My New Plinker

Thought Combat Kev and The Don would enjoy this. My new Mossberg 715P. I'm pretty sure the P doesn't stand for Plinker, but I'm going to say that it does. I should have spent the extra $$$ and bought a Ruger Charger. It's basicly the same weapon but has the proven 10/22 magazine design.

If you can't tell from the pic, this weapon is constructed of more plastic than steel. But it does have some handy dandy tactical features like rails and AR sights. Part 22 (the actual gun part) can also be broken down in half by removing 2 pins.

I've already added a laser and a flashlight I had laying around.

The magazine is about 1/4 of the size it appears to be underneath it's plasticine shell and has the unfortunate feature of an open design to see the ammo. That also means that dirt, mud and pretty much anything that wants to can get in there and jam your weapon.  See: WW 1: French Chauchat.

I bought this on a whim because I picked up a 500 round brick of .22 ammo on sale at Cabela's. I don't shoot my old Remington Nylon 66 much anymore, mainly because it jams so bad. The gun was severely neglected bouncing around behind the seat of a pickup for years before I got it. I thought the cheap upgrade was warranted.

After I broke it down completely and cleaned it, I took my new toy (seriously, it looks and feels like a toy) out to sight it in. I decided to use up the ammo I had on hand before breaking into my new stash. Shot. Jam. Shot. Jam. Shot. Jam. Shot. Jam. WTF??? I take a close look and my ammo is getting chewed up on the projectile end before going in the chamber. I take an even closer look and my ammo doesn't really fit the magazine.

Stop reading now if you know the answer.

I look at the brand new box of ammo I just broke the seal on that I bought when Cabela's had their Grand Opening (told you I didn't use much). It's .22 LONG not .22 Long Rifle. Insert facepalm gif.

Load up with new .22LR ammo and plink, plink, plink! Guess what happens when I replace the .22L ammo in my Nylon 66?

You can paint over ugly, but stupid to to the bone.

Chevys drool!

Excluding Fords, the most popular car in Texas is a Mercedes.

I hope all you Chevy lovers (my Brother In Law in particular) pay close attention to this because I've been saying it for years. Chevy is NOT the prefered vehicle of Texans! (Proud C300 & F3Fiddy owner!)

h/t Bag of Nothing

My Name is NOT Earl

I had to run to Cabela's the other day to pick up some ammo I ordered and stopped at Kroger's on North Tarrant Parkway to grab a couple things for supper. After I pulled into a parking spot I saw a sign that said 'Wounded Warrior Parking', but it wasn't very clear if it was for 1 or 2 spaces. Better safe than sorry, I backed out and moved to a different space farther away and with nobody parked beside me. My fat ass needs the extra steps anyway.

While walking in, I watched a young girl driving a Camaro with no handicap stickers at all whip into the space I just vacated, bail out and jog inside the store. She was obviously in a hurry and needed the convenient parking more than a Wounded Warrior. Legally they can't enforce that parking restriction, but it's a dick move to take it. I thought to myself, karma will take care of her, I did the right thing.

When I got back to my car a couple minutes later I immediately noticed somebody keyed the dogsnot out of my hood that I just had repainted. They keyed it so freaking hard it dented the hood! You can see the dent in the pic below. Notice how the middle line bends across the scratch. That line is the reflection of my garage rafter.

I mean seriously, what. the. hell?!?!?!?

Let me guess, the girl bought the winning Powerball ticket?

So did you like your gig?

Probably not a good idea to throw out a link to the porn your watching on a work related tweet.

#oops

LEGO Top Gear

It's as great as you'd hope it would be. And on THAT bombshell...

132 Year Old Rifle Found Leaning Against Tree

GREAT BASIN NATIONAL PARK - A rifle made in 1882 has been found propped against a tree in a remote area of a national park in Nevada.

"Numerous questions surround the small piece of American heritage found and recovered by Great Basin National Park archaeologists in November," according to a post on the park's Facebook page. "The 132-year-old rifle, exposed to sun, wind, snow, and rain was found leaning against a tree in the park. The cracked wood stock, weathered to grey, and brown rusted barrel blended into the colors of the old juniper tree in a remote rocky outcrop, keeping the rifle hidden for many years."

With help from records kept at the Cody Firearms Museum in Cody, Wyo., officials at Great Basin National Park were able to determined that the rifle was manufactured and shipped in 1882, but details of who bought the rifle and where it was shipped were not available.

