Categories
Well I thought it was funny!

Well I thought it was funny!

Categories
Well I thought it was funny!

Well I thought it was funny!

Categories
Being a Stranger in a very Strange Land

America Is No Longer A Nation

 
Paul Craig Roberts
The America in which I grew up and lived my early adult life was a nation. Over the course of my life I have watched my country turn into a Tower of Babel. Homogeneity and shared values permitted us to understand one another. This doesn’t mean that there was uniformity or that things were perfect. A Baptist wasn’t a Catholic. A WASP was not a black laborer. A female was not a male. Blacks and poor whites had a hard time becoming middle class, but it could be done. It was possible for middle class people to become “well off,” but difficult to become rich. Immigration was controlled, and the reduction of inflows had helped the Irish and Italians to integrate into society.
Police were helpful and didn’t burst into homes with guns blazing or rough you up on traffic stops. On important issues, compromises could be reached and reforms implemented. English was the language. If you telephoned a service provider, utility, or bank, you quickly were connected to a real person capable of handling every aspect of whatever you were calling about. Today you wait through the Spanish language option for the robo-voice listing the options that might have something to do with the reason for your call. The companies save money and make profits by imposing their service costs on customers.
Technology seems to have worsened the functionality of society. Diversity and multiculturalism definitely have. It used to be that taking or giving offense was something that good manners prevented. Today members of those groups that are entitled to be offended are ready to take offense at any excuse. Today it is easy for a white person and a male to give offense without intending or even knowing that what he did or said was offensive.
Diversity and multiculturalism provide a fertile field for Identity Politics. Identity Politics has succeeded in turning everything white into racism. Indeed, the word “white” is now a code word for racist. Western Civilization and science itself are explained as mechanisms of white domination. The other day a black female college professor declared time to be white. She explained that a tendency on the part of blacks to be late was due to the fact that time was just another white racist construct. Time was white because it made blacks late.
According to Identity Politics, white people are in charge, but the evidence is to the contrary. There are no quotas for whites in university admissions, hiring, and promotion. It is the allegedly victimized “preferred minorities” who get to go to the front of the line. There are no hate speech or hate crime protections for whites. Whites can be called every hurtful and offensive name in the book and have no right or power to demand apologies or the firing of the offender. White DNA has been declared to be “an abomination,” and white people “shouldn’t exist.” In America today, the way to get ahead is to claim victim-hood. Jews are experts at this, and blacks, women, and illegal immigrants have learned the same trick.
University education explains white people as the source of all evil. This is especially the case in what is called black studies and in gender studies, which seems to have developed out of women’s studies or feminist studies. A white male professor who gives a low grade to a female or to a black can expect that some charge might be made against him, but a white male who receives a low grade from a black or feminist professor has no such recourse.
As whites still constitute the majority of the U.S. population, what are the consequences for society when it is the majority that is constantly demeaned? What does it mean when white males, still the backbone of the military, are more easily cowed than women and “preferred minorities”?
When whites become a minority, what is their fate when the new majority has been taught hatred of whites for decades?
What does it mean when Americans fall all over themselves to apologize for using some word or term that someone finds “offensive” when it never occurs to Americans to apologize to Libyans, Iraqis, Syrians, Afghans, Yemeni, Somalis, for destroying the lives of hundreds of thousands of them? The disconnect here is extreme. Words hurt but not bombs. Moreover, I can remember when words now said to be offensive gave no offense to anyone. What has happened is that people have been taught to regard the words as offensive. How else did “girls” become offensive? Identity Politics finds more offensive words every day. Before long a white person will not be able to open their mouth. Language itself is being made dysfunctional. If the means of communication is dysfunctional, how can society be functional?
Identity Politics has produced disunity. Disunity is the antithesis of nationhood.
There are in the U.S. many groups that specialize in teaching hatred of whites by pretending to fight “white supremacy.” A new one on the scene is the Center for Jewish Civilization at Georgetown University. Georgetown is, or was, a Catholic university. One might expect a Center for Catholic Civilization or, as Georgetown is located in America, a Center for American Civilization. But no, it is a Center for Jewish Civilization. Who finances it? Why is it focused on “the far right”? Why is it at Georgetown University?
On April 10 the Center for Jewish Civilization at Georgetown University is hosting an all day propaganda session at the National Press Club to work up opposition to white gentiles who are allegedly using Nazi techniques to attack Jews and blacks. In other words, the Center for Jewish Civilization is doing precisely to white gentiles what the center claims white anti-semites are doing to Jews and blacks. The “conference” is focused on “How Do We Deal with a New Ecosystem of Hate and Anti-Semitism on the Far Right?”
We all know what the “far right” is—white people, which as a group are being recast as “white supremacists.” Far right is not a term ever applied to blacks or other races.
Try to imagine a Center for Palestinian Civilization at Georgetown University that was hosting a National Press Club all day event to combat an “Ecosystem of Hate and Anti-Palestinianism in Israel.” The center would be lumped in with the Alt-Right and accused of promoting hate and anti-semitism.
Or suppose U.S. foreign service veterans formed a Center for American Foreign Policy and criticized Israel’s control over American Foreign Policy revealed in Netanyahu’s boast that at his request Trump named Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, a large chunk of the Iranian government, as a terrorist group.https://news.antiwar.com/2019/04/08/netanyahu-says-trump-named-iran-guards-a-terror-group-at-his-request/ The center would be accused of anti-semitic tropes.
How is a country a nation when it cannot have its own foreign policy, when words of its language are proscribed, when alleged victim groups have more rights than the alleged dominant class, and when hate is used to create disunity?
Identity Politics is the ideology that has been used to break America into disunited pieces.

