Classic Arms has Federal 115gr 9mm FMJ for $124/1000 after rebate and free shipping, which is one heckuva great deal If you shoot 9mm.
I hope all of you had a peaceful and enjoyable Thanksgiving with your families. We had a nice one with family and friends over to enjoy the festive meal.
Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence (D-MI 14) my Congressional District (sigh), recently came out and said she was against impeaching Trump and instead for censure.
Apparently this didn't sit well with the Democrat powers that be, as she likely got a talking-to and she quickly back-flipped and came back out in favor of impeachment.
Understand that here in Michigan, Lawrence is in a very, very, safe Democrat district comprising mainly of Detroit and some Democrat dominated districts to the northwest. For all intents and purposes it is practically impossible for a Republican to win this district as structured.
So why backing away and then the backflip?
Perhaps she realizes what everyone else following the "inquiry" has already figured out - it's damn thin gruel, based on hearsay, done with rigged procedural rules, supposition, and not a high crime nor misdemeanor to be found.
In short, it's Impeach Orange Man Bad because Orange Man Bad and because the Democrats probably can't beat him in a fair election with the current candidates they're trying to run against him so if this sham weakens him so much the better for them.
Congresswoman Lawrence tends to be quite smart so far as Democrats go, so for her to realize this impeachment proceeding would likely backfire on the Dems shows she has a decent connection to reality and knows that the public isn't buying the charade.
She just tried to pull her party back from the brink to a nice safe attack on Trump with a censure vote that they would have locked up in the House, facts be damned.
A censure vote would have been a nice easy hit, rather than continuing the inquiry and going on to having a trial in the Senate with actual evidence, witnesses, and normal procedural and evidentiary rules rather than a kangaroo court inquiry where the Dems control the entire process. It may very well end in a censure vote once the Dems complete their inquiry and realize it's not going anywhere substantively and they've milked it for all the soundbites and innuendo about the Orange Man Bad that they can.
While its a great show for their radical left base, their impeachment inquiry likely won't last long enough to be dragged out and turn into an October surprise, and most people aren't impressed with the nonsense.
Instead of listening to their Cassandra, the Dems pushed her back onto the impeachment track, hard.
Today after work I met up with the members of my Synagogue's "Sports Club" at the range.
Since the membership of the Synagogue tends to veer leftwards, we don't dare call it a shooting club, some congregants might get the vapors.
We had a good turn out tonight, actually getting a full minyan at the range.
Among those were a couple gentlemen who hadn't shot before.
I got to coach them and used the M&P Compact .22 with the silencer on it as a teaching tool.
Nice, quiet, and easy to shoot, it's a very easy way to get new shooters to learn how to shoot without really loud bangs and recoil to distract them. Big smiles resulted.
They did great and I had them try out the Masada as well. Even more smiles.
They both enjoyed it and did quite well, as the Masada is now even easier to shoot and accurately hit the target.
Since it's the Masada ORP, meaning Optics Ready Pistol, it was time to mount an Optic.
It's a Trijicon SRO and mounting it on to the Masada could not have been easier. Using the included RMR plate and screws that came with the Masada, installation was no fuss, no muss, and simple as it could be and very solid.
Shooting with the SRO is a pleasure - place dot on target location, squeeze trigger, bullet then lands on the spot marked by the dot.
100 rounds of M882 9MM Ball ammo shot with zero failures including being shot by people who have never shot a gun before.
I met up with a client in Davison, about 45 minutes to the north, to talk some business and go over some things he needed, and then do some shooting yesterday. It's good to have clients that are shooting enthusiasts.
We went to Williams Gun Sight Company Range up in Davison.
Yes, Williams, the makers of some exceptional firearms sights, also has one heckuva nice store and range. Great people, amazing selection of shooting stuff, and a first class indoor and outdoor range.
