Concealed Carry Options From Ruger

Ruger has been expanding their firearm selection in the last few years. The SR9 should be familiar to you if you have been watching the Ruger videos on this blog for the last several weeks. The SR9 has developed a huge following, and it is a very dependable, moderately priced choice for self defense. Ruger recently brought out a compact version of the SR9, and Lori Petoske tells us about it in this video made during the 2010 Shot Show by trophyhunterstv.



In the next video, Jeff Quinn of Gunblast demonstrates the SR9c.



Ruger's newest addition to their line of pistols is the SR40, and judging from the reviews I am seeing, it is going to be even more popular than its 9 mm predecessor. Ruger has engineered the SR40 to tame the snappy recoil of the S&W .40, and the gun writers really like the way this new pistol shoots. The video below is Jeff Quinn of GunBlast talking about the new SR, and showing us how it handles on the firing line.

Crankin' It Up

Lyman's California Ambassador Hotel Orchestra recorded "Weary Weasel" on July 27, 1923, for your dancing pleasure. This is another of those records that I have kept safely stored away, and had never played. Imagine my surprise as I recorded it into the computer, and I heard that this song is an obvious knockoff of the "Tiger Rag!" Wonders never cease. "Before You Go" is on the A side, and I will check it out for next week's crank up.

BONUS!!! Here is the original recording of "Tiger Rag" from 1917 by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, uploaded by transformingArt.

The World's Greatest Entertainer...

Al Jolson passed away on October 23, 1950.  His last gig was entertaining soldiers in Korea, and even though he had just one good lung, and was sick with bronchitis, he did forty-two shows in seven days.  Visit the Al Jolson Society website, and light a candle for Al this evening.  Be sure to explore the Jolson Society website while you are there.  Many of Jolson's recordings are available for your enjoyment, such as the original Toot-Toot-Tootsie, and the rarest of Al's records, I'm Down In Honolulu Looking Them Over.

I started collecting old records when I was just a kid, and Jolson records were my favorites.  I still remember looking up Al Jolson in an encyclopedia and seeing to my horror that he had died before I was born.  It was like losing an old friend.

Many thanks to the Al Jolson Society for the great site, and the links. 

Put-ti, Put-ti, Put-ti

I did manage to squeeze out a few hours for Pinckneyville over the last weekend, and rapidly filled a couple of SD cards taking video and pictures. In my hurry to see as much as possible in a limited time, I neglected to read the builder's tag on this nice hit-and-miss engine. I think it is a Stover, and from the size, I would guess it is about 1 1/2 HP.

WOW!! Even More Pictures From GBR-V!!

We finally have the pictures and videos taken by the True Blue Team (Bea and TBS) processed into a video for your gratification. The sound track is "Shufflin' Mose," one of my Edison records from a great-grandfather. (The father of the man next to the Model T coupe in the header.) Putting this together was quite enjoyable, especially playing with the speed on the video segments. U.S. Citizen's Thompson is NOT full auto, but speeding him up 66% sort of gives that impression. Block out some time next September, travel to Reno, and join in on the fun.

Not My Victrola

Pax41 has posted a lovely rendition of the old favorite, "Let Me Call You Sweetheart." This song was published in 1910, and this performance by the Shannon Quartet was recorded in 1926, after electric microphones replaced the horns used in acoustic recording. That's lucky for us, because we get to hear a performance of this great song by people who still know how to sing to the back row in a theater, but with much better sound quality than was available just a few years earlier.

Weekend Steam: Vintage Post Cards From Colorado

 These post cards aren't quite antiques, but they are forty years old, and I presume the photos were taken a few years before that.  These photos are from the Durango and Silverton Railroad, and it sure would be great to ride it now, while the aspens are turning.

Crankin' It Up: Forest Products Week Special

This week True Blue Sam is featuring a special old record to celebrate Forest Products Week: "Woodland Echoes", performed by the Neapolitan Trio for the Victor Talking Machine Company on November 28, 1913.

Good Stance, Good Shooting

Mom's main shooting buddy Deb took this photo during their latest trip to the Clemon's Creek Shooting Range, just west of Washington, Iowa.  Bea gave her Walther PK380 a workout, and it performed flawlessly.  What I find interesting in this photo is the way Mom goes into a Weaver stance automatically, making a good push/pull on her pistol, and doing a darn good job of hitting the target.  Well, shooting is fun, and shooting well is even funner.  Practice at the shooting range is rolling back, or at least slowing down the clock for Mom, and one day it might save her life; you never know.  Thanks for the photo, Deb, it made my day!

It Isn't Always About Chainsaws...

My good friend Troy has been chomping at the bit to get out and start bowhunting this fall, but it has been hot and dry, and not fit for slipping up on wary forest creatures, until Wednesday of this week.  Rain blew in, Troy hit the woods, and he nailed a turkey on his first outing.  Congratulations, Troy, and a happy Forest Products Week to you!