Categories
All About Guns

The S&W 29 44 Magnum an overview

Smith & Wesson Model 29
SW Model 629.jpg

Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum Model 629 with 8⅜” barrel: a stainless steel version of the Model 29.
Type Revolver
Place of origin United States
Service history
Used by See Users
Production history
Manufacturer Smith & Wesson
Produced 1955–present
Specifications
Weight
  • 41.5 oz. / 1.178 kg (4 in bbl)
  • 45 oz. / 1.276 kg (6 in bbl)
  • Both of these weights are for the traditional S&W style without a barrel underlug.
Length
  • 9.3 in (Barrel 4 in)
  • 12 in (Barrel 6-1/2 in)
Barrel length
  • 4 in (102 mm)
  • 6 in (153 mm)
  • 6-1/2 in (165 mm)
  • 8⅜ in (214 mm)
  • 10⅝ in (270 mm)

Cartridge
Caliber .429 in (10.9 mm)
Action Double-action
Feed system Six round cylinder
Sights Open, adjustable rear

The Smith & Wesson Model 29 is a six-shot, double-actionrevolver chambered for the .44 Magnum cartridge and manufactured by the United States company Smith & Wesson.
The Model 29 was offered with 3″, 4″, 5″, 6″, 6½”, 8⅜” and, later, 10⅝” barrel lengths as standard models. Other barrel lengths were available either by special order from Smith & Wesson’s Custom Shop or custom built by gunsmiths. The 5″ barreled variant had a full length underlug. Finish options available included a highly polished blued or nickelplatedsurface.
At the time of its introduction, the Model 29 was the most powerful production handgun. It was made famous by association with the fictional character “Dirty Harry” Callahan.

Design[edit]

The Model 29 will chamber and fire .44 Special cartridges, as the .44 Magnum was developed from the .44 Special. The Magnum case is slightly longer to prevent magnum rounds from being chambered and fired in handguns chambered for the .44 Special.

History[edit]

Smith & Wesson Model 29s, 4 & 8⅜inch barrels

Smith and Wesson Mountain Gun circa 1995

Elmer Keith‘s achievements in maximizing the power and performance of the .44 Special was the inspiration and driving force behind the introduction of the .44 Magnum by Smith & Wesson. His intention for the new round was for it to be used in sidearms for hunters of large, dangerous game, rather than for self-defense, though with today’s specialty cartridges, it can be a good defensive round.[1]
S&W’s production of a large N-frame revolver in .44 Magnum began in 1955; the Model 29 designation was applied in 1957.[2]
At the time of its introduction, the Model 29 was the most powerful production handgun. There were a number of custom calibers that were more powerful, as in the old Howdah pistols of the 19th century.
It remained primarily the province of handgun enthusiasts, some law enforcement personnel and hunters until 1971, when Clint Eastwood made it famous as “the most powerful handgun in the world” in the movie Dirty Harry. After the movie’s release, retailers had trouble keeping the Model 29 in stock.[3]
In the late 1990s, Smith & Wesson discontinued production of many models of revolvers, including the ‘basic’ Model 29; since then, at various times, the model, in limited or ‘custom’ configurations, has been manufactured in as many as 10 evolutions.[4]

Variants[edit]

