Technology is great

Yes, technology is great--when it works. I have just this week acquired two devices that, so far, work wonderfully well. One is the Crimson Trace laser grip, and the other is a Bear compound bow.

After much thought, I finally decided I didn't need yet another snubby revolver at home in the safe, in this case the Ruger SP101, so I decided to sell it and use the proceeds to pay for laser grips for my S&W 642 snubby. According to my reasoning this gun is almost always with me and, given its limited round count, I need to maximize my potential for hits should I ever--God forbid--need to use it to defend me or mine. I got the LG-405 grip because it has padding for the backstrap of the frame. Usually, after only a few rounds, the web of my hand smarts after firing the gun, but with the CT grip I fired 20 rounds with no aftereffect.

The first five rounds from the gun with the laser installed were astoundingly accurate. I fired them at 6.67 yards (I forgot my measuring tape and had to step-off the distance, which I later measured at home) and had all five holes touching (see below). 'Twas truly amazing.



The other device I purchased this week was a Bear "Charge" compound bow, financed via the sale of two traditional bows. I was thunderstruck by how easy it is to make accurate hits at 20 and 30 yards with the bow, and I'll need this accuracy if I pull my archery deer tag this year (fingers firmly crossed). It's no wonder the compound bow has become the dominant force in archery. As much as I enjoyed shooting my long bow and recurve bow, I'll never go back to either type. Chalk up another one for technology.



I'll be the first one to step up and say that a lot of products on the market that purport to be quantum leaps usually only make things more complicated without much benefit. That is not, however, always true, as the two products above attest.

Take care.
DAL357

P.S. None of the companies mentioned in this post gave me any form of compensation.

The other white meat

This important news story just in:

DES MOINES, Iowa -- For more than two decades, pork has been known as "The Other White Meat." Now industry insiders think it's time the meat got a new reputation.

The National Pork Board plans to replace its ubiquitous advertising slogan with something officials hope will improve stagnant sales. The slogan, first launched 23 years ago, was successful in rebranding the meat as a dinnertime favorite.

A new slogan, eh? How about "Get porked!" as a new tagline? Hey, it could work.

Take care.
DAL357

Again I say, why, why, why?!?!?!

Although not quite as senseless as the item in my previous post, this little gem from Smith and Wesson still contains many elements of the absurd. What an unwieldy looking little troll this new "pistol" is. Score another one for the marketers. (I know the centerfire pistol version of the AR has been around for a while from at least one other company, by the way.)

I must confess I've never understood the civilian fascination with the AR platform. While I've never owned one, unless you count the AR180B I had for about a year and then sold (mainly due to boredom with it), I had the military version on loan during my stint in the army. 'Twas a nice rifle, but not really all that. Plus, I don't have a lot of respect for the round it traditionally chambers, accurate though it may be.

Getting back to the S&W: Good luck with your new pistol (snicker, snicker) S&W, you'll probably sell a ton of them. This gun reminds me of the line that no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.

Take care.
DAL357

Why, why, why?!?!?!

I've seen these add-on items for other pistols and I never understood their value unless one plans on fighting in trench warfare. But at least the other models I've seen were for full/compact-size handguns. Laserelyte's latest pistol bayonet for the North American Arms mini, however, seem the insane answer to an insane question.

On the other hand, with the strikingly poor accuracy of the NAA mini (I have one, so I know), maybe having knife on the gunlet isn't such a bad idea.

Take care.
DAL357

A bit too literal

The following news story appeared in our local paper a couple of weeks ago.

*****

A man was arrested Tuesday after police believe he shot himself with a handgun and later pawned the firearm.

Randy Steinke was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon Tuesday morning after seeking treatment for a gunshot wound to his right hand at Memorial Hospital, according to the Colorado Springs Police Department blotter.

Though the man originally claimed his mother accidentally shot him in the hand, police said he was holding the .32 caliber handgun when the firearm discharged.

Police later recovered the gun at a pawn shop.

*****

Yes, Randy, it was a handgun, but that doesn't mean it's meant to shoot that particular body part. (In the interests of full disclosure, I borrowed the handgun bit from the old comedy team of Proctor and Bergman.)

As an aside, I wonder what felony he was convicted of, and how could he have gotten a gun in the first place with a record? ;)

Take care.
DAL357