guarantees that when it comes to armed violence, we — and they — ain’t seen nothin’ yet.
They want to play hardball, let’s.
Per the Congressional Research Service, “The United States hosts the OAS headquarters in Washington, DC, and is the largest financial contributor to the organization, providing an estimated $53.2 million in FY2023… The 118th Congress is now considering the Biden Administration’s FY2024 budget request, which includes $42.6 million for the U.S. assessed contribution to the OAS and $8.0 million in voluntary contributions for OAS-managed democracy promotion and economic development programs in the hemisphere.”
Per the Constitution, “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives,” and the House is now under the nominal control of the Republicans, who largely owe their majority to their gun owner constituents.
There’s room for pressure there. Demand they apply it.
The Lawsuit for Survival video follows, asking the non sequitur question “Does someone else’s ‘right’ to a gun outweigh your right to live?” Note on YouTube it says “Comments have been turned off.”
About David Codrea:
David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at “The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance,” is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.