Smith & Wesson Model 29-2

The original Model 29 was superseded by the Model 29-1 in 1960, with modifications made to the ejector-rod screw. The Model 29-2 replaced it the following year, with one screw that had secured the cylinder-stop spring being deleted. The barrel length was shortened from 6 1/2″ to 6″ in 1979. These two versions are known as “pinned and recessed”. “Pinned” means that the barrels are screwed in, and secured by a pin driven through the frame and a notch in the barrel. “Recessed” denotes the rear of the bored cylinder holes being countersunk, so that, when loaded, the cartridge rims are fully enclosed by the cylinder. In 1982, the cost-cutting Model 29-3 dropped recessed cylinders and pinned barrels for crush-fit barrels.[2]
The -4 and -5, produced from 1988 and 1990 respectively had changes to improve durability for heavy use. In 1994 the 29-6 began production, now fitted as standard with rubber Monogrips from Hogue to replace the previous wooden items, standard tapped holes also being provided for attaching scope mounts. The 29-7 started production in 1998 with changes to the locking mechanism, the firing pin’s attachment, and a hammer and trigger produced with a metal injection molding process.[2]

Model Start Year Barrel Lengths Modifications
29 1957 6 1/2″
29-1 1960 6 1/2″ ejector rod screw
29-2 1961 6 1/2″ changed to 6″ in 1979 one screw that had secured the cylinder stop spring dropped
29-3 1982 dropped recessed cylinders and pinned barrels for crush-fit barrels
29-4 1988 retention system on the yoke or cylinder crane strengthened, studs in frame were radiused; 8 3/8″ version offered with integral scope mts.
29-5 1990 longer cylinder notches to prevent bolt jump, bolt and inner mechanism changed to reduce battering under recoil
29-6 1994 standard with rubber Monogrips from Hogue
29-7 1998 changes to the locking mechanism, the firing pin’s attachment, and a hammer and trigger produced with a metal injection molding process.
29-8 2001 new frame design with internal lock
29-9
29-10
Starting Number Years
N1 1969-1972
N100000 1973
N200000 1974-1977
N300000 1975-1976
N400000 1977-1978
N500000 1978-1980
N600000 1979-1980
N700000 1980
N800000 1980-1983
N900000 1982-1986

Model 629[edit]

A snub-nosed Smith & Wesson Model 629.

Introduced in 1978, the Smith & Wesson Model 629 is a stainless steel version of the Model 29.
The 629 model designation derives from Smith & Wesson’s practice of denoting a stainless steel version of one of their already existing designs by placing a 6 in front of the model number of the original weapon. The 629 Classic variant features a full-length barrel underlug, other variants include the 629 Stealth Hunter.

.44 Magnum S&W Model 629-6 Deluxe Talo Edition

Model Start Year Barrel Lengths Modifications
629 1978
629-1 19xx dropped recessed cylinders and pinned barrels
629-2
629-3
629-4
629-5 Internal hammer added
629-6 Internal lock added

Quiet Special Purpose Revolver[edit]

Some S&W model 29s were rebuilt by the AAI Corporation to make the Quiet Special Purpose Revolvers (QSPR). These had new, short, smoothbore barrels (35 mm / 1.375 inch), with .40″ / 10mm bore, with cylinder chambers reamed to accept special QSPR ammunition which externally resembled metal-cased .410-gauge shotgun shells but internally worked as a piston to trap the gases. This special ammunition was made by AAI.[5]
This pistol was developed from 1967 to 1971 to be used by tunnel rats in the Vietnam War. The QSPR was tested on the battlefield in 1969, and an improvement and testing program ran from 1970 until 1971. At least officially it never entered service. The US withdrawal from Vietnam reduced interest in the QSPR weapon, and the program ended in about 1972.[5]
A Russian handgun of more-recent vintage, the Ohs-38 Stechkin, is described as using a system virtually identical to that employed by the Quiet Special Purpose Revolver (QSPR).

Mountain Gun Variation[edit]

Mountain Gun engraved by John K. Pease and Wayne Di’Angelo through the Smith & Wesson Custom Engraving Shop.

