Paging Rick Mance, Rick Mance, Line 1!

Somebody came out with a new and improved hand-held mini-gun, the XM556 Microgun. Being fully automatic, it's restricted to military, law enforcement, and (of course) Class III dealers. (Damn you, Hughes Amendment!)

Which Rick Mance of Traction Control blog is. Rick brought some interesting stuff to the Gun Blogger Rendezvous. I'd imagine he'd like one of these for a dealer sample.

Update:  He beat me to it by a long shot.

Blogorado Bound

I attended Gun Blogger Rendezvous 1 - 10, only missing the last one so I could attend Boomershoot again. Unfortunately it really was the last one, but that means I have vacation time (and money) to allow me to attend another gathering of The People of the Gun™ that I have had to miss in prior years - Blogorado.

Blogorado is an invitation-only gathering of the Clan held in an undisclosed location in Colorado, attended by a glittering list of blog-writers, their spouses (often bloggers themselves) and sometimes their families.  It is held on the ranch of Farmgirl, Farmmom, and Farmdad.  Motel reservations are made, vacation time has been requested, and now I just have to choose what portion of my arsenal will be making the trip North and East with me.

I'm really looking forward to seeing several people I haven't seen in meatspace in years, and meeting new people I haven't had a chance to meet before.

For me, this is the best part of blogging - friends you never knew you had.  As Breda Fallon once said in an episode of the podcast Vicious Circle:

I'm one of those people - I like people, I'm personable, but I don't really have "friends" friends, because I just don't connect to people really that well. But then blogs happened, and I found a whole group of people that I fit in with because I'm weird and they're weird in kinda the same way, and yea for our mutual weirdness. So, thank you for being weird with me.

Gun Blogger Rendezvous XI

It's on.  The dates are Sept. 8-11, and the Silver Legacy is taking reservations now.  Details are here.  (Yeah, that's me behind the trigger of my .300 Win Mag Remington 700.)  Luckygunner.com is the primary sponsor again this year, and if you register before June 1, you get $150 worth of ammo from them that they'll deliver to the Rendezvous freight-free.

GBRX Recap

So, the Tenth Annual Gun Blogger Rendezvous is complete.  I skipped the Sunday simulator session, and left for home just after 8AM.  Had to stop in Vegas about 4PM because I was flat exhausted.  Got home Monday afternoon.

There were 25 registered attendees at this year's event, and together we raised almost $3,000 for Honored American Veterans Afield.  Sponsors of the event were:

Lucky Gunner - primary sponsor, and supplier of ammunition to attendees.  My thanks to Anthony W. of Lucky Gunner for getting everything set up and organized, and for running things so well.  Lucky Gunner is set up to run next year's event also.  Anthony took a lot of photos and video.  As soon as those are up, I'll be linking.

The Silver Legacy Resort and Casino - Nice place to stay, and very accommodating!  When we asked about wheeling in the Gardner Gun, they were all for it.

Special Interest Arms - Richard Brengman is a local out of Gardnerville, NV, about an hour south of Reno.  This year, in addition to the Gardner Gun, he brought a variety of Class III items for us to shoot - most suppressed, a couple full-auto.  I'm kinda interested in his 9mm bolt-action rifle with integral suppressor.  One tax stamp.  Sucker is about as loud as a dropped paperback in a library.  Richard also donated a stripped AR-15 lower to the HAVA raffle.

Springfield Armory - Donated T-shirts, beer glasses and coffee mugs, a couple of banners and some other things.  Maybe we can wangle a pistol out of them next year.

Ruger - Provided a range bag, a backpack and some coffee mugs.  No repeat of the MkIII Hunter of last year, but....

Sig Sauer - Sponser of shooter and GBR attendee Jaci Janes provided caps, keychains and stickers.  Hmm...  I think I'm sensing a trend here.

Dillon Precision - donated one of their "border shift" ammo bags and some hats.

Brownell's - No ultimate range bag this year, but Brownell's did donate one of their new ESG  Backpacks, some AR10 magazines, and a slew of oil samples as they usually do.  We missed having Larry Weeks join us, but he's enjoying retirement by running around to various competitions.

Allchin Gun Parts - donated optics mounts and machined magazine base pads.  Nice stuff!

