Shot IPSC match last night at Silver Eagle
Last night I competed in the IPSC shooting match at Silver Eagle Group in Ashburn. This was my first shoot at SEG, and my second IPSC shoot overall, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Stages were similar to the ones I shot at NRA last year, although there were no pepper-poppers or swinging targets this time around. They should definitely work on putting together some more elaborate stages.
Overall I fealt pretty good about my performance. I tried to force myself to slow down this time, and not rush some of the harder shots. I still have alot of work to do in that area, but I managed to go through the last stage without killing any hostages; a first for me.
Carry in National Parks is a go!
I just read in the latest VA-ALERT that VCDL’s hard work (and, certainly, that of other RKBA organizations, not the least of which being the NRA) have finally paid off, with the Department of Interior adopting rules which will permit concealed carry within national parks under the same rules applied to state parks in the state where the national park is located. This is huge for me, as I won’t go to national parks and be disarmed.
Congrats to VCDL and everyone else who worked on this. Another victory for RKBA; let’s hope The Lightbringer’s Secretary of Interior doesn’t roll this back!
First complaint about my new 08 Civic SI
Last Wednesday I discovered my first substantive complaint about my new Civic SI. I was on the way to the range, with my Glock 19 in a OWB Comp-tec holster on my hip at about 4 o’clock, when I climbed into the racing-inspired seats with their aggressive side bolstering, only to find the bolstering does not interact well with a holstered weapon. The bolstering pressed the holster firmly into my side and made for a most uncomfortable ride. A cross-country trip would be impossible with that particular holster.
This is, in the grand scheme of things, a minor complaint, as I’d need a cross-draw or more comfortable IWB holster for prolonged driving anyway, but it’s worth considering if you carry in a strong-side holster every day and find yourself doing alot of driving.
IPSC Results In
Last month I shot my first IPSC match at the NRA range. The scores have finally been posted.
There were a total of 30 shooters in all classes, out of which I placed 17th with 49.48% of the highest scoring shooter. In my class (Limited) I placed 4th. I didn’t get DQ’d, shoot myself, or score the lowest, so I’m pleased with my performance. It sucks I missed the signup for this month’s shoot; hopefully I’ll make it in June.
Dick Saslaw is a real..erm..dick!
Well, news of the open carry dinner has finally hit the AP wire. Considering it’s an AP story it’s astonishingly balanced, with no obvious bias either way. As usual, State Senator Dick “Banjo” Saslaw (D) was quoted in full Prick mode:
Saslaw said he’s not necessarily surprised that VCDL found restaurants in the region that would allow them to dine while armed. But he said that carrying guns is simply not normal behavior in this area.
“What normal person walks around with a gun on your hip? Something’s wrong in your life” if you feel compelled to carry a gun as part of your daily routine, he said.
So over 150,000 Virginians with concealed handgun permits are not “normal” and have something “wrong in [their] live[s]“? God, but that Saslaw is a real dick! Many of us at the dinner would rather not openly carry our guns for all the world to see, but politicians like Saslaw and Timmy Kaine force us to do so by refusing to pass a restaurant ban repeal.
To those of you in Saslaw’s district, can someone please explain what the hell you people see in this guy? Do you like that he repeatedly slanders one of the most law-abiding groups in the Commonwealth at a time when his party is trying desperately to shake the mantle of Gun Control? What were you thinking!?
Need AR-15 Receiver Laser Etch Ideas
Now that those JBTs down at BATFE have destroyed Cav Arms (remember kids, Always Think Forfeiture), the two CavAid 2008 stripped lowers I ordered probably won’t ever come. Thus, I need to find another source of lowers, and I’ve settled on Anvil Arms.
Anvil makes mil-spec stripped lowers just like everyone else, but they also throw in laser engraving on the mag well for free. They have a gallery of some of the cooler things people have had engraved here. I need ideas for what to etch on a couple of lowers for my upcoming AR builds. My ideas so far:
- the Simon Jester grinning devil icon from The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress
- “ultima ratio regum” (Last Argument of Kings), said to be inscribed on the cannons of King Louie XIV
- AR15.com bolt face logo
- “Molon Labe” or “Come and Get Them”, King Leonidas’ response to Xerxes’ demand that the Spartans surrender their weapons, according to Plutarch’s history of the event
- “Always Think Forfeiture”, the motto silkscreened onto a large order of Leatherman tools for BATFE’s asset forfeiture group responsible for the theft of property from those such as Cav Arms not accused of any crime
- One of the American Revolution battle flags, http://americanrevwar.homestead.com/files/flags.htm. I especially like the Culpeper flag of the Culpeper Virginia Minutemen
- A line drawing of a lamb carrying an AR-15, in the style of the Lamb Triumphant, as a subtle reference to the famous Ben Franklin quote (misattributed unfortunately)
- The image and motto (Sic Semper Tyranis, or “Thus Always to Tyrants”) of the Virginia flag
- DEXA (ΔΕΞΑΙ in the Greek alphabet), Greek for “Take That!”, carved into stone projectiles used by Greek slingers (Note: some Internet articles claim dexa means “catch!”, but according to Warry’s Warfare in the Classical World and the appropriate entry in William Smith’s A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, “Take That” or “Take This” is the correct translation, which is supported by this Biblical concordance entry)
VCDL Saslaw Dinner Went Well
Rebecca and I went to the VCDL’s Saslaw dinner today at Champp’s in Reston. Sadly, Senator Saslaw was unable to attend, but I suspect he’ll get the message anyway. Roughly 50 people showed up, openly carrying, and there were no police cars, helicopters overhead, or hysteria. In fact, it was downright boring.