The Mountain Gun was introduced in 1989 as a lightweight version of the Model 29 designed to be “carried often and shot little”.[6] The barrel profile is a reprise of the original design. Early version 29-4 backpacker with 2.5″ barrel, (Very rare).
A Smith & Wesson Model 629 with a 3″ barrel called the “Trail Boss” was produced for the distributor, RSR.[7]

Other variants[edit]

Smith & Wesson Model 629 Performance Center, a competition-oriented variant with a weighted barrel for reducing recoil

  • On January 26, 2006, Smith & Wesson announced the 50th Anniversary Model 29.[8]Identical to the previous models except for the gold inlaid trademark on the side cover, the new internal lock mechanism, and a non-fluted cylinder.
  • On January 1, 2007, Smith & Wesson announced the reissue of the Model 29 as an engraved model in S&W’s Classics line.[9]
  • The Smith & Wesson Model 629 Stealth Hunter has a 7.5″ ported barrel with a full-length under lug for increased stability and recoil reduction.The barrel-cylinder gap is 0.006 in (0.1524 mm), with a ball-detent lockup between the frame and cylinder crane that provides increased strength. The entire revolver is made of a stainless steel, with a glare-reducing matte black finish. It comes with slip-resistant synthetic grips.[10]
  • The 329NG is a scandium-framed revolver with PVD-coated cylinder and tritium sights. It is part of the NightGuard line.[11]
Categories
Hard Nosed Folks Both Good & Bad I am so grateful!! Soldiering The Green Machine

A Real Stud of a man in my book – Joe Ronnie Hooper

By Michael O’Donnell
It was philosopher and theologian Plato who once said, “A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men.†We all know heroes of the past, Alvin York of World War I and Audie Murphy of World War II, but what about the heroes of Vietnam? Among the veterans of Vietnam, there are countless stories of valor, yet they have been largely ignored or forgotten over time. For the 543,400 Americans on the ground at the height of the Vietnam War, the 58,226 who were killed or missing in action, the 211,529 who were wounded, and the 4 million total who served in the Vietnam “theater,†there was one who stood out among all the rest. His name is Staff Sergeant Joe Ronnie Hooper, and not only was he a hero in the Vietnam War; he is also the most decorated soldier in American international combat, even eclipsing both York and Murphy.
Joe Ronnie Hooper was born on August 8th, 1938 in Piedmont, South Carolina. His family moved when he was a child to Moses Lake, Washington, where he attended high school. Hooper grew up a tough kid who knew how to scrap and take care of himself, and would even on some occasions go looking for a fight. This mentality would find itself of use when Hooper enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17 in the summer of 1955. There he served until 1961 when he left for the Army. Joe served multiple tours of duty in Vietnam, one from 1966-67 and another from 1967-68, with D company, 2nd Battalion, 501st Airborne Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. He would return to action in 1969 with special permission from the president. It was while serving in Vietnam that Hooper proved why he would later become the most decorated American soldier of all time.
One of the most noteworthy of all of Hooper’s battles took place on February 21st, 1968, in Hue, South Vietnam. For his actions on this day, Hooper would receive the military’s highest award for valor: the Medal of Honor.
It was dawn on the morning of the 21st. The sun rose over the fields of Hue and painted the sky red, an eerie sight during these bloody days of the Tet Offensive. D Company, 2/501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division”the Delta Raiders”were assaulting a strong enemy position when they began to receive heavy fire from the Viet Cong.
Rockets blazed through the jungle, and the sound of machine guns and other automatic weapons filled the air. Company D’s advance on the enemy was halted by their squad leader, then”Sgt. Hooper, in front of a stream approximately 20 feet-wide.
Hooper gathered a few of his men and dashed across the stream, up into the face of the enemy fire. Although the enemy was firing from a protected bunker on the opposite side of the stream, it was quickly taken by Sgt. Hooper and the men that fearlessly followed him.
Soon, the rest of Company D began to follow Sgt. Hooper’s example, taking the fight to the enemy. A couple of men were wounded, leaving them exposed to the wrath of enemy fire. Without a second thought, Sgt. Hooper braved the crossfire and went out after his wounded brothers.
Hooper helped one man back to safety, then returned for the second man. He got to the wounded soldier, but in the process was wounded himself. Still, he brought the man to safety, saving him from certain death.
Returning to the fight, Hooper found SSG Thomas pinned down by enemy fire. Trying to decipher where the shots were coming from, Hooper called through the rattle of gunfire and explosions to SP4 Mount, who was up ahead, to see if there was room to maneuver between two small houses in the direction of the fire.
Joe Ronnie Hooper (August 8, 1938 – May 6, 1979) was an American who served in both the United States Navy and United States Army where he finished his career there as a captain. He was awarded the Medal of Honor while serving as an army staff sergeant on February 21, 1968 during the Vietnam War. He was one of the most decorated U.S. soldiers of the war and was wounded in action eight times.

