If you haven't seen this.....

Warning, the following image may cause wildly varying reactions in its viewers, including but not limited to: vomiting, nausea, cold sweats, night sweats, insomnia, hysteria, hysterical laughing, erectile dysfunction, fear of museaums, fear of lizards, fear of Democrats, voting Republican, genital warts, genital herpes, loss of bladder control, loss of bowel control, stupefaction, and blindness.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

for the intrepid

If you maintain an erection that lasts for more than four hours after clicking the link, leave this blog and never return.

So while shopping around this weekend I saw the following chambered in .44 mag:

1. Taurus Tracker $400 new
2. Ruger Blackhawk $295 used
3. Ruger Redhawk stainless $600 new

That Blackhawk is tempting because of the price. I am not sure I would be satisfied with it, because of the way it loads. Seems like a PITA to load and unload, and slow too. You would never need more than 6 shots while hunting, and if you did, you already screwed up. In that case you would most likley be tracking, and have time to reload.

I am not sure I want to spend that much money to get the Redhawk, for sure not right now. The Taurus tracker seems a good compromise, but the differences in construction are apparent. The Rugers are definately more solidly built.

Right now I am going to wait. I will be in a bigger town in a few weeks, and will have to do some more shopping where there are more stores, better selection, and more competitive pricing.

Unless I can't help myself and just go buy that Blackhawk.

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Well they were here for a little while. And now they are not. Haloscan says "can't find server" partway through on the auto install, and I can't get the manual to work.

I'll keep messin' with it.

What should Giraffe Shoot?

Well I got an itch. A couple weeks ago my brother bought a .357 magnum. Now, I have always been more into long guns than handguns, and more into auto's than revolvers, so I don't have a revolver. But now I think I have to get one. Because I shot my brother's and I got the itch. I might not actually buy one for a while, but I am going to put it on my list.

The criteria are:

• I want to be able to hunt with it. State law says you have to have a minimum of 500 ft/lbs energy at the muzzle. (I assume this means with factory ammo.)
• It would be nice if I could shoot a lower power shell with it, like shooting .38 special in a 357 mag. Or the .44 special in a 44 magnum.
• I want to be able to buy brass and bullets cheap. I will be reloading.
• I don't want something that will break my wrist or something that requires a muzzle brake. So that rules out the .460 and .500 S&W magnums.
• I don't want to spend a huge amount of money, I may buy used. My brothers was used and went for $340.
• I prefer the option of mounting a scope. I might not, but I want the option.

I don't know a lot about wheel guns. I think I want single action. My brothers works on single action or double action. I mean he can cock the hammer, or pulling the trigger rotates the cylinder and pulls back the hammer. This would be preferable. Also, I want the cylinder that tilts out of the frame, rather than the type where you eject the shells one by one. Unless there is some big advantage to that I am unaware of. I could buy a .44 mag right now for $300 where the cylinder is fixed and you have to kick out the shells one by one.

For chamberings, I am thinking 357 magnum, .41 magnum or 44 magnum, leaning more towards the 357 or 44 for cheaper ammo. I would prefer a longer barrel, maybe 6-8 inches. This is not going to be a concealed carry or self defense gun. There isn't much need of that here.

So, what do you think. Recommend any models?

Update:

Comments deleted when haloscan was added:

The order might be wrong and there are some goofy characters. (from my email)

Res ses:

Buddy,You want to go 44 mag. double action.If you’re going to do this do it right. The 44 is a good gun on deer. I got a nice 5 pt with mine. It’s a good back up gun to a rifle. It serves well for home defense. It sucks for CCW. I can shoot mine at 100 yards with good accuracy making it decent on deer/antelope/elk/moose/bear/lion/goat/big-horn. There are 3 realistic choices for a hunting gun, regardless of brand they should be a six inch barrel. Shorter barrels aren’t as accurate at 100 yrds and longer barrels are to bulky to use quickly.Rugar: hands down the toughest/strongest/most durable American made revolver from a major manufacture. Like a craftsman tool, if it breaks (not likely) they fix it. The redhawk will serve you well, the super redhawk is designed to take a scope. I’ll get my 2 cents in here on scopes for pistols, if you need one you shouldn’t be shooting a pistol. Leave it off, its bulky and screws with your ability to handle the gun, if you need it and it breaks in the field you will be use to depending on it instead of iron sight shooting.Smith and Wesson model 629. For most this is the definition of what a 44 mag should be. I’ve got one. I shoot it. I like it and it can be loaded down to accommodate my wife shooting it.Dan Wesson. Its lighter than a smith and its real classy. They are a good shooter. If I had a chance and extra $ I’d get one myself.Reloading for the 44 is a snap. You can buy several boxes of ammo and reuse the brass. I load mine down to 730 fps with 185 grainers for the wife to shoot and it kicks less than my 45 acp. I can load it way up to nearly 1500 fps with 250 grain partition gold that I use when I’m in grizzly country. A 240 grain semi jacketed hollow point will take a whitetail at 150 yards no problem, at 30 yards the exit wound through the rib cage is a mere 2in with no meat loss, I know I’ve done it. My brother uses his 44mag in a marlin carbine to shoot deer every year, even with the slight gain in fps with the longer gun he still doesn’t waste meat.I bought my 629 12 years or more ago used, I’ve shot it a lot and its still a great gun. Any one of the three brands is worth having. I don’t know about Taurus as I’ve never owned one. If its gonna be a used gun, I’d stick to the 3 I’ve mentioned, excepting I’d buy a Freedom Arms revolver in a hart beat, but that would mean it would be single action.Res

Equus Pallidus ses:

Tyhe ruger blackhawk is a damn good choice, it is all of the above in your post. It is a single action 44mag which can be loaded with 44sp bullets. The acurracy of them are uncanny. My brother own one and I own the redhawk which is the double action version.His blackhawck just handles better and is well balanced for a 44mag.I even got the load for ya.24.5 g winter 24.0 g summer of win 296240 grain jacketed hollow point, I prefer the XTP's

and

Get the carbide reloading dies, you'll thank me later

(I knew that already)

and

That 240g XTP was a hornady if I didn't make myself clear.

( I knew that too)

Res ses:

The partition gold is a better bullet to put behind 24 grains of 296. No they're not cheap but when you care enough to use the best they are worth it. You'll be pushing nearly 1500 fps with a 250 grain chunk of hurt.

Res

weekend

Headed for the land of 10,000 lakes for the weekend. Going to Valley Fair on Saturday, and then to a Twins Game on Sunday. The Twins look like they may start a losing streak. Must have heard we were coming. It's always fun to watch your team lose. The last time I saw the Twins play they lost. Of course, that had to be more than 15 years ago.

This is the wife's idea of a vacation. I have to do things with her once in a while so that I can go hunting with my vacation time. The Twins game is just so I have a reason to go. I am not all that excited about Valley Fair. Never been there. Maybe it will be fun, but I will have to pretend to be bored so she doesn't try to make me waste more vacation time on it.

rambling

Book review:

I ran out of material to read so I re-read couple of books. Rise to Rebellion and The Glorious Cause. I like all the books by this author. They are historical novels, and the author tries to be accurate in respect to history. One thing that strikes me, is how close the American Revolution was. We really should have lost. We had such a small army. It seems strange that with such a large population we lacked for volunteers. It seems the hand of God was in it. The British had us over a barrel several times, but Washington always made his escape. If we hadn't had help from foreign officers and the French, we likely would not have succeeded. Not surprisingly, men didn't want to leave their farms and families to fight a war against their own country.

Our successes were mainly due to finding vulnerabilities and striking them, rather than direct confrontation. Another thing that is striking, is the poor performance of the militia. They ran, time and time again. They dropped loaded weapons without firing a shot. As I read, I wanted yell "fight for your freedom you cowards!" The militias were good for general harassment of the British, but in a larger engagement, they were more likely to turn and run. This was used as a strategy in the battle of Cowpens. The movie The Patriot portrays this battle.

As Res pointed out, some of the abuses we suffer under our own government are worse than the ones they fought against. But, few would be willing to take up arms today to fight. I guess the big difference is our chains are gradually being put on. Also, most people are apathetic to the situation. We have a more direct involvement with our government, so some still feel we can solve our problems politically. And now, as in those times, the more idiotic segments of our population want more government intrusion. Too bad we can't tar and feather them.

