Sunday, March 27, 2016

Mickety MickMick Mickers!

Allahu Mickbar and Happy Easter my friends!   Just when you thought it was safe to walk the streets, the Mickmaster train wreck continues!


Don't you just LOVE the smug arrogance on display, here?  Not only are they defying a court order, but they are doing it out in the open!  They even advertise it on the Watch Mickey Beat Cancer Page!

While not sure of the precise details, I am confident that the above is a flagrant violation of a court order.  Wasn't the mutt supposed to be confined in the jail, or similar facility, for the rest of its life?  I suppose they could argue that the beast is being "escorted" by a law enforcement official, thus putting it into a grey area, but WHAT THE HELL PEOPLE?!

Dog nutters really love to push the envelope... they keep doing it until something happens, then blame someone else!  

Consider this - what happens if Mick attacks someone while on one of these leisurely strolls?   They sure as hell can't argue that they didn't know the dog was dangerous... it was sentenced to life for attacking a kid!   I suppose one line of defense might be that they argue that Mickey isn't really "THE" Mickey of internet fame, merely another Bulldog that looks like St. Mick.   Of course, then they would be forced to declare that Mickey is a Fake.   Would be VERY interesting to watch that unfold.

I estimate that these folks actually believe their own BS - that if they love a dog enough, it becomes totally harmless.  ALL dog bites are due to abuse and neglect, right?  That is why its always the victim's fault... they must have done something to antagonize poor Fido!  

On a slightly different note, the internet frenzy over dear MickBar has not subsided.  Forces are at work to white-wash the past of the Dear Mickster.  Consider this sobby story.   In short, a dog with flowers on its head would never hurt anybody.  How can you argue seamless logic like that?



As usual:





Enjoy the rest of your weekend!


Tuesday, March 8, 2016

The Padster Strikes Again!

In a not-so-shocking development, "Padi" the ear-eater has struck again!

Here is Dogsbite Decatur AL's article on the issue.

Here is my backstory on PADI.

Excerpts:

A Manatee County dog that was given a second chance after biting a child is under investigation again. Deputies say the dog named Padi is now accused of biting a 4-month-old puppy on the nose at his owner's veterinary clinic. The sheriff's office says Dr. Garenberg could face criminal charges.

Now, if they had taken MY advice and killed the damn thing after the last attack, this would not have happened!

Why was Padi not only spared, but left to CONTINUE to run loose in Gartenburg's office?  ...Soon a Free Padi Facebook page racked up more than 27,000 like and hundreds of supporters turned out at county commission meetings and at the hearing in November.   Yep, the dog-worshiping crusade was out in full force!

His owner asked a judge to spare the dog's life; the judge ruled that the dog wasn't dangerous. Sarasota Judge Andrew Owens ruled Florida's 25-year-old dog bite law unconstitutional calling it "arbitrary and unduly oppresssive." That move released Padi.

These folks need to learn the basic definitions of words.  There was nothing "Arbitrary" about the original decision to destroy Padi... the dog attacked a 4 year old!   If that is not a good reason to put down a dog, then what is?

Pursuant to that, there is also nothing "Oppressive" about killing a dog that attacks children.  You want to know what is REALLY oppressive?  This "anarcho-tyrannical" regime that dictates that dog owners get to attack us any place, any time and for any or no reason and there is NOTHING we can do about it!  That regime, my friends, is VERY OPPRESSIVE. 

I might have been overwhelmed by the rank foolishness of Gartenburg and Padi's rank-and-file fans, but for the fact that these people are by definition totally delusional.  In their world, dogs and dog owners can do no wrong.  The victim was blamed for the last "encounter" so they figured that there was no need to contain PADI.

I truly hope PADI gets his long overdue dirt-nap, and does not move on to permanently maim someone as Gus did.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Gun P0rn: Savage 110e in .223

Time for moar gun P0rn!  HT to Mom in Eugene, she got me started on these targets!