Burris Optics - Again this year Lori Yunker (former GBR attendee) kindly donated an AR-F³ red dot sight on a Picatinny mount.  That got snapped up.

MOA Targets - another local, Mitch Gerlinger makes AR plate targets for rifles and pistols.  I won one of their Freedom Wheel units rated for rifle.  Can't wait to see if I can hit it at 500+ yards with the .300 Mag.  Mitch also brought out his full-auto M14 to the Friday shoot, and let anyone who wanted to rip off a magazine.  Pretty cool.

Target Barn - Provided the IDPA target cardboards that we used during the Saturday "paper steel" shoot, and also some pretty cool shoot-'n-see zombie varmint targets.  I got a set of those.

Front Sight Training Academy - again donated a four-day training course valued at over $2k.

Self Defense Association - Sponsor of shooter Great Satan (Jaci Janes' other half), Self Defense Association is an insurance company for anybody who might need financial security after a shooting.  SDA provides insurance policies to cover both criminal and civil legal fees should you need to defend yourself against prosecution or a lawsuit after a self-defense shooting.  They donated a $250k policy.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation - the REAL "gun lobby," the NSSF provided us with way too much Godfather's Pizza for the Saturday night festivities as they have for the last several years. 

CigarsCity.com donated cigars and a small humidor.  Something different, and also something snapped up almost immediately.

Repeat attendee Bill Llewellen of Billlls Idle Mind brought some laser-cut aperture sights for Ruger pistols, and donated a couple to the cause.

And last, but FAR from least, Reno Guns and Range (formerly U.S. Firearms Academy).  They allowed us to ship our stuff to them for safekeeping prior to our arrival, even though they were in the middle of trying to get ready for a grand re-opening at their entirely new and extremely state-of-the-art facilities.  And, ladies and gentlemen, if you're in the Reno area I strongly urge you to check them out.  That place will make the Scottsdale Gun Club look pale by comparison when they get it complete.  On Saturday they gave us the run of their 10-lane bay to conduct our "paper steel" shoot on opening day.  On Sunday they ran their simulator training for us again as we had done the previous year, but in a newer, more spacious facility.  We got the full tour of the place, which has not only the 10-lane 25 yard range (rated for rifles), but also a private four-lane range with attached "meeting room" complete with conference table, pool table, and mini-galley.  They will eventually have a "shoot house" complete with garage for realistic training using simunitions.  This place is AWESOME.  I kinda wish I lived in Reno.

I think once Lucky Gunner gets their feet under it, next year's Rendezvous will be even more outstanding than this year's.

Lotsa Miles

I pulled out of my driveway at 05:30 this morning, and into the parking lot here at the Silver Legacy at 19:30.  Two stops for fuel, one for lunch in Vegas.  Not bad.  Best part about the trip is A) diesel doesn't cost $4/gal this year, and B) diesel actually costs less than regular gas.  Looks like the truck got pretty good mileage for a 7,000lb crew-cab beast.

Tired, hungry, and my a$$ is a little sore.  Time for some dinner and then bed, I think.  Looking forward to the next few days here at GBR X!

Fifty Rounds of .300 Win Mag Loaded...

...Achievement Unlocked!

Got another fifty to do, then a few hundred rounds of .45ACP, 100 rounds of .44 Mag, and maybe some .38 Special pin loads.

Two Weeks to the Rendezvous!

There's still time to get signed up and make room reservations for Gun Blogger Rendezvous X.  Check out the site.  There's some good stuff to take home with this year.

The schedule has been sent out to attendees, and here's what's on tap:

Thursday, August 20:

2:45-5PM - Trip to the massive Scheel's Sports in Sparks. If you need any last-minute range gear or just want to check it out (worth the trip) a group will be leaving from the Silver Legacy. Upon our return we're having a group dinner at the El Dorado buffet. (No sponsor, attendees responsible for buffet cost.)