Outdoors, I shot my IWI Tavor SAR, which hadn't been out for awhile. I now have a nice 100 yard zero on it. 60 rounds of 5.56 went through it without a hiccup and the trigger really is darn nice. I've been neglecting to shoot this rifle and need to remedy that, as its very enjoyable to shoot. I also got to shoot my client's SIG .308 AR with a Nightforce optic on it that was a joy to shoot - he's got some nice toys.
At the pistol range I got to try out his Beretta 92X Performance - it's quite a bit heavier than a standard 92FS, noticeably so. But it has quite the nice double action pull and in single action it is downright amazing which makes up for the weight. Its a competition rather than a carry gun so the weight is less of an issue and really sucks up just about all the recoil. He also had an STI 9mm that had perhaps the best 1911 trigger I've ever tried.
He tried the IWI Masada and remarked that it fit his hand well and did have a nice trigger. He shot quite nicely with it and rather liked it.
We proceeded to shoot a variety of ammo through the Masada - 50 rounds of Blazer 147 Grain fmj, 100 Federal 9mm NATO, and 100 of the Remington 115 grain that was indeed comparably quite hot and flashy compared to the other ammo.
The sight adjustment worked, and while it still shoots low, it is centered now.
No failures of any kind in the 250 rounds today.
And it may not arrive at all.
Expect stores in Michigan to continue to suffer alcohol shortages, right in time for the holidays.
Why? Because due to the State's mandated distribution system, when the largest liquor distributor in the state catches a cold, everyone gets pneumonia.
Basically, the distributor consolidated operations, then royally screwed up said operations, and can't seem to do their job as a result. With the way state liquor laws go, there's no way for anyone else to work around it and as a result expect stores and bars to be low on alcohol.
The Detroit News: Fear of liquor shortage sparks concerns among retailers
Logistical issues at Michigan’s largest liquor distributor have led to roughly $65 million in delayed gross sales and tax payments to the state and dwindling supplies at state liquor stores with no guarantee of a fix before Thanksgiving. ...Michigan employs a three-tier system when it comes to liquor sales. The first tier, licensed manufacturers, sell their liquor to the state. The state, as the second-tier wholesaler, takes orders and distributes that liquor through authorized distribution agents such as Republic National Distributing Company, which warehouse and then distribute the liquor to the third tier: bars and liquor stores.
State law prohibits liquor stores from purchasing from other liquor stores and limits liquor bars who purchase from liquor stores to one case a month. In that sense, retailers are dependent on their distributor, and Republic National is the largest in the state.
Heaven and the Michigan government forbids that we should have a free market in alcohol sales where a single distributor's problems wouldn't be able to disrupt the entire state.
Note that even when the system "works" as designed, I still can't buy Yuengling, or Spitfire Beer in this state for that matter, nor lots of other fine brands up here.
Detroit's 3.3 mile long rail-transit of wonder, the Q-line, is already deteriorating after 2 years of operation.
The Detroit Free Press: Get serious about fixing the QLINE or admit that it's just for show
Of course, one must be amazed that someone actually gave up their car to rely on this 3.3 mile light rail that moves, if at all, at the speed of a slow walk.
As I've written previously to amusing criticism, my wife and I gave up car ownership in June 2018. Early on, we expected to rely on the train for trips to destinations such as the Detroit Institute of Art, Whole Foods and Midtown restaurants. While we do sometimes take the streetcar to those places, "rely" isn’t quite the right word for using the QLINE. In good weather, scooters or walking often are faster, happier options.
Ah, an SWPL mass transit enthusiast that publicly preached giving up his car, so he can use mass transit to the DIA and of course, Whole Foods. So how's that workin' out for ya there skippy?
M-1 Rail, which runs the QLINE, acknowledges that it is “not where we want with reliability at this moment,” spokesman Dan Lijana told me. Improvements are being made, he said, in arrival estimates and staffing that will improve reliability, though they aren’t visible yet.This is after two and a half years of operation. This is exasperating. Already, many Detroiters scoff at the streetcar, complain about its unreliability and don’t consider it among transportation options.
