An affordable left-handed bolt action

I've always wished I could get my hands on a left-handed bolt action, but every one I ever saw was way too expensive for me to even dream about. Well, I just discovered that Savage has a whole slew of left-handed bolts in all sorts of calibers. Here's a picture of a right-handed version (I wish they put pictures of the lefties on their website).



That's the Model 11FL. Varying by model, these come with either synthetic or wooden stocks, with or without open sights, all are drilled and tapped for a scope, and they have package models with a scope already installed and bore-sighted.

The Savage Arms Hunter Series Model 11FL has a MSRP of $486, ranging up to $539 for models with a scope already installed. That funny-looking trigger is because they all come with Savage's Accu-Trigger, which is a user-adjustable trigger that doesn't require a gunsmith.

Sorry if this sounds like a commercial, but boy, am I happy I just discovered this! I'm kind of behind the curve on this one. They were all introduced several years ago.

Now my only problem is deciding on a caliber. I've got it narrowed down to either .270 or .308.

I gotta confess, I don't actually own a gun that's really suitable for deer or other large game hunting. My dad has two, and I always just borrow his .243 (also a Savage, by the way, a Model 99E). I think it would nice to own one of my own. I mean, it sounds like a good reason to buy one, to me.

UPDATE: 09/02/05 9:34PM -- Tonight Guns & Ammo TV (on the Outdoor Channel) had Craig Boddington going through the Savage factory and seeing step-by-step how they make one of these lefties. I'm hooked. In .308, I think. A note to Savage: set up a left-handed test bench, for goodness sake.

Submitted to Carnival of Cordite.

Houston DA Turns Vigilante

District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal has decided that a new Texas law is irrelevant, and will take the law into his own hands:

Motorists arrested for carrying pistols in their cars without a concealed handgun license will continue to be prosecuted in Houston, despite a new law that purports to give them a legal defense, Harris County District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal said Monday.

Although the sponsor said the law should reduce the number of arrests for unlawful handgun possession, Rosenthal said it won't change enforcement practices in Houston after it goes into effect on Thursday.

"It is still going to be against the law for (unlicensed) persons to carry handguns in autos," the district attorney said, adding that the new legal defense can still be challenged by prosecutors.

[...]

Rosenthal said the new presumption about "traveling" doesn't define what constitutes traveling and can be challenged in court by prosecutors, leaving it to juries to decide verdicts "based upon the facts of the case."

A prosecutor could summon witnesses to successfully argue that a defendant wasn't traveling because he was simply "driving around the corner for a carton of milk," Kepple said.

Wrong, Chuckie. This law came about exactly because of people like you, who made up their own definitions on the fly--definitions which varied from place to place and person to person. We now actually do have a clear and specific definition of traveling, and if you don't like it, I suggest you find another job. I'm sure you would do just fine driving the golf cart around the parking lot at your local Walmart.

As I have posted before, this law specifically states:

(i) For purposes of Subsection (b)(3), a person is presumed to be traveling if the person is:
(1) in a private motor vehicle;
(2) not otherwise engaged in criminal activity, other than a Class C misdemeanor that is a violation of a law or ordinance regulating traffic;
(3) not otherwise prohibited by law from possessing a firearm;
(4) not a member of a criminal street gang, as defined by Section 71.01; and
(5) not carrying a handgun in plain view.

Intended destination or planned length of travel are not mentioned, and have nothing to do with it.

The Outrage Meter goes into the red for this one.

---

Related posts:
Some HB823 Details (6/18)
Representative Terry Keel's press release on HB823 (9/03)
HB823 in the news (9/03)

Submitted to Carnival of Cordite.

The .45 may be coming back

The Michael Bane Blog tips us to this:

The USSOCOM intends to issue a solicitation to obtain commercially available non-developmental item (NDI) Joint Combat Pistol (JCP) system, Caliber .45 (ACP). The Program will use full and open competition to fulfill the JCP requirement. The JCP will be delivered in accordance with specification entitled "Performance Specification Joint Combat Pistol" to be provided with issuance of the solicitation.

More details if you follow the link.