Known as the "gun that won the West," Winchester made 720,610 of the rifles between 1873 and 1916, when production stopped.

The rifle found in the park will be sent to conservators to stabilize and protect its condition, preserving the piece as it was recently found, according to the park's post. When that work is done, the rifle will be returned to the park and displayed as park of the park's 30th birthday and the National Park Service's centennial celebration.

...

The story behind this has to be amazing. I'm sure it was more along the lines of a lone cowboy struggling to survive against Indians, mountain lions and the elements that didn't make it, versus Little Mark done went and lost the rifle Pa bought him. Lucas McCain would never approve of these storage methods and bushwhackers would have taken the weapon. I bet they find bones nearby that may have been ingested.

Circle of life Simba.

Robert Franzese is totally freakin' awesome!

This guy is talented beyond belief. If the first production company he bumps into doesn't hire him on the spot, they're fools.

Those Were The Salad Days

I sailed many a mile across stormy seas aboard this fine ship. A lot of changes made to her since then. This picture was taken around 2004 in San Francisco (I believe). The first time I saw her in drydock was the first time anyone had. We blew the port turbine fuel pump on our way to Alaska patrol. During patrol we had a crank bearing failure on the port main, then had a crankcase explosion in the starboard main that destroyed the block. We limped back from patrol in the Bering Sea on our last remaining turbine and spent close to a year in drydock at the Todd Shipyards in Seattle getting that main replaced.

It was like a giant game of Operation/Jenga using an elaborate series of hoists and chains loosely based upon a Fred Garvin design to simultaneously lift, slide, twist, lower and rotate the 12 ton block, then cutting a giant hole in the starboard side of the ship to slide it out.

Of course once you take it out, you gotta to put one back in and replace all the stuff you cut out of the way while you're at it. These Fairbanks Morse diesels are huge, 2 story tall beasts and nobody ever expected to swap one out when they built the ship around it like they did with the gas turbines. Those were expected to fail. They were encased in a box with quick disconnects and a clear path to a giant hatch above. It was a well thought out design and we could swap a turbine in a matter of hours if we had to.

To make a long story longer, those were some of the best times I ever had in the service. We couldn't stay onboard the ship during the overhaul and received a special BAQ. We had a good bunch of guys on our crew that pooled our money rented a 3 story house adjacent to the University of Washington. I'll never forget the morning commute from the U District to West Seattle in Dave Neiderman's 72 Ford van listening to Eric Clapton's Cocaine. Seriously, it was on every freaking morning no matter what station we listened to. It became a challenge to get there before it played.

We split the rent 8 ways, but it seems there was never ever less than 12-15 people sleeping there. We'd have to make squatter sweeps from time to time. Guys would come over to party and never leave. Some of these unscrupulous individuals would tend to blow their housing allowance on alcohol. Hard to believe, I know.

We made our own Coastie Frat house and it was awesome in it's glory. Those were some fantabulous times, even if I can't remember what happened more nights than I care to admit. Step out the back door and 27 steps away across the alley was the back door to O'Banion's Tavern. Ahhh, Those were the Salad Days.

There's also tales involving mescaline, tequila, a Yamaha dirt bike and a sticky throttle cable that I still refuse to fully divulge regardless of the statute of limitations. But I have to wonder what that guy thought when a riderless dirt bike came at him full speed.

Those Camels will kill ya (and not just by smoking)

So much to this story. First and foremost, aren't camels kinda famous for going without water for a really long time? Also read this:

In a 2009 interview with the Wichita Falls Times Record News, McNair said "camels have gotten a bad rap."
The article goes on to say that "like dogs, if they are raised with cruelty, they will be dangerous. ... But, also like dogs, if they are raised with love, affection, attention, treats and companionship -- as hers are -- they will be tame and enjoyable."
"Of course, there are some caveats," she said.
In the interview, she said she always takes extra precautions when the animals are in rut.
She told the newspaper about two women who raised camels as pets, who were killed when a male camel knocked them down and planted his front feet on them, common mating behavior.

And one more thing... David Duke is the Sheriff of Wichita County?

He knew someday it would eventually come back in style

Serious Cowboys fan in Jacksonville, Texas. I bet this thing's been buried in a garage and hasn't seen the light of day (and from recent weather still may not have) since the turn of the century. Dig those whitewalls!

They said he could play. Nobody said anything about winning.