Friday, August 21:

8-9AM - Breakfast at the Silver Legacy Resort &Casino (Free, sponsored by LuckyGunner.com)
10AM-2PM - Range time at the Washoe County Shooting Facility. Shoot what you brought, and shoot what everybody else brought. This is where the Gardner Gun and various other toys, some suppressed, some full auto, will be available to shoot. The range has target frames and known-distance positions for them out to 300 yards. Steel swingers at various ranges out to 900 yards. I'm bringing my .300 Win Mag for this. Range fee is $8/person. Bring something to drink, and sunscreen is advised. You also need eye and ear protection.
6-8PM - Dinner at the Silver Legacy - (Free, sponsored by LuckyGunner.com)
8-Whenever - Mix-n-Mingle in the hospitality room.  Adult beverages and snacks (byob!).  This is the main reason I go to the Rendezvous, and I don't drink.  The range trips are just an extra added bonus.

Saturday, August 22:

8-9AM - Breakfast at the Silver Legacy Resort & Casino (Free, sponsored by LuckyGunner.com)
10AM-2PM - "Paper steel" shooting at the new indoor range at Reno Guns & Range.  $15/person.  Rimfire and centerfire handguns only.  Irons & optics.  Five white paper plates mounted on IPSC style target stands. One plate will be designated as the “Stop Plate” and it must be shot last. The other four plates may be shot in any order. Each shooter will shoot the stage multiple times, and the slowest time will be discarded. The remaining fastest times will be totaled, and added to the shooter’s overall score. Once each shooter has completed the stage, the targets will be moved to different positions, and will be shot again as “Stage 2.” Additional stages will be shot as time permits.  Each string will be shot from the "low ready" position.
5-6PM - Special Interest Arms' Richard Brengman will talk about his Gardner Gun and other toys, which you should have gotten to shoot on Friday.
6-6:15PM - Brief introduction to the organization we're sponsoring, Honored American Veterans Afield (HAVA).
6:15-7:15PM Pizza dinner, provided by the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Please don't drip pizza grease on the Gardner Gun!
7:15-7:45 - Raffle benefiting HAVA. There's some nice stuff this year.
7:45-Whenever - Mix-n-Mingle. Adult beverages, yadda yadda yadda....

Sunday, August 23

8-9AM - Breakfast at the Silver Legacy Resort & Casino (Free, sponsored by LuckyGunner.com)
9AM-1PM - Scenario simulation at Reno Guns and Range. This is a training simulator using CO2 powered simulated firearms against projected threat scenarios. We did this last year. If you carry a gun for self-protection, this is highly recommended. It will make you think. $15/person.

So get on the phone and make your reservations!

My Pusher Dealer Emailed Me Last Night...

(Merchant O'Death:) Are you still interested in a Marlin lever gun?

(Me:) Yeah, but I want this one:

Marlin 1895GBL

Found it online for $625 plus freight, but I've got some expenses to cover this month.  Probably won't be able to afford it for another couple of months.

(MO'D:)  We have a bead blasted stainless version of that gun (or one very similar to it) that came in used today. Gray laminated stock. Rear peep sight.

(Me:) What kind of price?  This one?

(MO'D:) Pretty much the same gun but the guy had it bead blasted resulting in a matte finish. I will have a look at the price tomorrow when I get to work.

(Me:) The big thing is the large-loop lever and the six-round magazine tube. With this one, I'd kinda like it black, but I can always get it cerakoted. But the stainless rifles are a lot pricier than the chromoly steel ones. Even used, I'd expect the stainless version to run close to $800. That's a bit more than I'm willing to spend.

But let me know.

(MO'D:) I'll text you with the details.

(Me:) You are an evil, evil man.

(MO'D:) Yes. Yes I am.

He texted me this morning. It wasn't $800.

I traded a pistol to get it.  I can pick it up August 13.  I'll be bringing it to the Rendezvous.

30 Days Until the Rendezvous

The Tenth Annual Gun Blogger Rendezvous, that is.  Here's some videos from previous iterations of the event:

GBR IX:


GBR VI:







GBR V:

GBR IV:

Oddly, there's not a lot of footage of us eating, drinking and talking back at the hotel!

But here's some of the stuff that you could take home from the Rendezvous last year:


You've still got time to register and make your reservations! Get a move on!

Gun Blogger Rendezvous Update

So, if you're coming to the Rendezvous, and you own anything chambered in .45-70, you might want to bring it.  Special Interest Arms is bringing their Gardner Gun and some other interesting stuff as well:

Not planning to run it (the Gardner Gun) for hours at a time, just burst, so no need to deal with water for it.