Tough Girls

Another thing about movies, is the Hollywood cliche. I call commen elements that occur in many movies a Hollywood cliche. An example of this would be any time a car falls a vertical distance of greater than 5 feet, it has to explode. Or any time you really need a car to start, it won't.

Today's cliche for discussion is the Kick Butt Woman. This all started in the comments at Vox's.

Examples:

Uma Thurman, Kill Bill
Renee Russo, Lethal Weapon 3 (I think 3)
Jenifer Lopez, Enough.
GI Jane.

Well the pattern that emerges is any action movie that has a woman in it. The funny part of it is, I think some women actually believe this crap.

As an example, there was a chick at my college that actually wanted to play on the football team. She was serious. I suppose it didn't come from movies, rather just the regular feminist crap that there isn't any difference between men and women. She even talked to the coach. I think he told her she could try out, just to humor her. He probably wanted to get in her pants. She never did try out. I think she came to her senses, or maybe playing on a intermural flag football team made her realize she wasn't even a good female athlete, let alone ready to try out for a collegiate mens football team.

She wasn't alone in this attitude. There was another girl, that tried to tell us that anyone could make the team if they tried hard enough. More PC bullcrap. I know, it is partly true, some people do make it based on hard work rather than talent or ability. But there are some people who are just not athletic, and it is obvious that no amount of practice or training will put them at a superior level. And that doesn't make them less valuable as people, they just aren't going to the NFL.

I suppose someone could comment about they know girls who made the local high school team. (well if I had readers that is.) I say, "yeah, right. Is she a kicker?" There was a girl that played football at my school. It was long before my time. I heard she had a concusion just about all the time, and she wasn't there long. Amazingly, she played center. I imagine that would make things very interesting for a high school aged quarterback.

Women who feel they are the physical equal of men are mistaken. There is a reason that men's track and field records are better than women's. There is a reason that male gymnasts don't compete in the same types of evens as the women. Ever see a woman on the rings? There is a reason there is an LPGA and a WNBA. And that reason is, women can't compete with men. There are thousands of men who can't make the PGA that would fill the LPGA if they were allowed. (off topic, I can't believe the WNBA has survived this long. Women are less interested in sports, and as a man, I find the WNBA very boring. Nobody is watching. *)

And for any women who thinks otherwise, the first full speed football practice in pads would convince most of the error in their thinking.

I hope I haven't offended any women with this post. After all, their are many ways in which women are superior to men. All in all, men and women are of equal worth, we just aren't the same.

Movies

I don't have many friends now, being somewhat of a loner. I said loner not loser!.................



OK, OK, loser. Have it your way.

Anyways, back in my college days, one of my friends used to get pissed when I was critical of movies. I thought movies were stupid, when they were not believable. I am not a big fan of most action movies, where the good guys come out at the end without a scratch on them. You know, the Vin Diesel and Chuck Norris type. I must not be alone, because there are websites that make fun of them. I want the movie to make me believe that what I am watching could actually happen. in other words the movie does a good job of suspending my disbelief. So, the scene the first Die Hard when he is falling down an elevator shaft and catches himself by his fingertips, well, that sort of ruins things for me. That is still one of my favorite movies, because the hero goes through hell, and the movie does a pretty good job of pulling you into it. There are not as many moments where you say, "right, like that is gonna happen."


Now, this is not to say I wouldn't like to watch a movie like Star Wars because it obviously can never happen. Fantasy is a separate class. I just don't like movies that defy the laws of physics or common sense.

Another movie I loved, right up till the end, was True Lies. I actually was ticked off that they ruined a perfectly good movie. The turning point from good movie to bad was when she drops an Uzi and it falls bouncing down the stairs, firing and killing bad guys all the way down. From there, the movie devolves into crap where people run around on the wing of a harrier jet in flight, and take a ride on an air to air missile.

Since I got married, I don't watch as many movies, and my wife rents most of them now. And the type of movie my wife picks is a whole 'nuther type of movie agony.

Does anyone have suggestions on movies to see?

