The boys from Top Gear, experiencing some of the local flavor, or trying to get themselves killed in Alabama.

I think the objective here must have been to see how many stupid stereotypes they could validate.



Next, perhaps, they'll be driving old cars through Manchester with signs provoking the local soccer hooligans? Naaa, pointing out our faults will always win more ratings in the UK. I love em, but damn! I mean, it's one thing for Yankees to come down and act like this, but complete strangers? Rude, crude, and unattractive, as my daddy used to say.

I've got a mission.

Talked to my neighbor the other day. He's a grizzled old vet, Korea and Nam, in a wheel chair from some sort of crud that he picked up after getting out (maybe). Conversation on a recent gun show moved to old times, and he tells me that he's still got the knife he used on the first man he ever killed, in Korea. Ran into a North Korean in the middle of the night. One walked away. I ask him if the bayonet was on the end of his rifle at the time and he says "Nope". Cool! Tells me he's got the knife but no sheath. I tell him they are easy to find. He asks me to see if I can find one. His wife brings the thing out wrapped in foam, secured with tape. Hands it to me like an old religious icon. I take it out of the foam and check it out. Dig it.



Typical M-4 bayonet, manufactured by Pal Cutlery some time during WW2 or Korea. Someone really fucked up the cutting edge, but maybe that's what soldiers do in war, sharpening the standard issue stuff that probably arrives blunt as hell. I dunno. All I know is what he's told me. Would LOVE to get the thing tested to see if there's still any Korean DNA on it. Seriously, it looks like something some stupid kid picked up at a dime store and tried to sharpen with a brick.
Started looking on the web today, sites I know about, and found one place that had the right sort of sheath, but they were out of stock. I'll keep lookin'. I'm on a mission.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Update: Found the sheath online and ordered it. It'll be here in a week or so. Can't wait to go over and hand it all back to him. Fun.

Went up to Gatesville today to shoot again with a buddy.

Last time I went up there was in January. This time it was just Dave and I, and the pooch. I took a few things up there to shoot, including one rifle that I've modified myself (click these for higher res. shots).



On the left, a Romanian 5.45x39 that I rebuilt with a new gas block and sling loop (from a late model East German AKM), a Bulgarian front sight post, and an East German muzzle break. It's also got Russian plumb colored furniture. It's being rebuilt to resemble a very early model AK-74 from the mid 1970s, and it's about 80% finished. When the Russians began adopting this heat resistant plastic furniture, getting away from the laminated wood they'd used since the late 40s, they adopted this plumb color. I like it a lot.

In the center is the same Hungarian AKMS, shooting 7.62x39, that I had back in January, only I've switched out the furniture since then. I replaced the solid Hungarian wooden grips with a refinished laminated Polish lower and a Russian upper, and a plastic pistol grip. I think it's more attractive set up this way. On the right is the same Polish Tantal that I shot in January. There had been an issue with it when I shot it before. Every time I shot it I had to push the trigger forward again with my finger. Turns out my gunsmith had forgot to reset a spring when he was putting it together. I reset the spring after talking to him, and wanted to test it out again. It also shoots 5.45x39.



Dave decided to shoot some antiques. He's into old stuff. The long gun is a Winchester 73, made in the 1880s. the revolver on the left is a .44-40 single action (same caliber and dates as the rifle).



The one on the right is a Ruger .44 Magnum made in the 1960s. We set up targets and started plinkin' away from about 100 yards.



We worked on our own targets, and then switched off rifles.



His groups are a lot tighter than mine. He's been doin' this sort of thing a lot longer and has a steadier hand.



I'm too shaky to be a real marksman, but I killed the shit outta the target at this range. They'd a been bleedin' bad. It was easy to tell the different holes made by the different guns. That .44-40 made BIG holes. 5.45x39 is like a .22 (it's Russia's version of our .223). Anyway, mine aren't really designed for marksmanship. More for sprayin' lead. Maybe one of these days I'll try that little modification, but I never said that.



