The Wandering Minstrel

Our local gun dealer has this interesting cartoon on the door to the shop. The sign on the door says “NO SMOKING - GUNPOWDER.” The better half got this photo of the door and the cartoon today. The door is usually open and today it was closed. This is the first reasonable image she was able to get of the cartoon depicting an individual riding atop an explosion. Clickable image.

I got an email update from American Rifleman this morning which had a headline article about “Why We Name Our Guns.” The post, by JJ Reich, included thirteen different anecdotal responses from his friends. The answers he got were sometimes charming, humorous and genuinely interesting to read.

Reich writes:

There are many reasons to give a name to your favorite firearm. Many gun owners name a gun in memory of someone special, as a good luck charm or simply because they love it.

These are the thirteen categories from his responders:

1. They love their guns
2. It honors a loved one
3. It has been around forever
4. It has a good reputation
5. It describes an action
6. It travels well
7. It’s inspired by Hollywood
8. Just trying to be funny
9. It’s picky about what it hunts
10. The name is taken from TV
11. It says good luck
12. The name tells a tale
13. To keep it simple

We have named several, but not all, of our firearms:

Miss Piggy is so named because she is The Better Half’s Para Warthog. Reasons 1 and 10.

Jerry Lee, my S&W 686 .357 mag, is so named because he emits “Great Balls of Fire.” Reasons 5 and 12.

Fat Man and Little Boy, my Glock 30 and 26, are named in honor of the two events that caused the Japanese to surrender to MacArthur in 1946. Reasons 4 and 12.

Rosie the Riveter got her name from the rosewood grips on the little S&W 442, but also to honor the women, and indeed all Americans, that came to the aid of the war effort at home during WWII. Reasons 2 and 12.

Do your guns have names?

We have been neglecting our shooting at the range activities due to finishing up the details for the new house. Today, however, we brought out (almost) the entire gun collection for a badly needed clean and lube. Our carry guns, although not fired recently, needed the lint, salt and other crud removed. We set up the cleaning table in the shade on the patio and spent an hour or so engaging in gun love. Clickable image courtesy The Better Half.

I ran across this article on Fox Nation this morning:

The XM2010 sniper rifle is making a name for itself in Afghanistan. Officials won’t say how many are there or where they are. But at the time of the Sept. 20 contract, officials said the first 250 rifles would be ready by early December and sent directly to Afghanistan.

No matter how many are there, this is clear: The weapon’s performance has been strong enough to warrant full fielding.

Read more:

Just look at that beautiful piece of tactical hardware!

No use for one of these, but it sure is purdy . . .

Have a great Valentine’s Day! Clickable image.

This is the weirdest-looking shotgun I’ve ever seen. One of the American Rifleman blogs posted about the Mossberg 500 Chainsaw being shown at SHOT Show 2011:

Clickable image - The Mossberg 500 Chainsaw

Built on the iconic Mossberg 500 action, the Chainsaw is a pistol-grip pump-action shotgun with no stock. While guns like this are desirable for home defense, they’re notoriously hard to control while firing, a problem that Mossberg has solved by attaching a wrap-around chainsaw-style hand grip to the pump. Intended to be fired from the hip, this top handle allows the user to cycle the action while simultaneously maintaining leverage above the gun to help tame muzzle flip.

In addition to the chainsaw-style grip, the 500 Chainsaw has a stand-off barrel that can be used to breech doors and three rails that can mount accessories.

Click the link to see another view of the Chainsaw Grip.

The Better Half posed her little Smith and Wesson 442 revolver, “Rosie the Riveter,” on one of the granite counter tops in the new house. She likes Rosie and her granite a lot. She picked them both out herself. Clickable image courtesy of her.