As per my last essay, if you intend to actually shoot something, it is incumbent upon you to select a target that resembles what you intend to shoot.  Wild hogs, coyotes, and that-which-can-never-be-identified do not exactly go around with bulls-eye's painted over their vital organs, now do they?

Anyways, I have this handy light rifle, a Savage 110e chambered in .223.  The .223 is an "intermediate" rifle round.  It has more energy than a typical handgun round, but a lot less than a full power rifle round (such as a .308).   On the plus side, you have very little recoil, good accuracy out to a few hundred yards, and the ammunition does not cost much (target loads can be had for about 35 cents a round).

Yes, I know the cheek pad looks like shit.  I had to work it around the sling attachment.  It works great the way it is with this scope setup.  Go ahead and sue me.







It shoots great with this ammunition:  Black hills 55 grain.


Like many precision rifles, it is "tuned" for specific bullet types.  This thing is a "tack driver" with the right ammo, but is an epic fail with others.   My Rem. 700 is the same way:  Shoots great with 168 grain "boat-tails", but with other bullet types I don't even hit the paper.   This may be worked around with a (big) scope adjustment, but I figure its just better to just feed it what it wants.

I bought this rifle used a few years ago for around $250.00.   I'm not sure of the exact vintage, but it was probably manufactured in the 1990's.   It comes with iron sights, which is unusual for a hunting rifle:


I went ahead and scoped it, anyway.  This was strictly a budget build, so I went with a Weaver scope.  Weaver's are not the best scopes, in my opinion, but they do have really good dollar value.  This scope has 3 to 9 times magnification, is fully adjustable, and runs around $100.

So, total build on this rifle:

- Used rifle:  $250.00.
- Weaver 3x9 scope:  $100.
- Picatinny scope rail:  ~$20.
- Scope rings:  ~$15.
- Nylon sling:  ~$15.
- Cheek pad:  ~$15.
- Total build:   ~$415.00 (approx.)

Not bad for what is essentially a mid-shelf hunting / target rifle.

On to the shoot...

50 yards (~45 meters).

I started out with this Deer target.  I got these off Amazon, and 5 types of game are indicated.  Check it out, here.   While not my preferential "splatter targets", these are good targets.  I would buy them again.


Consider this deer target.  This target is approximately 1/3 to 1/2 to scale so would have been equivalent to 100-150 meters.



I fired 3 rounds of the Black Hills each at the head and heart area:

 These 3 head shots are in a 1/2 inch group (I measured them).  At 50 yards, that is 1 MOA (google that).


While leaning to the left, the below 3 heart shots are probably sub-MOA (again, Google that).   Consider that these slugs are less than 1/4 inch wide, and the 3 bullet holes overlap!


I moved on to a hog target: 



And, here are the results of that.  3 shot groups to the head and heart areas:

3 head shots below.


3 heart shots below:
 

Again, this target is less than life-size, so the equivalent distance would have been more like 100 yards.

Conclusion.   These are definitely recommended.   With the right ammo, it is a consistent accurate shooter.   When going used, YMMV, so unless you know what you are doing, you may not want to go the used route.

Savage's model line-up has changed somewhat in the past ~20 years.   One current semi-equivalent would be this.   Note that this is a complete build, including a Nikon scope (which is probably a better scope than my Weaver).   It also has a wood stock, which has its ups and downs (definitely better looking than my composite stock).

The newer version also has a detachable magazine, which I would find advantageous.  My version is a top loader, and with the picatinny rail screwed down over the bolt opening, loading cartridges can be a bit of a hassle.  

Savage Arms website.

The Hogmageddon?

Yep... that is an H not a D!

Last weekend, I decided to put my shooting skills to some practical use.   I took the RV down to South FL, and went on a guided wild boar hunt!   It was a great experience, and I plan to pursue the interest.   Keep reading for the outcome....