Going to need help getting it into the hotel after the range for the show and tell too.
Some one needs to follow with a camera, the looks on tourist faces as we wheel a Gardner Gun along the casino floor should be priceless!

I'm also planning to bring the 300 BLK Trecenti again and the new 9mm Novem bolt action. If you want to find out just how good your 9mm suppressor is bring it and the ability to put it on 1/2-28 threads. Eliminating the action noise really lets the suppressor work.

Probably bring the AK-47 FA and suppressed FA 9mm AR-15 too. Might even drag out my old .303B deer rifle for the long range targets.

I will try to get Brian to come out again and bring his De Lisle and other suppressors to demonstrate too. He's been in the NFA game for decades and has a lot of interesting stories if you can get him to take time for a real interview. Hint, ask him about how you get a demo letter for a post-sample Mini-Gun.

And Anthony Welsch of LuckyGunner.com is bringing 1,500 rounds of cowboy .45-70 ammo:

I heard back from our purchasing folks today. It sounds like getting some 45-70 in bulk quantities shouldn’t be a problem so I’ll plan to ship 1,500 rounds or so west with the rest of the ammunition orders.

I’ll talk with hotel management and ask if they have any special requests for getting the Gardner inside. If some open carried AR’s at a Chipotle can create national news I can’t imagine what a Gardner on a casino floor would do!

Me either!

I doubt Richard will want to run 1,500 rounds through his $24,500 floor sample.  I doubt Anthony wants to ship any ammo HOME, so bring your Trapdoor Springfields, Marlin 1895's and other guns!

Can We Get This Guy Some Help?

Richard from Special Interest Arms came to last year's Rendezvous and brought an assortment of very interesting suppressed firearms for us to shoot.  This year he says:

If I can get some help I might drag out the Gardner Gun and ammo.
45-70 twin barreled brass hand-crank fired fun. Not light, original crew was three guys.

C'mon, all we need is some strong backs and willing hands!

Honored American Veterans Afield

HAVA is the organization that the Tenth Annual Gun Blogger Rendezvous is fundraising for.  Last year we raised more than $4,000.  Here's a little about them:


There's still time to register and join us!

Gun Blogger Rendezvous Update

OK, so it's now July and the Rendezvous is coming up fast - August 20-23.  So who's going?

I am.  Clayton Cramer says he is.  I'm certain Mr. Completely and Keewee are coming.  My shootin' buddy DC is.  Bill Quick says he'll be there.  Not Clauzwitz, too.  A certain lawyer has been invited, but I don't know if he'll be coming again or not.

So who else?

Bueller?  Bueller?

Update:

Ms.VastRightWingConspiracy and Captialist Pig will be returning, along with the now-retired Packing Rat.

Looks Like I Finally Get to Go

I've missed the previous 29 Gun Rights Policy Conferences because A) I didn't know about it, or B) they've been too far away or C) too close to the Gun Blogger Rendezvous, but this one is just up the road in Phoenix, and I'm going to have a vacation day to burn, so I'm going this year.

Hope to see you there!

An Added Incentive to Come to the Rendezvous

If you're a blogger, there's extra added incentive to come to the tenth annual Gun Blogger Rendezvous:

Ammo.

This year LuckyGunner.com is organizing the Rendezvous, and being an ammo supplier, they've stepped up to the plate.  If you're a blogger and register before June 1, you will receive a voucher good for $150 worth of ammo.

Registration is $35.

Helluva deal.

Gun Blogger Rendezvous X

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls!  There WILL be a Tenth Annual Gun Blogger Rendezvous!  Originally conceived and executed by Mr. Completely, this year the helm is being run by multi-year sponsor LuckyGunner.com.  One other change, the date has been moved up slightly to August 20-23.  The venue remains the very nice Silver Legacy Hotel and Casino in Reno, Nevada.  All the details for early registration are available here.

The tentative schedule so far:

Thursday, August 20: The rendezvous kicks off with a welcome dinner at The Silver Legacy Hotel & Casino. Early arrivals will allow time to stock up on ammo, get a lay of the land in Reno, and check out some of the local gun culture.

Friday, August 21: Breakfast followed by a day of long range rifle and pistol shooting at the Washoe County Shooting Facility. After the range we'll head back to the Silver Legacy for dinner and to hear about some of the new products hitting the shelves.