It turns out the general manager at Champp’s is strongly pro-gun and welcomes open carry at his restaurant. He spoke to the group for a few moments and welcomed all of us back. I, for one, will never set foot in TGI Friday’s again; Champps will be my preferred casual dining facility now. As an added bonus, it’s just as close to my house, so I’m not even giving up anything.
UPDATE: News of the event hit the AP wire, complete with the requisite Saslaw-foot-in-mouth quote.
Now, here’s another cat/girl/gun pic:
and another
Shot first IPSC match yesterday
Yesterday I shot my first IPSC match, held at the NRA headquarters range in Fairfax. Going into the shoot I was very nervous, even though I’d practiced drawing from holster, double-taps, and administrative reloads at length. Happily, my fretting was for naught, as I shot well and safely (well, not so safe for the no-shoot target I drilled, or the ceiling light I took out with a ricochet, but other than that 
). The scores aren’t posted yet, but I expect I won’t have the lowest score of the evening, which is all I was hoping for.
I shot the US Limited 10 division, because that’s the division the ROs told me I would be in. I think I’ll shoot US Production next month assuming my holster is on the approved list. There are other IPSC divisions where guys shoot tricked-out “race guns” using completely impractical gear which you’d never consider using for defensive purposes, but that doesn’t appeal to me. I want to shoot IPSC to become a better defensive shooter, not to artificially boost my score with crazy hardware tricks.
When scores are posted I’ll note them here.
UPDATE: Scores posted here
Cat, Girl, or Gun?
Look at the photo below and note which detail you notice first:
The correct answer for normal hetero males is “girl”. If you have an unhealthy fixation with firearms, you said “gun”. If you said “cat”, well, I don’t blame you, but you really need to re-evaluate your priorities. If your first thought was “that rug really ties the whole room together”, we have nothing in common.
Positive Open Carry Dining Experience
Since Timmy Kaine vetoed legislation that would have allowed gun owners with concealed handgun permits to carry in restaurants licensed to serve alcohol provided they don’t drink themselves, those of us who carry must carry openly in such establishments (unless of course we’re members of the privileged caste, such as Commonwealth Attorneys).
Interestingly, during the Virginia Senate debate on the bill to allow concealed carry in restaurants, Dick Saslaw claimed:
In most urban areas, you walk into a restaurant with a gun on your hip, they’re going to tell you to get out…You’re not going to get any meal or any drink.
The Post article also noted:
Saslaw said in an interview that he and his wife dine out “all the time” and that they have never seen anyone in a restaurant in his district with a gun.
Of course, that’s because most people don’t even notice. I open carry around NoVA from time to time, and in most cases people are not paying enough attention to even notice the gun on my belt. But in Saslaw’s mind apparently his own ignorance conceptions of gun ownership are a suitable substitute for the facts.
In protest of Saslaw’s yawning ignorance, VCDL have organized some open-carry lunches in Saslaw’s district. I participated in one today. VCDL are keeping the details quiet until the campaign is over, so I won’t say where we were, but I will relate the experience.
Rebecca and I both OC’d to a nice little restaurant in Fairfax county. I had my trusty Glock 19 in a Comp-Tac strong-side OWB belt holster, and Rebecca borrowed my S&W M&P 9, carried in a Fobus strong-side OWB paddle holster. As is typical of my open carry outings, this one was mostly uneventful. As we were leaving the owner/manager came over and asked us about the blatant visibility of our weapons; we educated him on Virginia’s ridiculous law and corrected some misconceptions he had about gun laws in Maryland and DC. There was no hostility, no bouncers escorting us to the door, no terrorized patrons begging for their lives from beneath the tables; it was a non-event.
I suppose I could be making this all up, so here’s the photographic evidence:
Molon Labe, Saslaw.