There is quite the Animal Uncontrol problem in the wild hog (boar) universe.  Wild hogs are descended from domestic hogs.  There are approximately six million wild hogs in the continental United States today, with many of them concentrated in the southeast.  It is my understanding that Florida has the highest population of wild hogs.

Consider that hogs are not not part of the natural environment in this part of the world.  The proliferation of hogs has caused quite a few problems, that include but are not limited to:

- Destruction of wild plants.  They will literally destroy acres of forest undergrowth... I've seen it multiple times hiking the area.  This disrupts the entire food chain.
-  Attack wild animals.  They are very aggressive and extremely intelligent.  They are crowding out other wildlife at an accelerating rate.
- Attack humans and domestic pets.   So far, this has been unusual but as the hog population increases, so do the attacks.
- Destroy farm crops and other domesticated plants.  They will literally destroy an entire field of corn or other crop.

In response to this, the State has declared open season on wild hogs.  You do not need a hunting license, there is no bag limit, you may utilize any legal weapon, and you can hunt them year round on private property.  Hog hunting on *public* land (i.e. National Forests and the like) is limited to hunting season (typically late fall and early winter). 

Stock photo of a wild hog:



In any case, I signed up for a guided hunt (it was just the guide and myself).   I had no hunting experience, so I figured it would be a good idea to "apprentice" a few times before going off on my own.

For a weapons selection, I brought this rifle.  I went in with the assumption that, given that the .308 has colossal stopping power, and any hit to the thorax would drop Mr. Piggy like a bag of dirt.   Any shot within 200 yards was going to be a no-brainer with the Remington, I figured. 

Well, you know what they say about assumptions?  It turns out that my assumption is correct for just about every living thing except a hog!  Before heading out, I was discussing shot placement with the guide.  I said that I was just going to shoot it through the chest and I figured it would just drop.  According to the guide.... NOPE!   Hogs are extremely resilient, and you can shoot a hog through BOTH lungs and it can live up to 24 hours!   If you shoot it straight through the heart, it can run over 100 yards, with fountains of blood shooting out both sides!   He said the only way to guarantee a one-shot drop was a head shot:  Blow its brains out.  Even that is very difficult, as a hog's brain-pan is rather small, and the skull is very thick - the bullet may ricochet off the skull if even at a slight angle. 

So, there I was, up in a tree stand with the monster rifle.  The 700 SPS has a 26 inch "bull" barrel and is quite heavy.  The tree stand did not have a rest for the rifle, so I had to shoot straight off the shoulder.

After 2 hours, a "brood" of about 7 hogs appeared at the tree line, about 50-60 yards away, rooting around in the dirt.  Holy Crap!   I selected my target, lined up a head shot and BOOM!   I did not drop him.... he darted forward about a foot or so JUST as I squeezed the trigger.   It appears the bullet went right through the chest cavity, and he was knocked over, but the SOB got up and took off into the underbrush with his buddies.

The guide and I went over to the target area.  There was blood spatter all over the palmettos behind where he was standing.  We tracked it through the underbrush for a while and found some more blood trail, but not a lot.  Apparently, I did not hit anything vital.

Oh, well.  Better luck next time.

Mistakes made and lessons learned:

- Poor weapon selection.  The power of the .308 does not grant much of an advantage over a hog.  You are more or less limited to head shots.  A lighter rifle in a smaller caliber would have been a better choice for the tree stand.  You really do not want to be charging through the brush with a rifle of that size and weight if you do not absolutely need to.

- Lack of rifle practice.  I had not been to the range much, recently, and I should have been practicing with hog targets or a reasonable proxy.   Hogs do not come with bulls-eye's painted on them.

- Poor knowledge of game in question.  Again, I made a big assumption about the characteristics of a hog, and I should have done more research beforehand.

With all of that said, it was a very enjoyable and productive day.  I learned a lot, and should do a lot better next time.

Coming up... Moar gun p0rn!