Early life and education[edit]

Hooper was born on August 8, 1938 in Piedmont, South Carolina. His family moved when he was a child to Moses LakeWashington where he attended Moses Lake High School.

Career[edit]

U.S. Navy[edit]

Hooper enlisted in the United States Navy in December 1956. After graduation from boot camp at San Diego, California he served as an Airman aboard USS Wasp (CV-18) and USS Hancock (CV-19). He was honorably discharged in July 1959, shortly after being advanced to petty officer third class.

U.S. Army[edit]

Hooper enlisted in the United States Army in May 1960 as a private first class, and attended Basic Training at Fort Ord, California. After graduation, he volunteered for Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia and then was assigned to Company C, 1st Airborne Battle Group, 325th Infantry,[1] 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and was promoted to corporal during his assignment. He then served a tour of duty in South Korea with the 20th Infantry in October 1961 and shortly after arriving he was promoted to sergeant and was made a squad leader. He left Korea in November 1963 and was assigned to the 2nd Armored Division at Fort Hood, Texas for a year as a squad leader and then became a squad leader with Company D, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 502nd Infantry, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He was promoted to staff sergeant in September 1966 and volunteered for service in South Vietnam. Instead he was assigned as a platoon sergeant in Panama with the 3rd Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry, first with HQ Company and later with Company B.
Hooper couldn’t stay out of trouble and suffered several Article 15 hearings, being reduced to the rank of corporal in July 1967. He was promoted once again to sergeant in October 1967, and was assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell and deployed with the division to Vietnam in December as a squad leader. During his tour of duty with Delta Company (Delta Raiders), 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 501st Airborne Infantry101st Airborne Division, he was recommended for the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions on February 21, 1968 outside of Hue.
He returned from Vietnam and was discharged in June 1968. He reenlisted in the Army the following September, and served as a public relations specialist. On March 7, 1969, he was presented the Medal of Honor by President Richard Nixon during a ceremony in the White House. From July 1969 to August 1970, he served as a platoon sergeant with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Infantry in Panama. He managed to finagle a second tour in Vietnam; from April to June 1970, he served as a pathfinder with the 101st Aviation Group, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), and from June to December 1970, he served as a platoon sergeant with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). In December 1970, he received a direct commission to second lieutenant and served as a platoon leader with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile) until April 1971.
Upon his return to the United States, he attended the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning and was then assigned as an instructor at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Despite wanting to serve twenty years in the Army, Hooper was made to retire in February 1974 as a first lieutenant, mainly because he had only completed a handful of college courses beyond his GED. As soon as he was released from active duty, he joined a unit of the Army Reserve’s 12th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Washington as a Company Executive Officer. In February 1976, he transferred to the 104th Division (Training), also based in Washington. He was promoted to captain in March 1977. He attended drills only intermittently and was separated from the service in September 1978.
For his service in Vietnam, the U.S. Army also awarded Hooper two Silver Stars, six Bronze Stars, eight Purple Hearts, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Vietnam Service Medal with six campaign stars, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. He is credited with 115 enemy killed in ground combat, 22 of which occurred on February 21, 1968. He became one of the most decorated soldiers in the Vietnam War, and was one of three soldiers who were wounded in action eight times in the war.

Later life and death[edit]

Rumors persist that he became distressed by the anti-war politics of the time and took to excessive drinking which contributed to his death.[2] He died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Louisville, Kentucky on May 6, 1979, at the age of 40.
Hooper is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Section 46, adjacent to the Memorial Amphitheater.

Military awards[edit]

Hooper’s military decorations and awards include:

Combat Infantry Badge.svg

Bronze oak leaf cluster

V
Silver oak leaf cluster

Silver oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster

Silver star
Bronze star

Combat Infantryman Badge
Medal of Honor Silver Star
w/ 1 bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze Star
w/ Valor device and 1 silver oak leaf cluster
Purple Heart
w/ 1 silver and 2 bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Medal
Army Commendation Medal Army Good Conduct Medal
w/ 3 bronze Good conduct loops
Navy Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal Vietnam Service Medal
w/ 1 silver and 1 bronze campaign stars
Vietnam Cross of Gallantry
w/ Palm
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal Navy Pistol Marksmanship Ribbon
w/ “E” Device

Army Presidential Unit Citation
Vietnam Presidential Unit Citation Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation

Master Parachutist Badge Expert Marksmanship Badge
w/ 1 weapon bar
Vietnam Parachutist Badge

Medal of Honor citation[edit]

Medal of Honor

Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company D, 2d Battalion (Airborne), 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division. Place and date: Near Hue, Republic of Vietnam, February 21, 1968. Entered service at: Los Angeles, Calif. Born: August 8, 1938, Piedmont, S.C.

