Bombshell: White House Knew About ATF Gunrunning Scandal

"A few weeks ago, I wrote about the ATF's "Fast and Furious" or "Gunwalker" scandal, which appears to reach the highest levels of the Justice Department. Read the whole magazine article here, but the short version is that the Justice Department knowingly allowed thousands of weapons to fall in the hands of criminals in Mexico that were then used to kill U.S. law enforcement agents.

Well, today a bombshell dropped. It's not just the Justice Department that looks culpable -- it looks like the White House was briefed on the operation as well..."  MORE

Considering that the White House has been using this information against the citizens of the United States to deprive them of their Second Amendment rights, I'm wondering if this is an impeachable offense? This makes Watergate look like child's play. ~Bob

Taking Care of Business

A Henry taking care of the varmints that are destroying a garden and hopefully another soon to be owner in the family. Henry H001 with CCI CB shorts at about 20 yrds first shot was clean. Now to get the rest plus a groundhog... One more thing, this is allowed to remove animals who are wreaking havoc on a garden, but they can not be kept (harvested). If it was a Deer a permit would be required. ~Jon

Now the DEP REALLY owes the residents of CT an apology.

Well, the DEP ran their tests and they can no longer use the excuse that the mountain lion killed June 11th in Milford was an escaped house pet. No, instead they are saying that this lion took a long walk from South Dakota to CT. In other words, they are once again saying that this was a freak, one of a kind incident.

Over the years the DEP has treated the citizens of CT as dolts, who are incapable of distinguishing a mountain lion from a coyote. There have been so many sightings that everyone knows that CT has a substantial mountain lion population. But even if they didn't, many people who called in sighting may very well have seen this mountain lion wandering through the state. At least to those people the DEP should apologize. They seem to forget that they work for us, and the citizens of CT are not here simply to write out their paycheck.

By the way, I was listening to 'State and Church' with Governor Roland and an older woman called the show who said that she and a friend clearly saw a mountain lion recently, which included a long tail. Boy, that one cat sure gets around!

"Esty: 'The journey of this mountain lion is a testament to the wonders of nature and the tenacity and adaptability of this species'...". To that, I can only respond, another political smokescreen and pure unadulterated BS!

Here are recent link to the story:
http://www.courant.com/news/breaking/hc-mountain-lion-dna-20110726,0,3798831.story

Judge: BlueTrail not responsible for alleged lead contamination, stray bullets

"WALLINGFORD- A three-year lawsuit was put to rest Friday when a Hartford Superior Court judge ruled that Blue Trail Range and its owner were not responsible for alleged lead contamination or bullet holes a local man said plagued his neighboring property.... MORE

BREAKING NEWS: Blue Trail Range Wins Lawsuits!

The Connecticut Superior Court has just ended the sensational and contentious lawsuits brought by Durham land owner Pasquale DiNatale against Blue Trail Range of Wallingford, ruling in favor of the range on all counts. Blue Trail was defended by the Law Offices of Martha A. Dean of Avon, CT, supported by Craig C. Fishbein of Wallingford, CT.

YAHOO!!!!!! Thank you Martha! Great work. This was important as you well know. Congratulations Blue Trail Range! ~Bob

My new .380 site

I can tell that the .380 is a caliber that has generated a lot of interest within the concealed carry community. For that reason I'm in the process of creating a devoted .380 page at http://brshooting-380-journal.blogspot.com/, which as you can figure is called 'The BR .380 Journal'. Expect to see a lot of range shooting photos, videos and stories, as well as ammo and accessory tests. This will be fun so check back as it develops. Looking forward to hearing from you under 'Comments'.

Field Testing Pro Hear II

Over the coming month I'll be field testing a digital sound amplifier and hearing protection unit by Pro Ears called Pro Hear II. If you follow this blog you know that I've been wearing a pair of Pro Ears Pro Muffs whenever revolver hunting or shooting at the range for the past few years. For Father's Day I received a cowboy-style NRA hat that I can't wear when shooting because the muffs don't work with it. I contacted Altus Brands and they recommended their Pro Hear unit. It looks similar to a small hearing aid that plugs into the ear with a tiny unit about an inch long that goes behind the ear.

