Mr. Completely's May e-Postal Contest Is Up at The Sand Castle!

Danno over Sand Castle Scrolls is hosting Mr. Completely's May contest, and it is a fun challenge for the whole family. Click the target to see the rules and download the dartboard. Remember, Cheaper Than Dirt is awarding a $50 gift certificate to one of the participants each month this year, and you get bragging rights for entering. Take the wife, take the kids, invite a friend, and go to the range!

Crankin' It Up

The Tennessee Ten recorded this jazzy dance record on July 23, 1923.

Mood Lifters

Mrs. TBS does a great job tending her flowers. These poppies are an annual treat; I just wish they lasted longer when they bloom. Her clematis didn't bloom last year, but it is putting on a show now.

Pay Now, Or Pay Later

I have been recommending for several years that this black oak be removed ASAP, but it never happened. It had a major opening where another tree had grown against it, plus there was root damage from lawnmower injuries. This tree had no permanent targets, but it was in a high traffic area for pedestrians. Luckily, it came down over the weekend during a storm and no one was beneath it to be hurt.

Right next to it is this shingle oak, which also has rotting roots from lawnmower hits, and advanced rot in the trunk which is obvious due to the conk growing out its northeast side. Tapping on the tree with an axe produces the drumlike sound that only rotten and hollow trees can make. This tree leans toward a power line, and a road which carries moderate traffic. I am recommending that this tree be removed. I will be keeping an eye on it, but I won't be holding my breath.

History For Those Who Look

When I see houses like this one I always wonder how many kids were raised within. This little old home had a couple of additions made, so the farm provided a good living, and probably supported successive generations. We are fortunate to have a glimpse into the past, thanks in part to the tin roof, which has kept the wood dry. This nice little home is situated on a bluff overlooking Dry Fork in Wayne County, Illinois, and the farm was a combination of upland and creek bottom, so crop failures would have been rare. I wish the walls could talk.

Gunblast's PK 380 Review

Gunblast is a new addition to the Forum and Reference section on the left sidebar. Jeff Quinn has a great site where he reviews a variety of guns, and he makes good videos, which he uses on his page. This video is a quick overview of the Walther PK 380. Click Here to see Jeff's post about this great little pistol. There are a few important facts you need to know if you are looking for a .380 pistol. Many of the handguns in this caliber are simple blowback actions, which means that they have a heavy slide and a fairly heavy recoil spring. Newer designs on the market use a locking recoil system which makes them lighter and easier to carry, and allows for a lighter recoil spring. This type of system means that people with a weak grip can probably cycle the slide on the newest .380's. Nearly all of the new pocket size .380's on the market use a double action only trigger, which means that you have a long trigger stroke which cycles the hammer or striker for every shot. You need to check these designs carefully before you buy to make sure that the user can indeed cycle the slide reliably, and can operate the trigger. The PK380 can be fired in both single action mode or double action. The double action only pistols will not have a safety, but the PK380 does, and this means that the user must take the time to become very familiar with the gun's operation before using it as a carry weapon. The extra time spent is well worth it, because this little gun is very reliable, and it is easy to shoot in single action mode. Most people who carry it will probably leave the hammer cocked at all times and set the hammer-block safety on safe. UPDATE: Conversations on the internet about this pistol show that some have a difficult time taking it apart and reassembling. Takedown does require the use of a key, which is supplied with the pistol. The key stays in place once you have rotated it, and you turn it back before you can remove it when reassembling. It's pretty easy to do if you read the directions and look at the pictures in the manual. Compressing the recoil spring stymies a few, too, but it is also very easily done. Insert a section of cleaning rod through the hole in the front of the slide, thread the recoil spring over it, then push the cleaning rod section out with the spring guide rod. Set the head of the spring guide rod in its catch, and you are ready to put the slide assembly back onto the frame. SIG Sauer's P238 is a 1911 styled pocket pistol with a single action trigger and a safety. Be sure to check out both of these guns when you go shopping for your concealed carry weapon. MORE UPDATE!!!! Do you enjoy shooting, and visiting with other shooters? Sign up to attend the seventth Annual Gun Blogger Rendezvous in Reno, Nevada. Click over to the GBR website for more info, and the registration form. The Rendezvous is September 5-8, 2012. Watch the video below to see some of the good times. GBR is organized by Mr. Completely; steel shooter, and blogger extraordinaire.

Not My Victrola

Pax41 uploaded this excellent recording of Fritz Kreisler.

Monday's Coming!

Back To The Old Grind!

What's Bea Been Up To?

If you have been following Second Amendment news in Iowa you know that Governor Culver recently signed legislation which will allow Iowans to obtain concealed carry permits. Bea has been following the progress of this legislation, and communicating with the Governor's office and her legislators. Saturday she celebrated this victory for law abiding citizens by shopping for a pistol to use when she is licensed to carry. We made a shopping list of various pistols to examine, and Mom looked at a bunch of them. Scheel's in Coralville had the new Walther PK380's in stock, and she knew as soon as she held it that this was the gun for her. Above you can see Cody guiding her through the paperwork. We also looked at holsters and purchased sufficient ammo to try out her new hardware. During our afternoon trip to the range just west of Washington, Mom ran seventy rounds through the little Walther with zero malfunctions. The sights are right on from the factory, so it is ready to report for duty. Mom now needs to go to a class and apply for her permit.

Weekend Steam