Why I'm not a professional trader

Because I suck, really. You have to be honest with yourself. Are you good enough to manage your own investments? I am not, so far, so I fired myself.

But I still do dabble a little in stocks. Because I want to learn how to trade/invest for myself. I have a pitiful amount of money left in my account that I opened back in 1999 (great timing). I have a Roth IRA that has a little more. My main 'investment' is my 401K and the pro's are investing that.

I currently own one stock. Finisar incorporated (FNSR). I have have some paper profits in it. It was not a good trade, though. I wish I had owned Titanium Metals (TIE) as long as I have owned Finisar.

My problem has been inexperience and poor discipline. I don't sell when I know I should. I should have sold FNSR at 5.25. I could have bought it back at 4.25.

Now the metals are roaring. I should have been in that. Or the oils. Shoulda had Ultra Pete.

But it is easy to tell what you should have done. It is worse when you are right and still get it wrong. I owned Etrade at 4 bucks. It tripped my stop and I never got back in. I new it was right, because a new bull market was starting. It was a cinch that new accounts would open and more trading would happen at Etrade. Etrade went to 15 bucks pretty quickly. Now it is at 24.

My efforts have had less than stellar results so far. I have sent myself back to the minors. Well, actually I never made it to the majors. If I never do get there, I will be fine. But I am not going to quit either.

Note: To see what I am talking about with UPL and TIE look at the weekly charts.

Bowfishing

Today, if I have a little extra time, I am going bowfishing. For the outdoor illiterate, bowfishing is not fishing for bows, it is fishing with a bow. And arrow. The arrow is attached to the bow with a string. You shoot, and hopefully hit a fish, and pull it in with the string. The arrow has a barb on it to prevent the fish from slipping off.

The target is rough fish, carp and suckers. The reason is mostly just for kicks. These fish aren't much good to eat, although I may smoke a couple if I have the time and ambition. Otherwise, they make good fertilizer when buried in the garden. Last year my brother shot one that was over 25 pounds.

One needed piece of equipment: Polarized sunglasses. I recommend them for any fishing where you want to or need to see the fish. They are not xray vision, but they do help some. They seem to make all they difference some days. Otherwise, see your local archery shop for equipment.

But I also have to plant potatoes, carrots, and onions, check my pocket gopher traps, maybe mow. So, I might not have much time for sticking fish.

Fuel

I remember back in the 80's. The price was around 65 cents. Can you believe it? The price has gradually increased with time. Today, the price is a whopping $1.49!

What?

Where can you get gas that cheap?

You thought I was talking about gas? Oh yeah, I said fuel. I meant that other precious liquid, Pepsi. Today, the price has increased to $1.49 for a 20 0z. Bottle. This is over $9.50 per gallon! How much do you suppose the ingredients for a bottle of pop cost, a nickel? I figure that at $75 per barrel, the raw ingredients for a gallon of gas cost $1.90. This doesn't include refining, or transporting the gasoline.


A gallon of gas supplies enough energy to move my 5000 pound vehicle 17 miles. A gallon of soft drink will just make me fat. Just a little perspective on the comparative value of gasoline.

I am not cheering gas prices higher, or saying oil companies aren't making huge profits. I just wonder at the selective outrage. If anyone is gouging, it is Pepsico and Coca Cola.

How not to get fleas

A quick note about the Duke Lacrosse team. Vox is making it apparent that he believes no rape occurred and she is making the whole thing up. Other people are proclaiming that the players are a bunch of spoiled rich kids. As if that has any bearing on whether or not they are guilty of rape. I saw a father of a couple of the players on TV this morning claiming that his two sons are anything but privileged.

There is one thing that they are guilty of: Poor judgment I suppose a lot of kids that age don't think clearly. I know I didn't. If you go to that kind of party, those are the kind of things that can happen to you. Being falsely accused of rape is one of the milder consequences. Real rapes happen. Drunk driving happens. Kids die from overdoses and alcohol poisoning.

Joe Carter posted a few days back about the hippies that had to re-learn the rules of hygiene. As our country continues to move away from God, people will find out the hard way that morality is not designed to keep us from having any fun. Rather, it is designed to keep us from experiencing the consequences of immoral behavior.