This time the dog stayed with us, but kept her distance when the revolvers came out. You remember, last time she took refuge in the truck and slobbered all over the gear shift. We remembered to close the truck door this time.

On the way back to Dave's house, he stopped at a barn and said "You might like some of these". He reached into a dusty, dilapidated box and pulled out belted .50 and .30-06 blanks.



DAMN, was all I could say to that! A buddy of his found them on a hunting trip years ago, abandoned on the side of a trail on Ft. Hood. They're dated to the 1980s. Couldn't believe it.



Dave's house is like a museum. His upstairs is unfinished, and he's got his collection of 18th and 19th century guns on the walls. Most are authentic, but a few are reproductions.



He's a Civil War and Mexican War reenactor, and a pack rat to boot.



His sympathies lie to the southern side of things, where he's traced his ancestors. He knows which battles they fought in and where a few died. Makes it a bit more personal I guess. I joke with him from time to time, calling it "the war of the rebellion". That usually gets a "Hey!"

Anyway, after we shot we went to town and got some BBQ, and then I drove home. It was a nice Saturday afternoon on a beautiful day. Hope all of your Saturdays were as fun.

So, it's a hot weekend. Yer at a pool party at a buddy's house, and someone gets a really stupid idea.

This is all about trust. Trust, and alcohol. How drunk would you need to be?



And you may have seen this before. It's been goin' around. Too damn funny not to post. Enjoy.



So, I'm heading to the little town of Sweetwater, Texas this weekend. They're having a combined chili cook-off, rattlesnake roundup, carnival, and gun show. Now folks, what the hell else do you need?

Ok, get yer minds out of the gutter. I'm sure I'll be able to round THAT up if needs must. Chili cook-off folks...



are notoriously open minded, horny as hell, and easily plied with small amounts of booze... or so I hear. And if that doesn't work, there's always the carnival folks. Shiny objects and booze? I understand that it works. Many a marriage has been based on less.

A few friends will be competing in the cook-off, and I'll be eating copious amounts of BBQ, and maybe judging the competition. Can you say ringer? Might even eat some BBQ roasted rattlesnake. It ain't bad. Weather looks like it'll be nice; 70s in the day time and 40s at night. Perfect camping weather. I might even get to buy a new toy at the gun show. If the ninjas of the nanny state have their way, I'm sure these sorts of shows will soon be a thing of the past, so why not splurge?

I'll have an early out at the high school tomorrow morning, and then I'm off from there for a week of spring break. On the way back to town to get ready to head to Sweetwater, I'll spend a while at the local veterans cemetery. An old buddy of mine, Bobby Spence, passed away this week. He was one of the attendants in the building on base that I teach out of. Known him for years. Great guy. Army vet. Korea and Nam, I think. Supposedly his wife found him, seemingly sleeping, eyes closed, hands clasped behind his head. She shook his foot to wake him and discovered how cold he was. Now, if that isn't the way to go, I don't know what is. God bless him. He'll be missed.

So, relax and have a great weekend, and I'll see ya on the other end.

Ok, THIS is shit your pants time.

Love the way he gives 'em a little shove at the edge. So gentle.

And here's one to acknowledge the day. It is the end of another week.



LOVE the cap. So have a happy Fat Hairy Friday. Gonna go out today on the way to pick up dad and get my regular (every 6 to 8 weeks) haircut and beard trim. I go to my cousins barber shop and she does me up nice. I know, there's only so much you can do.

After that I'll take the work clothes to the dry cleaners, and then dad and I, and maybe the sis, will go out to eat Chinese food at the regular place. I've got a family reunion to go to Sunday, and final exams to give early next week, but I hope all of YOU have a great, relaxing weekend.

After finals, Spring Break will be upon me. I'll have about a week and a half off, and then about a month between paychecks after that. I signed up to teach a mini term, but it looks like it wont make. Aaaah well, you can't have everything.

This is awesome.

This is one of those things where you know just lookin' at it that no good can come from it, but you'll be amazed.



Looks like fun. No, hell no. My luck, the thing would sling me up and over into the ground. This is why they outlawed lawn darts, right? Keep the kids "safe".