Today on NPR

How many people who read this blog also listen to NPR? Well, I listen to it quite frequently. Today I was doing my other job that doesn't require meter reading, so I was driving all day and listening to the radio. I like to listen to the NPR program Talk of the Nation. So at several minutes past 1:00 PM I switched from my jazz station to NPR and was utterly astounded to hear them giving air time to Casey Sheehan's mother. I couldn't believe they were going to actually waste airtime on her. Anyway, their usual format is to spend the first 2/3 or so of the hour on one topic, and then switch to some other topic for the remainder. She was supposed to be the guest for that first segment. When Neal Conan asked her about why she changed from her first meeting with President Bush, she said that she had already talked about that numerous times and suggested he ask about "what is going on now." He answered that she hadn't answered the question for him. She hemmed and hawed a little (as we say in Texas) and then said that she only had two minutes left. "Oh, I thought you would be on much longer," said Mr. Conan. She repeated that she only had two minutes. So he asked her to answer the question anyway. She regurgitated her apparently much-reheared and standard answer which is the exact opposite of what she originally said about the meeting. As he tried to ask her more questions, she began faking a bad cell connection by repeatedly saying "hello? hello?" as if she couldn't hear him. Then she abruptly said she had to to go, and hung up.

After this a new guest was brought on named Gary Qualls. If you haven't heard of him, check out this post: Nailed to a Cross at Moorewatch. He said that he has tried to contact her several times, and the one time he did get her on the phone she pulled the same stunt with him.

Casey Sheehan's mother apparently doesn't realize that a cell phone is a two-way radio communication. If it doesn't work one way, it doesn't work the other way, either. Her words were coming through 59 to Mr. Conan, but she was acting like she had lost him. It doesn't work that way. Her transmissions should have been breaking up as well, instead of coming through with perfect clarity. If the idiot can't handle the heat, she shouldn't have thrown herself into the oven.

By the way, this is the only post I have had, or will have, on this subject.

American Princess says "Skip Plan B"

Well, I can't blog about guns all the time. Here is something else that I think is important. The American Princess tips us to some backroomish deals between Planned Parenthood and Barr Pharmaceuticals (the owner of Plan B):

The details came tumbling out when internal Planned Parenthood e-mails were made public during a California court case. These documents detail how Planned Parenthood worked out a deal with Barr Pharmaceuticals, Plan B's owner. Under a five-year agreement, Planned Parenthood would be able to buy Plan B from Barr at bargain-basement prices, undercut local pharmacies, and clear an average $20 profit on each Plan B kit.

Americans Are Taking Personal Protection More Seriously Than Ever: Terrorist Attacks Spark Renewed Interest in Carrying Handguns

From PRWEB, Americans Are Taking Personal Protection More Seriously Than Ever: Terrorist Attacks Spark Renewed Interest in Carrying Handguns:

Indeed, according to at least one weapons expert, Americans are feeling the need for gun ownership in order to protect themselves like never before. This trend started with the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. 'For decades, Americans have been brainwashed into taking a passive role in their own survival,' says Chris Bird, a journalist and handgun expert. 'On September 11th, we learned that the government and the professionals could not protect us.'

Bird is so convinced of the need for people to take their protection seriously that he wrote a book entitled, 'The Concealed Handgun Manual: How to Choose, Carry, and Shoot a Gun in Self-defense.' Bird was a commissioned officer in the Royal Military Police of the British Army in the 1960s where he served as company weapon-training officer. Since then, he has moved to the U.S. and has taken an active role in educating others about the safe and wise use of weapons.

His book provides current or prospective gun-owners with insight about owning and using a handgun. With so many people interested in owning and carrying a concealed weapon, there is a need for definitive information for prospective gun-owners. In fact, forty-six states allow people to carry a concealed handgun, and it is estimated that there are more than 3.3 million people who have licenses to carry concealed handguns.

EDITORIAL: So much for gun control

An interesting editorial from the Edmonton, Alberta Sun:

When we first read the headline in last Thursday's Sun - 'Feds taking aim at gun violence' - we thought that there must have been some mistake.

Gun violence? What gun violence? We have a very expensive national gun registry that was put into place to ensure that every firearm in Canada can be tracked. We have cumbersome regulations in place that make it more difficult for Canadians to buy guns. We have armies of bureaucrats shuffling paper to and fro to make sure that everything related to guns in this country is all very above-board and law-abiding.

So there can't possibly be any gun violence in Canada!