So not only is it a slow 3.3 miles, but it's an unreliable erratic 3.3 miles.
Who coulda seen this coming?
If you have a 9mm 3rd Generation Glock, or if say, you happen to be building a P80 frame into a Not-A-Glock, you likely have an ejector that looks like this, especially if you recently bought a Glock frame completion kit online:
Note the narrow point at the end of the ejector.
This design can, but not always, cause ejection issues including failure to eject the brass completely from the firearm and stovepipes.
This is rather disheartening especially as Glock is generally the standard for reliability when it comes to 9mm pistols.
Luckily, there is a fix: You replace the 3rd Gen ejector with a 4th Generation ejector:
Note how much more meaty and squared off the tip of that 4th gen ejector is compared to the troublesome part #336.
These go for around $7 or so from places like Midway and Brownells. A nice inexpensive fix to what can be a very frustrating problem.
However, the 4th Generation trigger block that contains the ejector does not fit in the 3rd generation frame. So a little finagling is needed.
On the back of the ejector block, there's a small metal bit of the end of the ejector showing. Using a small flat head screwdriver, you can push it out from there (not from the front or you'll bend it) until it comes free.
This pops it out the front:
Then place the 4th Gen ejector into the slot from the front, and push it all the way into place until it fits completely flush, then reassemble.
Done, and no more ejection problems for you.
The shooting took place in California.
The Detroit News: California police say 10 shot, 4 killed at backyard party
Funny how such strict gun laws in California just don't seem to keep the criminals from breaking those same laws and committing crimes.
There oughta be a law against doing that, right?
The "I lost all my guns in a tragic boating accident" has been quite the meme for awhile now.
The gun owner in the linked article decided to top that meme by having his car roll into a pond with his guns inside.
The Detroit News: Car rolls into pond near Lyon Township gun range as owner scrambles to grab firearms
Lyon Township — A sedan that was started remotely slipped into a pond near a gun range on Saturday and had to be retrieved with the help of the Oakland County Sheriff's dive team, authorities said.It was 7 feet below the surface of the water in a retention pond before divers spotted the car.
The water had "zero visibility conditions," a release from the Sheriff's Office said.
There were no injuries.
The owner of the black 2004 Saturn Ion said he was loading firearms into the trunk of his car parked near Huron Valley Guns in Lyon Township when it began rolling forward, said the Oakland County Sheriff's Office. The sedan traveled about 15 feet before entering the pond.
The vehicle, the sheriff's department said, was remotely started and equipped with manual transmission.
Having a remote start on a manual vehicle sounds a bit strange, not to mention having it rigged so that when it starts it the car can begin rolling is somewhat problematic.
There has been no comment yet as to how many of his guns were tragically lost in that zero-visibility pond.
The funeral was last Sunday.
About 800 people attended, which was impressive. Marilyn had been a professor at University of Toronto prior to her retirement and had a ton of good friends and knew many, many people.
My dad gave a fantastic eulogy if I say so myself, and her daughters followed with a fine one as well. Lots of tears were shed.
It was quite the funeral procession to the cemetery, with prayers said there and the burial.
Afterwards we would got to synagogue in the mornings and sat shiva through Wednesday, including through Monday's record breaking ice and snowstorm in Toronto that dropped the most snow in 36 years for November. Unfortunately Tasha and the kids were driving home in it which made a 4.5 hour trip into 7.5 hours of fun.
The shivas were always busy which is good, as it surrounds the grieving family with friends and acquaintances and keeps you very busy, but the long days can and did get tiring. It's also nice to talk with people who had known her for a long time and some fun stories came out, as well as much about her accomplishments. Yes, she will be missed, and I regret we weren't as close as we could have been.
I headed back Wednesday night on the train which was rather a pleasant way to travel.
Unfortunately, I picked up a case of the shiva cruds - uvulitis where I can't really talk, its hard to swallow and it feels like I'm having trouble breathing constantly. Fun. So I got some antibiotics for that and hopefully they will kick in and I should recover soon, but for now its a tired feeling of crud-iness combined with being unable to sleep from waking up feeling like I can't breathe and then nodding off again. Yuck. Ah well, a case of the cruds is worth it to have been there and to support the family.