So anyway, I'm not saying don't have any fun. But if someone tells you lets about a great party, "they even hired a stripper!", maybe that's one you should decide to avoid.

Stay away from the dogs, you won't get fleas.

Take my wife, Please

RED SKELTON'S RECIPE FOR THE PERFECT MARRIAGE

1. Two times a week, we go to a nice restaurant, have a little beverage, good food and companionship. She goes on Tuesdays, I go on Fridays.

2. We also sleep in separate beds. Hers is in California and mine is in Texas.

3. I take my wife everywhere..... but she keeps finding her way back.

4. I asked my wife where she wanted to go for our anniversary. "Somewhere I haven't been in a long time!" she said. So I suggested the kitchen.

5. We always hold hands. If I let go, she shops.

6. She has an electric blender, electric toaster and electric bread maker. She said "There are too many gadgets and no place to sit down!" .. So I bought her an electric chair.

7. My wife told me the car wasn't running well because there was water in the carburetor. I asked where the car was; she told me "In the lake."

8. She got a mud pack and looked great for two days. Then the mud fell off.

9. She ran after the garbage truck, yelling "Am I too late for the garbage?" .... The driver said "No, jump in!"

10. Remember: Marriage is the number one cause of divorce.

11. I married Miss Right. I just didn't know her first name was Always.

12. I haven't spoken to my wife in 18 months. I don't like to interrupt her.

13. The last fight was my fault though. My wife asked "What's on the TV?" I said "Dust!"

On the intenseness of gazelles

My wife and I decided we are going to get out of debt. We have been working on it for quite a while, but we are going to get serious. We already paid off our credit card debt, not that we really had much. Now we are working on the home equity line of credit. Then her car loan, and last my student loan. With the cash flow diverted from servicing this debt, we can pay off our mortgage in a few years.

Now there are a couple of problems in the way. One, the house needs an exterior remodel. New soffits, siding, windows, shingles, etc. I figure this could cost about $15k. And it needs to be done this summer. And another one is our children. Or rather the lack of them. We aint got any, and she wants some. I don't know if we can wait long enough to pay off everything. She will be quitting her job when we have kids. I say don't have 'em if you won't raise 'em. Plus she doesn't make enough justify being a working mom. Another problem is health insurance. We get it now from her job, and my employer doesn't offer it.

So I am considering paying off all our debts except the mortgage, and paying that down as much as we can till baby one arrives. Then maybe refinance the house to a ten year loan or something that I can handle on my income. I doubt the interest rates will be that favorable in a couple years though. It would be so much better not to have any house payment at all.

So one of the things we are going to do is a written budget. I learned about this from Dave Ramsey. We have been planning on this for a few months but we never actually did it. So I made up a excel spreadsheet. Every dollar is supposed to be accounted for.

I know this will be hard. I am going to try to quit buying worthless things like junk food and junk drinks. I don't drink alcohol (much) so I am ahead there. Mountain Dew will be hard to quit. I need to lose 30 pounds anyway. I drive a 10 year old pickup. I will have to keep driving it till it quits. Even though I hate the rusty pile of crap. I am considering ditching our cell phones. They are no longer under contract and we don't use them much. Cut out the fat everywhere we can. If we can do it, we will retire very comfortably barring any catastrophes.

But, it is hard knowing I won't be able to buy any toys. Or buy a new truck. There are quite a few things I want that I know I won't be able buy once we have kids. I guess I will have to grow up some. Thus far in our marriage we have just split up the bills and each kept our money separate. We can't do that any more. I have to face the fact that some day I will have to support a family and that it is no longer just my money anymore. Time to be a man.

Dave Ramsey's book talks about getting "Gazelle intense". You "live like no one else so later you can live like no one else." That is our goal. I am going to have to learn self discipline. Work more overtime. (I should be doing that right now). While the rest of America averages over $8,000 in credit card debt, and is one lost job from being homeless, we want be debt free. We will not be slaves to our payments.

I hope we have the stones to get it done.

I am morose

Well, being the go getter that I am, I just completed our taxes. No refund. I am paying in again this year. About 500 bucks. Somehow, the withholding gets screwed up. Or we just make too much money. Ha!