The set comes with a good set of plugs that you use to block the other ear. If this works correctly, my right ear should hear amplified sound while filtering gunshots and the left ear will be blocked. I often shoot with large caliber guns on either side, so I always double plug (ear plugs w/ Pro Ears muffs over the top). Without both my ears are guaranteed to be ringing. I still have a hard time believing that these tiny units will replace a double-plug, but I'll test them and let you know how they work. If they don't do the job at the range, they should be great for hunting, especially when it's too hot to wear muffs. Check back for the test.

I got me a bigger mug!!

Thanks Claudia and Eddie for the excellent birthday cup! How did you have any idea that I'd like it?

First thoughts on the Ruger LCP .380

It's been a few years since I was issued my Connecticut Pistol permit. I came into the handgun market with very little experience. I qualified with a .45 in the military some 30 years ago, but that was the limit of my handgun experience. When I took the CT handgun course, I had the opportunity to shoot a .22LR revolver, a 9mm and a 40mm semi-auto. When the class ended we drove to the local range and each of us got to shoot about a dozen rounds through each gun. It obviously wasn't enough time to get the feel for the firearm and with plugs, shooting all around and 15 people waiting to shoot, there was no time for discussion with the instructor. How was I later supposed to make an educated decision on what type of gun to buy for concealed carry?

Not having anyone to discuss guns with, I went to a gunshop and asked a salesman for advice. BAD IDEA. He immediately steered me to a S&W .38 Special AirWeight and explained that this is the biggest seller for concealed carry. I ignorantly bought it and quickly discovered that the gun was no fun at all to shoot. I also couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with the short sight radius on a 2" barrel. The salesman never had the courtesy to inform me that the lighter the gun, the greater the felt recoil.

I lived with this gun for a couple of years, shooting it regularly until I almost became used to the recoil. Installing a set of Crimson Trace Lasergrips on it improved my ability to hit the target immensely, though the dot couldn't be seen outside on a sunny day. I finally traded the .38 in for a Ruger SP101 .357 Magnum. It will function as a double-action house gun. It's heavier, easier to shoot, accurate, more powerful than the .38 Special, and it can also shoot .38 Special ammo. Now I have a great shooting house gun, but that still didn't solve my need for a concealed carry firearm.

Typical .380 LCP group at about 25' from unsupported standing position

A month or so ago my daughter and her friend were victims of an attempted car jacking which quickly changed their attitude toward guns and dad. Suddenly I was no longer a 'gun nut' and both girls wanted to quickly learn how to shoot. My buddy and I pulled together 8 handguns for the girls to try (I wish someone did this for me!), and one was a .380. I was amazed at the amount of power contained in that small package. I did a bit of research, comparing features, price and reliability and ended up buying the Ruger LCP .380, today being my first opportunity to test it.

SIZE AND CARRY
First let me mention the size. I couldn't ask for anything easier to carry. The gun can be dropped in the front pocket of your shorts and you will soon forget that you are carrying it. It's the perfect Summer carry gun.

RECOIL AND ACCURACY
Recoil and muzzle rise is minimal. Much less than a .38 Special and the gun fit my hand well. With the airweight I was lucky to hit a paper plate at 25 feet from a standing position. With the .380 I was consistently getting groups of two or three inches at 25 ft. I was very impressed.

PROBLEMS
The only problem was that I got a stovepipe almost every time I fired off the last round in the magazine. I'm guessing it's because the gun needs to be lubricated and it isn't broken in. I heard that it will take 300+ rounds to do that. The jams were easy to clear. I was careful not to get sloppy in the wrist because I've heard that most jams in these small guns are the result of limp wristed shooters. If the gun recoils with the slide, the case can't eject properly.

CLEANING
This is my first semi-auto, and it only took a minute to disassemble the gun for cleaning. Push the slide a tad rearward and pull a pin with a small screwdriver. The slide, barrel and spring come off and it couldn't be easier to clean. This handgun can be thoroughly cleaned in about 5 minutes, where a .38 revolver could take a half hour.

FINAL THOUGHT
I was very impressed with this little gun. As of today, I really like it and I'm looking forward to getting out again soon to shoot. I'll keep you updated as I break the gun in and try a variety of ammo and pick up a few accessories.

 For more, visit my new .380 page!