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Staff Sergeant (then Sgt.) Hooper, U.S. Army, distinguished himself while serving as squad leader with Company D. Company D was assaulting a heavily defended enemy position along a river bank when it encountered a withering hail of fire from rockets, machine guns and automatic weapons. S/Sgt. Hooper rallied several men and stormed across the river, overrunning several bunkers on the opposite shore. Thus inspired, the rest of the company moved to the attack. With utter disregard for his own safety, he moved out under the intense fire again and pulled back the wounded, moving them to safety. During this act S/Sgt. Hooper was seriously wounded, but he refused medical aid and returned to his men. With the relentless enemy fire disrupting the attack, he single-handedly stormed 3 enemy bunkers, destroying them with hand grenade and rifle fire, and shot 2 enemy soldiers who had attacked and wounded the Chaplain. Leading his men forward in a sweep of the area, S/Sgt. Hooper destroyed 3 buildings housing enemy riflemen. At this point he was attacked by a North Vietnamese officer whom he fatally wounded with his bayonet. Finding his men under heavy fire from a house to the front, he proceeded alone to the building, killing its occupants with rifle fire and grenades. By now his initial body wound had been compounded by grenade fragments, yet despite the multiple wounds and loss of blood, he continued to lead his men against the intense enemy fire. As his squad reached the final line of enemy resistance, it received devastating fire from 4 bunkers in line on its left flank. S/Sgt. Hooper gathered several hand grenades and raced down a small trench which ran the length of the bunker line, tossing grenades into each bunker as he passed by, killing all but 2 of the occupants. With these positions destroyed, he concentrated on the last bunkers facing his men, destroying the first with an incendiary grenade and neutralizing 2 more by rifle fire. He then raced across an open field, still under enemy fire, to rescue a wounded man who was trapped in a trench. Upon reaching the man, he was faced by an armed enemy soldier whom he killed with a pistol. Moving his comrade to safety and returning to his men, he neutralized the final pocket of enemy resistance by fatally wounding 3 North Vietnamese officers with rifle fire. S/Sgt. Hooper then established a final line and reorganized his men, not accepting treatment until this was accomplished and not consenting to evacuation until the following morning. His supreme valor, inspiring leadership and heroic self-sacrifice were directly responsible for the company’s success and provided a lasting example in personal courage for every man on the field. S/Sgt. Hooper’s actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.[3]

 

Categories
All About Guns

Come on Lottery Money!!!


Someday!!! Grumpy

Categories
Dear Grumpy Advice on Teaching in Today's Classroom Well I thought it was funny!

Some William Shakespeare!

Categories
All About Guns

Winchester Model 1894 Centennial 66 Lever Action Rifle in the Excellent Caliber of 30-30 Win

I just love the look of a saddle ring & octagon barrel on this slick looking lever gun!

WINCHESTER MODEL - 1894 CENTENNIAL 66 LEVER ACTION RIFLE CALIBER 30-30 WIN C&R OK - Picture 1
WINCHESTER MODEL - 1894 CENTENNIAL 66 LEVER ACTION RIFLE CALIBER 30-30 WIN C&R OK - Picture 2
WINCHESTER MODEL - 1894 CENTENNIAL 66 LEVER ACTION RIFLE CALIBER 30-30 WIN C&R OK - Picture 3
WINCHESTER MODEL - 1894 CENTENNIAL 66 LEVER ACTION RIFLE CALIBER 30-30 WIN C&R OK - Picture 4
WINCHESTER MODEL - 1894 CENTENNIAL 66 LEVER ACTION RIFLE CALIBER 30-30 WIN C&R OK - Picture 5
WINCHESTER MODEL - 1894 CENTENNIAL 66 LEVER ACTION RIFLE CALIBER 30-30 WIN C&R OK - Picture 6
WINCHESTER MODEL - 1894 CENTENNIAL 66 LEVER ACTION RIFLE CALIBER 30-30 WIN C&R OK - Picture 7
WINCHESTER MODEL - 1894 CENTENNIAL 66 LEVER ACTION RIFLE CALIBER 30-30 WIN C&R OK - Picture 8
WINCHESTER MODEL - 1894 CENTENNIAL 66 LEVER ACTION RIFLE CALIBER 30-30 WIN C&R OK - Picture 9
WINCHESTER MODEL - 1894 CENTENNIAL 66 LEVER ACTION RIFLE CALIBER 30-30 WIN C&R OK - Picture 10