I put all the information into H&R Blocks website, and when I got done the charge was 30 bucks. The reason I did this is because I used them last year. What a joke. I really didn't feel like punching all that crap in again, even though I could have done it for free somewhere else. So I paid it. I am making a note not to use them again next year.

It is somewhat depressing. Everyone I know got a refund and blew it long ago. Well, at least I know our government is putting it to good use.

Somebody cheer me up.

April 1st, 2006

I woke up early this morning to go hunt some geese. I pulled a good on on my wife, telling her that overnight a tree had fallen and was draped across both our vehicles. Of course she bought it. Today, when I should have been working, I was over at Res Ispa's and read his April Fools post. Then I went directly to Bane's.

That is what is somewhat embarrassing. I was just commenting on April Fools and then I almost fell for one. So anyway if you haven't heard the new, Bane died. Is it hot down there Bane?

Mysteriously, he was posting in the comments on the nude chick post a half hour before LL posted the news. It must have been awful sudden.

I was too slow to get any geese this morning, they were about done flying before I got there. My hunting crew was there only 10 minutes before me and they had 7 when I got there. Got quite a bit of shooting a little later on, but no hitting. I haven't been able to hit a thing all spring. Anyway, I have not been able to force myself to accomplish any work, so I think I might just go back out huntin'.

UPDATE

ITS A MIRACLE! HE'S ALIVE!

And he's posting in the comments on Hog On Ice!!! (The time stamps are a little different, but one of the posts came about an hour and a half after he 'died'.)

Or is he? Maybe its a ghost.

Springtime

It is spring. Res is talking about gardens. The lakes are opening up. That means the ice is melting for you urban types. Winter is over and that is a reason to feel pretty good. The robins are returning. I just bought two packs of .22 shells for the spring varmint blasting. The gophers are out.

And that brings us to the scourge of springtime. The gopher you can't shoot but does so much damage. The pocket gopher. If you live in an area that doesn't have them, count your blessings, but be prepared, they are coming. We have been seeing them in the higher elevations of the Black Hills now.

I used to trap them when I was young. There was a local farmer that would pay me 5 bucks apiece for them. This was in the 80's. I caught as many as I could, but I only managed to stay even with them. I only had a few traps and pocket gophers are difficult to trap.

A few years back I bought my own place. Fifteen acres of a former homestead. A lot of it has trees, but the old cattle pens are home to pocket gophers. I have not been able to get rid of them. One spring I caught seven of them. Last year I only caught a couple. It rained heavily, turning everything to mud. If you don't catch them the first time, they plug the hole, and when it is muddy you can't find it again. I have tried poison, and putting small amounts of gasoline down the hole with some effect. But I still have them. If I could get rid of them, I would be free of them for a while since they plowed up the alfalfa field across the road. That was an endless supply, always moving in.

I am resolved to get rid of them this spring before the mosquitoes get bad.

I don't get it

I see a lot of young boys nowadays, who are wearing earrings in their ears. I am talking about 10 year olds. Are their parents out to lunch? Am I just getting curmudgeonly in my old age? Now, I am not even old; I don't even have any kids yet. But when I do, if I have boys, they will not be wearing jewelry under threat of the pliers. Till they are 60. I even don't see why girls need to wear jewelry at that age. And the place I see all these metal headed kids? In church.

I must be tragically unhip.

See how smart I am?

Your IQ Is 130

Your Logical Intelligence is Below Average Your Verbal Intelligence is Genius Your Mathematical Intelligence is Genius Your General Knowledge is Above Average

A Quick and Dirty IQ Test

How did I do so bad on logical intelligence?

Dreams

I usually don't remember dreams. But I really had a weird one last night. I was at a grocery store. All of my extended family was there, because my grandma died. In the store. So we were all sitting down to eat. In the store. Then I found out that my cousin had died. Also in the store. So while we were sitting down to eat, a girl I knew from college shows up. She is wearing roller skates. She is wondering what is up because it is time for roller skating. Somehow our tables had been set up in the part of the store usually set aside at this particular time for roller skating.

That was some grocery store. I did have a mild case of indigestion. Would that cause this? Too bad we don't have a prophet around to interpret this one.