Saturday, August 22: Breakfast followed by an introduction to International Steel Shooting Association Action Pistol shooting at the Washoe County Shooting facility. Expect a lot of time to hit the range Saturday! That night, we'll reconvene at the Silver Legacy for dinner, our prize giveaways and the raffle.

Sunday, August 23: Breakfast at the Silver Legacy followed by a trip to U.S. Firearms Academy where we'll have a chance to check out Reno Guns, Battleborn Firearms and experience a digital scenario shooting.

And of course, every evening the Hospitality Room will be open for bloggers and readers and other interested types to gather and talk.

I've attended all nine of the previous Rendezvous' and enjoyed every one. If you're a gun blogger or a reader and have any interest in meeting some of the people you interact with on the web every day, plus get to throw a lot of lead downrange, I urge you to come to the tenth iteration of this event! If you're unfamiliar, just click this link for my complete coverage of previous events.

UPDATE:  And if you're a blogger, there's an added incentive to go.

GBR IX - After Action Report

Yeah, I know, I'm really late on this one but I have a (mostly) valid excuse.  Immediately upon return to Arizona, I went back to work and busted a** for the next nine days in a row.  THEN I got four days off.  Sorry, but I didn't touch the blog the last four days.

So!  Gun Blogger Rendezvous #9 is in the record books, and as they go, this was a pretty good one.  Attendance was down this year.  A lot of regulars couldn't make it for economic or work- or school-related reasons, but we did have appearances by former attendees who hadn't made one in a year or six.  The former DirtCrashr who now resides at Not Clauswitz made an appearance, though his wife declined to come at the last minute.  The not-blogging-much Conservative UAW Guy (and now partner in a gun shop) came and brought his lovely better-half.  Namer of the Blogosphere Bill Quick of Daily Pundit put in a repeat appearance, as did Billll of Billll's Idle Mind.  Engineering Johnson, who contributed a refurbished Model 74 Winchester rifle and a custom holster for the Ruger Mk III Hunter also repeated.  Unfortunately, his dad True Blue Sam couldn't join him this year.  Mr. Completely and KeeWee, our hosts rounded out the bloggers who came, at least those whose names I got. 

This year we had a lot of local attendance, with a repeat by the Wilson family and friends, who somehow managed to take home most of the top prizes (including three of the four guns given away.)  And we had a repeat appearance by local manufacturer and Special Occupational Taxpayer Richard Brengman of Special Interest Arms, and his distributor Brian Borg of SilentCarbine.com who brought an assortment of suppressed firearms and a squirt-gun to play with to the Friday range trip followed by the Friday night Show-n-Tell.

I kinda lust after one of their De Lisle carbines.  As Billll said about one of his other suppressed weapons, I've handled office staplers that were louder.  I just need to win the lottery....

Breakfast on Friday was supplied by the National Rifle Association, and their representative spoke to us about current strategy and concerns.  They're quite concerned about Bloomberg and his personal fortune.  The NRA isn't throwing a lot of money at Washington state's I-594 initiative - at least not what Bloomberg's throwing.  Her argument, condensed, is that the NRA has a more limited war chest and must fight on a broad front.  Bloomie can pick and choose, and throw as much money as he wants at something, not that doing so will guarantee him a "win" (see Wisconsin Sheriff David Clarke's victory in the face of $150,000 of Bloomberg's money - more than both candidates spent in total.)  Still, gun-rights supporters in Washington are not pleased by the NRA's apparent lack of involvement, and the organization was so informed.

As is traditional, we held the raffle on Saturday evening, and we raised, even with light attendance, right at $4,000 for Honored American Veterans Afield.  I'd like to thank the manufacturers and their reps, distributors and retailers who contributed to the Rendezvous so that we could raise that money:

• Ken Jorgensen of Ruger - for the Mk III Hunter
• MKS Supply for their nine years of support and the .45 Carbine they donated this year, plus shirts and hats.
• Osage County Guns and Kevin Creighton for the Sig 1911-22 they donated.  This was their first year.
• Lori Yunker of Burris Optics for the AR-F³ sight they donated.
• Allen Forkner of Swanson Russell and Redfield for the Battlezone 6-18x44mm scope they donated.
• Eric Harvey of Dillon Precision for providing one of their "Ammo-shift" bags.
• Larry Weeks of Brownell's for providing once again one of their top-of-the-line range bags and five tactical flashlights.  Brownell's, too, has been a sponsor from year one.
• Crimson Trace for a pair of laser sights for Glock pistols.
• Cabela's for the donation of a rod-n-reel, shirts and hats.
• Tom Tayor of Mossberg for the donation of T-shirts, tactical pens and a very nice Schrade lockback knife.
• Bear Bullets for the donation of a tub-o'-.22 ammo. (A Remington Bucket O' Bullets - 1400 rounds worth!)
• WGM Tactical Precision for the donation of a stripped AR lower (which I guess qualifies as the FIFTH firearm given away), and a lifetime membership to Front Sight
• Front Sight itself for a certificate good for a four-day training course, or two two-day classes.
• Special Interest Arms for the donation of scope mounts for a No. 1 Mk III and a No. 4 Enfield
• Engineering Johnson for the Winchester Model 74 and the beautiful hand-tooled holster for the Ruger.

I also want to thank the folks at U.S. Firearms Academy for graciously acting as our shipping receiver, the fine folks at the Washoe County Regional Shooting Facility for the reserved range space on Friday and the Western Nevada Pistol League for use of their shooting bays and steel on Saturday, and finally the folks at MiScenarios for the interactive digital range time on Sunday. That was worth hanging around for, and the better part of a dozen of us showed up to try it.

Once again, thanks to the National Shooting Sports Foundation for their sponsorship (they bought our pizza Saturday night).

If I missed anyone, please let me know and I'll be sure to include you.

And yes, I ended my eight-year drought by winning... the Hi-Point.

I think I'll steam-punk it.

Quick GBR Update

It must be clean living, but I missed almost all of the bad weather between Las Vegas and Tucson.  After the indoor digital simulation training at MiScenarios on Sunday, I dropped Mr. Completely and KeeWee off at the Silver Legacy and headed South for Las Vegas a bit after 13:30.  I rolled into Las Vegas about 20:30, grabbed something to eat at Vamp'd (Not bad!  I've paid a lot more for a steak nowhere near as good - two thumbs up), and then drove on to Henderson to get a room for the night.  I got drizzled on just a tiny bit rolling into Vegas, but the clouds did look threatening.

I pulled out of Henderson this morning at 08:30 and hit Phoenix about 12:00.  The only rain I drove through was between Kingman and Wikieup, and it wasn't that bad.  Apparently Phoenix got slammed this morning, but by the time I rolled in it was over.  I-10 West was closed West of the I-17 exchange, but I was headed East, so that wasn't a problem.  I had to stop by my company's main office and pick up some stuff, and I had to drop off Capitalist Pig's and Ms. Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy's rifles that I transported for them, rather than them having to deal with the TSA.

Tucson, in the mean time, was getting hammered.  All gone by the time I got home.  I rolled into my driveway at about 15:30.  I'm wiped out.  And I have to be on the road tomorrow at oh-my-god:30 for three to four days of onsite service work at a mine 200 miles away.

Blogging will be light for the next couple of days, but there WILL be an After-Action Report from the Rendezvous!

Range Day!

So today we ran out to the Washoe County public range and shot what everybody brought. A local vendor brought his toys to display and demonstrate, Special Interest Arms. Here's some of what he brought to play with:


(From the top:)  Thureon Defense 9mm, integrally suppressed
Thureon Defense .45ACP integrally suppressed
.45 Enfield with suppressor ("Stubby")
Full-auto AK-47 (not suppressed)
AR-15 9mm integrally suppressed


De Lisle .45ACP integrally suppressed carbine.  Bloody silent. 

Here's a .300 Blackout in use.  And yes, the wind noise is louder than the rifle:


And here's the Thureon .45 in action:


Here's some of the other things that shooters brought:


Bill Quick's .22 race gun



DC's Sako Mosin



Ishapore Enfield in .303 British



The world's only wood-furnitured Hi-Point carbine that belongs to Billll


An assortment of handguns.



Ms. Vast Right Wing Conspiracy's Remington 700 in .308.
There was a lot more, but that's all I got photos of. More later!

A Little Something for Roberta X

Just outside our Hospitality Room are these old bikes:




I know Roberta likes old bicycles!