Categories
All About Guns Fieldcraft Gun Info for Rookies Hard Nosed Folks Both Good & Bad

Carlos Hathcock Method of Sighting in a Rifle

Sighting in a rifle is an important thing to do if you want your rifle to be dead on when taking a shot.
Which brings us to the Carlos Hathcock way of sighting in a rifle.
For those that don’t know who Carlos Hathcock is, he was a United States Marine Corps (USMC) sniper with a service record of 93 confirmed kills.
Hathcock’s record and the extraordinary details of the missions he undertook made him a legend in the U.S. Marine Corps.
He was a serious threat to the NVA (North Vietnamese Army), which they placed a bounty of U.S. $30,000 on Hathcock’s head.
The following is a story by Gus Fisher a retired MGySgt USMC who talks of the time he met Carlos.
What was unique was the way Carlos had taught Gus to sight in a rifle. Here’s the excerpt from M14Forum:
As mentioned before, I was a very young Marine Sergeant when I came up to THE Marine Corps Rifle Team the first time as the junior Armorer.
I didn’t grow up using high power rifles. We used shotguns to hunt quail, rabbits, squirrels, pheasants, ducks and geese. I used a Mark I Ruger Target .22 pistol for racoon hunting and used a Model 74 Winchester .22 to really learn the basics of rifle marksmanship. My introduction to both high power shooting and long range shooting was in Marine Corps Boot Camp.
On Qual Day in Boot Camp, I ran 7 consecutive bullseye’s from the offhand position at 200 yards. The 8th round was a pinwheel bullseye, but it was on the target next to mine, so I got a maggie’s drawers. Knee High wind got me after that and I fell apart and only shot Sharpshooter in boot camp.
I bought a sporterized Mauser in .308 with a scope on it from a fellow Marine during the time I was going through the Armorer’s OJT program on Camp Pendleton. I used that for ground squirrel hunting, but was never really satisfied with my zero on the rifle.
So after I came up on “The Big Team,” I asked the second senior Armorer – Ted Hollabaugh, if he could show me how to REALLY sight in a rifle with a scope.
He said sure and he would do it, but since we had all the talent in the world at MTU, why didn’t I ask one of the shooters?
Well, I was a young kid and I didn’t know any of the shooters that well – most of them were much older than I. That’s when he suggested I ask Carlos Hathcock for some help.
I didn’t know Carlos then and did not know of his exploits in NM and Sniper shooting. Ted talked to Carlos about it and Carlos stopped by the shop later that afternoon.
Carlos looked at me and said, “So you want to sight in your rifle, eh? OK, thoroughly clean the bore and chamber. Dry the bore out with patches just before you come down to Range 4 tomorrow at noon on the 200 yard line. Have the sling on the rifle that you are going to use in hunting.” Then he went on about his business.
When I got to Range 4 the next day, he had a target in the air ready for me. He told me to get down in the best prone position I had. He checked me and adjusted my position just a bit. Then he said, “Before you shoot.
The MOST important thing I want you to do is take your time and make it the best shot possible. It doesn’t matter how long you take, just make it a good shot.
ALSO, and this is as important, make sure you give me an accurate call on where you think the bullet hit the target.” After I broke the shot, I told him where I thought the bullet had hit.
He checked it by using a spotting scope when the target came back up. He grinned just slightly and said, “not a bad call.” He then took a screwdriver and adjusted my scope a bit. He had me record everything possible about the shot and weather, humidity, temperature, wind, how I felt when the shot went off, what kind of ammo I was using, the date, and virtually everything about the conditions on the range that day.
I had never seen such a complete and precise recording of such things in a log book. He told me that if a fly had gone by the rifle and farted while I was shooting, to make sure I recorded that.
Then he told me to thoroughly clean the bore and chamber, and have it dry when I came back at 12 noon the next day. I was kind of surprised he only had me shoot once, but when you are getting free lessons – you don’t question or argue.
The next day, he told me the same thing. I called the shot and it was closer to the center of the bullseye. He made another slight adjustment and told me to clean the bore and chamber, dry the bore thoroughly and come back the next day at noon. Then we recorded everything possible about that day.
The following day, the shot was darn near exactly centered on the bullseye. Then he told me to clean and dry the bore before coming back the next day. Then we recorded everything about that day.