Marilyn Chapnik Smith died today.
Marilyn Chapnik Smith was an amazing person and I was honored that she was my step-mother for the past 24 years.
Today, after a long battle with cancer, she died peacefully and on her own terms, surrounded by her family and in the loving arms of her husband. The world will be a lesser place without her, and she will be missed by all who knew and loved her.
As always, fuck cancer.
Since people hire attorneys for their advice and legal skill, one would think the client would perhaps actually listen to that advice.
Not so much.
Client Y came in last month facing an eviction due to chronically paying her rent late. While the Landlord company has not minded so much before, the new administrator for the Landlord did.
I get it resolved in court with the Landlord’s attorney, point out some legal issues with their case and get it resolved that since she’s already rendered the rent after the complaint was filed, she just has to pay $205 in attorneys fees per the lease to stay. Simple right?
So that’s put on the record, she knows to pay it within 10 days, I tell her to pay it even sooner than that she agrees and we’re done, right?
Of course not. She doesn’t pay it until yesterday and then is shocked when a court officer shows up with an eviction notice.
Of course she paid her November rent in full yesterday (late yet again) as well as the attorney fee, so she needs to get this straightened out immediately, and it’s now a mess, she’s facing more fees and even a potential eviction, but it’s no one’s fault but hers.
Sigh. Please listen to your attorneys folks. You hired them for a reason after all.
The Air Force Museum also features some transports used by the IAF.
Think B-29 turned into a transport and you'd be right.
It was used for a variety of missions and served in the IAF in from 1964 to 1978. The Israelis added a rear-opening ramp and used it for air-dropping supplies as well as a heavy lift aircraft.
The Israelis called it the Anak or giant and referred to it as "the largest three engine plane in the world", due to the tendency of its engines to malfunction.
A DC-3:
A Beechcraft King Air:
The three Nords in the IAF were sold by the French as part of a package deal with the Ouragon jets and the French demanded Israel buy the Nords in order to get the jets. The Israelis ended up appreciated them and bought some more later on and used them for everything from dropping paratroopers to ferrying supplies and dropping bombs.
This brings us to our guide for the entire tour of Israel: Yaacov.
Why?
Well, it turns out he jumped from this very plane.
Yaacov, you see, is a certified bad-ass.
Born in France in 1941, he was one of the hidden Jewish Children. Only he, his brother, and mother survived the Holocaust, the rest of the family including his father, uncle, brothers and sisters were killed by the Nazis.
He immigrated to Israel after World War 2 ended, and then when he grew up joined the IDF and became a paratrooper.
He served in the 1967 Six-Day War; The 1973 Yom Kippur War; and the 1982 Lebanon War - side by side in that war with his son who was also a paratrooper.
Since his military service ended he's worked as a tour guide for 30 years and has an encyclopedic knowledge of the entire country and knows everyone by name. He also worked helping settle Ethiopian Jews in Israel when they arrived - we later met one of them and his family in the north of Israel when he remembered Yaacov from years ago and approached him to chat. Like I said, Yaacov knows everybody. It was always a fun moment, that happened multiple times during our trip, when other tour guides at sites would approach us when we were with Yaacov, chat with him, and then tell us we had the best tour guide around, after all, he had trained some of them!
78 years old and the man could walk us into the ground with ease, and he enjoyed every moment of teaching us and showing us Israel. I daresay he truly is the best tour guide in all of Israel.
Sometimes, the practice of law is rather enjoyable.
Today I get to sue a psychic. Really. For fraud among other things. Basically she charged the client a lot of money for "career counseling" and failed to provide any. We won't go into why my client had the strange idea of seeking career coaching from a psychic of all people, but that's a whole other story.
I really can’t wait to ask the psychic in court: “So, you failed to see this lawsuit coming, eh?”