OK, we made our point. There is still lots of gun violence in Canada, and the gun registry hasn't done a single thing to stop it.

What I really look like

I know that many bloggers post an actual picture of themselves, or at least a partial actual picture, on their blogs. This is something I have been loathe to do. I don't really look like Alucard. Well, when I'm working, due to the hat and sunglasses that I wear, along with the unruliness of my hair when it has become completely sweat-soaked, I actually do vaguely resemble him. But here is a picture of how I really look. Except without the beard. And the pipe should have a vulcanite stem, not wood. And the shotgun should be a Mossberg, not a Winchester. Other than that, it's pretty close.

Actually this is a selection from a piece of calendar artwork by Robert Robinson which was included in a 1911 Winchester calendar and is titled Autumn Hunter. Some of you probably already know where I scanned it from. If I could get a decent 8x10 of this, I would frame it.

Pit Bull bigotry

I submit this from the San Antonio Express-News:

Officers first received an emergency call at 6:41 a.m. Sunday. Police were told four aggressive dogs, including the pit bull, were prowling the neighborhood, Correa said. A second call came in about 20 minutes later that a pit bull had bitten a pedestrian in the leg. Responding officers could not locate the animals, Correa said.

What breeds were the other dogs? Not important, it seems. One was a pit bull, and that's all you people need to know.

Police couldn't locate the dog's owner. What about the other three dogs and their owner(s)?

The way pit bulls have been treated recently in the media makes me think they must be the .50BMG of dog breeds. Same attitudes, same thought processes, two different targets.

The owner of this dog should be penalized for creating such a dog, regardless of breed.

In any case, that's one more threat to my on-the-job safety eliminated. I just wish they had eliminated all four.

Recent gun bigotry

The Smallest Minority checks into media coverage of two recent Wal-Mart shootings, and I am not surprised by the results.

tnx to The War On Guns

Maybe I've just been lucky...

...but I have never had a single comment spam on this blog. This seems odd, because in randomly browsing other Blogger blogs, I have come across many blogs which are (somehow) even more obscure than this one, yet have been inundated by comment spam.

So just to play it safe, I've turned on word verification for commentors, which is a new feature that Blogger recently added.

Whatever you do, avoid this site!

Blue Flypaper is a blog that so thoroughly and indefatigably espouses the liberal ideals that it has almost persuaded me to turn all my guns into sculpture and start reading the Los Angeles Times, even though I live in Texas! I even have a strange urge to eat tofu.

must...kill...and...eat...small...furry...animals...before...

very much tnx to Alphecca

Man carrying unloaded guns will not be charged

From King County Journal (Washington state):

No charges will be filed against a man who police found walking along a busy East Hill street with a large revolver in a hip holster and carrying a rifle.

But there were no reports that the man made any threatening gestures or aimed the unloaded guns at anybody. And it is legal for the man to possess the firearms, according to Tami Perdue, the city's chief prosecuting attorney.

"There are no criminal charges that will be filed in this incident,'' Perdue said Friday.

No charges will be filed. However, that didn't stop police from confiscating BB guns, a "bullet-proof vest," other firearms, ammo and handcuffs from the man's home. These items allegedly will be returned.

He was repeatedly cautioned not to carry firearms openly, because, according to the city's chief prosecuting attorney Tami Perdue:

"You don't know how other people would react,'' she said, adding, "if they had a legal concealed pistol permit, would they draw their weapon?"

Yes, that's right. Those of us with who legally carry concealed are really all looking for anyone else who obviously is armed so we can all eliminate each other. In the end, there can be only one.

Sheesh.

Budapest Mayor gets dictatorial on fashion

Or should I say chauvinistic?:

The mayor of one Budapest district wants female City Hall staff to wear miniskirts only if they have 'completely perfect legs' and the skirts are no shorter than 2-3 centimeters (about 1 inch) above the knee.

Gabor Mitynan, a conservative who runs the wealthy 12th district, also wants male employees to wear blazers in summer, and told the Website (www.index.hu) the dress code was needed because he had seen staff dressed like beggars or vacationers.

Mitynan also dislikes crop tops -- popular in Budapest -- saying 'few women have well-trained bellies worth showing to people' and wants the city to legislate on stocking thickness, proposing 5-10 denier for summer, 15 for spring and autumn and 20 for winter.