About a week into the process, Ted asked me how it was going. I said it was going really well, but we were only shooting one shot a day. Ted grinned and said, “How many shots do you think you are going to get at a deer? Don’t you think you had better make the first one count?” There was a level of knowledge and wisdom there that I immediately appreciated, though I came to appreciate it even more as time went on.
We continued this process with the sitting position at 200 yards, then prone and sitting at 300 yards and 400 yards. Then we went down to 100 yards and included offhand in the mix. Each day and each shot we recorded everything possible in the book and that included the sight settings for each position at each yard line. We also marked the scope adjustment settings with different color nail polish for each yard line.
When that was over after a few weeks, I thought I had a super good zero on the rifle. But no, not according to Carlos. He started calling me up on mornings it was foggy, rainy, windy, high or low humidity, etc., etc. and we fired a single shot and recorded the sight settings and everything else about the day. (I actually used four or five log books by the time we were through and put that info all into one ring binder.) I almost had an encyclopedia on that rifle. Grin.
Well, after a few months, we had shot a single round in most every kind of condition there was. Then about the 12th of December, it was REALLY cold and it seemed like an artic wind was blowing, there was about four inches of snow on the ground and freezing rain was falling. He called me up and told me to meet him at Range 4 at noon. I had gotten to know him well enough to joke, “Do you really want to watch me shoot in this kind of weather? He chuckled and said, “Well, are you ever going to hunt in this kind of weather?” I sighed and said, “See you at noon.”
By the next spring, I had records for sight settings for the first shot out of a “cold” barrel for almost any weather, position and range I would use and temperature/wind/humidity condition imagineable. He had informed me months before that was bascially how he wanted all Marine Snipers to sight in their rifles as only the first shot counts, though of course they would do it out to 700 yards on a walking target and further on a stationary target. They also practiced follow up shots, of course and we did some of that as well. It gave me great confidence that I could dial in my scope for anything I would come across.
Some years later in the late 90’s or really early this century, I was talking to a Police Sniper and he was really impressed I knew Carlos. I told him about the way Carlos had me sight in my rifle and suggested he do the same thing as he was a sniper for the Henrico Country SWAT team. He had never heard of that and took it to heart. About two and a half years later, he got called to a domestic situation where a husband had a handgun to his wife’s head and was going to kill her. After the Sergeant in charge and the Pysch guy determined the husband was really going to do it, the Police Officer was asked if he could hit the guy at just over 200 yards and not hit the wife. He said he knew he could (because he had followed Carlos method), so they told him to take the shot. One shot and the perp’s head exploded.
The wife was scared crapless, but unharmed.
When he told me about it about when I saw him the first time a week after the incident, the first thing I asked him if he was OK about taking the shot. He understood I was talking about the pyschological aspects and he really appreciated it. He said, it had bothered him a little that night until he remembered that if he had not taken the shot, the wife would have died. I checked back with him and he really was OK with having taken the shot. I’ve checked back every gun show I see him at and I know he is doing fine about it.
Sources: M14Forum

Categories
All About Guns

Birmingham Small Arms Custom Martini Cadet Rifle, Blue 24 Single Shot Falling Block Rifle, Made circa 1891-1904

BSA - Custom Birmingham Small Arms Martini Cadet Rifle, Blue 24” Single Shot Falling Block Rifle, MFD 1891-1904 C&R - Picture 8
BSA - Custom Birmingham Small Arms Martini Cadet Rifle, Blue 24” Single Shot Falling Block Rifle, MFD 1891-1904 C&R - Picture 9
BSA - Custom Birmingham Small Arms Martini Cadet Rifle, Blue 24” Single Shot Falling Block Rifle, MFD 1891-1904 C&R - Picture 10


This is a customized BSA Martini Cadet rifle built on a Martini falling block action. BSA made these rifles for use by the Australian military cadets starting in the late 1890’s.
After WWII, many were converted to sporting or target rifles by gunmakers like Sportco, and the original Cadets as well as their Sportco conversions were imported into the United States starting in the late 1950’s, so absent of any markings it is impossible to tell who customized the rifle or when.
The rifle has a pistol grip, Rosewood grip cap, Monte Carlo comb, cheekpiece, and an ebony nosecap on the beavertail forend.