Furthermore, female City Hall staff may go topless if they have completely perfect...

Nevermind.

Robbery suspect takes a break at Wilson County Jail

RedNova has an "oddity" report from my home county -- Man Found Locked in Women's Prison Cell:

Authorities are investigating how a male prisoner managed to lock himself up with eight female prisoners at the Wilson County Jail.

[...]

Officials believe Joseph Krist, 34, sneaked into the cell after he moved a mop and bucket from his cell into a vestibule located between his and the women's cell. Krist apparently didn't return to his cell, but instead stayed in the vestibule until the women's cell door was remotely opened by a jail employee for them to get the mop.

Deagen said of Krist was in the cell for about 11 hours Monday. He was jailed on a bank robbery charge.

He was returned to his own cell, exhausted but smiling.

(okay, that last line is just my own joke--it's not part of the report)

Carnival of Cordite #28 is up

The newest Carnival of Cordite is over at Resistance is Futile! Sigh...I have nothing in it this week, and my submission last week was pretty lame, I must say. Work has been wearing me down for the past couple of weeks. I'm working on something better for next week's carnival however. My hit counter could use another infusion.

Put things in perspective...

The Milky Way from RedNova's images of the universe:

The survey, conducted using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, sampled light from an estimated 30 million stars in the plane of the galaxy in an effort to build a detailed portrait of the inner regions of the Milky Way.

Download the full-size image. It makes one heck of a desktop wallpaper. They should have had the arrow pointing at the "SUN" instead point to "YOU ARE HERE."

Austin Community College officials change their mind

In an update to this post about former U.S. Marine Carl Basham, All Things Conservative now reports that officials of Austin Community college have changed their minds and say they are "delighted" and "proud" that Mr. Basham would join their institution. That didn't take long.

"Defense of Self" bill in Alaska

Frontiersman.com reports:

If a 15-year-old intruder had been armed when Robert Locke found him in the bushes outside his Wasilla home Aug. 7, the boy would probably be dead today.

And Locke, the owner of Sharpshooters Gun and Pawn in Palmer, might have been facing jail or a wrongful-death suit filed by the boy's family if that had happened.

That's why Locke supports new legislation drafted by Rep. Carl Gatto, R-Palmer, known as the 'Defense of Self' bill. If passed, the bill would protect homeowners or legal occupants from being sued if they kill someone they felt was threatening their life, property, or family.

'If that kid would have been armed I wouldn't have hesitated for a minute to eliminate him,' said Locke, who found the boy leaving his property with a pocketful of his wife's jewelry, cash and pain medicine when he drove into his driveway late that Sunday night. 'I'm just glad it was me and not my wife who came home. She would have shot and killed all three of them and let the dogs chew on their bones.'

[...]

The draft legislation, which will be introduced in legislative committees in January, would not allow a citizen to use deadly force against a peace officer engaged in official duties. It would, however, protect someone who believes the use of deadly force is necessary for self defense against death, serious physical injury, kidnapping, second-degree sexual assault, first-degree sexual abuse of a minor, and robbery in any degree.

The bill would allow more leeway to the provision in the law that encourages homeowners to retreat from the intruder if they know with certainty that they can be safe that way. The bill also adds wording to the original law to exempt someone from the duty to retreat if they are in a place where they have the right to be, such as in their own home.

In addition, a new subsection to state law would be added to allow someone in a motor vehicle to use deadly force upon another during a carjacking, as well as allow someone outside a vehicle to use deadly force against someone believed to be stealing the vehicle while someone else is inside it.

Local bowhunter invents tool to increase accuracy of bows

The Wilson County News reports:

He recently went to market with his first patented invention. The Air-Rest product he developed is designed to increase the accuracy of a bow by preventing arrows from having “unwanted contact or friction” with any part of the apparatus, save for the cable that a shooter draws back and releases during the shooting process, Minica said.

[...]

Rather than resting on the side of the bow, an arrow that is shot from an Air-Rest equipped bow sits in suspended animation within a magnetic field.

Watching an arrow being drawn and fired through an Air-Rest system is like experiencing an optical illusion. The arrow appears to be held fast by some invisible force, which of course, it is. But the magnetic field that holds the arrow is so powerful, there is absolutely no wobble or waver detectable.

Why didn't I think of that? The Air-Rest retails for about $100.