Articles by Herschel Smith

Light posting tonight.  Please see PGF’s post on inflation.  Discuss other issues as you see fit.

I buried my mother today.  I’m not feeling the urge to post and analyze.

Be back tomorrow, maybe.

Ron Spomer.

“Magnum” is the perfect name for this cartridge because it does for the .22 rimfire what the .30-378 Weatherby Magnum did for the .308 Winchester: makes it shoot faster, flatter, and hit harder. And that’s been the trajectory of .22 rimfire cartridges since 1845.

Ron has a really interesting table of windage hold-offs and elevation hold-overs too.

I really love the .22 WMR, and with the advent of reliable ARs chambered in this cartridge, it’s become a legitimate home defense gun.

Although I choose to use something much bigger bore, America’s cartridge (from youth through adulthood) has always chambered the .22 caliber bullet, from the .22LR to the .22 WMR to the .223.

I learned to shoot using a .22LR plinking at trash can lids in my backyard.  But the .22LR has always seemed a bit underpowered to me.

News from Alabama.

Today, a conference committee approved House Bill 272, constitutional carry. Then, both the House and Senate voted to adopt the conference report. It will now go to Governor Kay Ivey, who is expected to sign it into law promptly. Alabama is now just one more step away from becoming the 22^nd constitutional carry state and the first state to join that group in 2022.

Oh no!  It will be blood running in the streets.

“The Alabama House Public Safety Committee just chose gun extremists over public safety,” Harriette Huggins, a volunteer with the Alabama chapter of Moms Demand Action, said in a statement after the vote.

I think I’m classified as a gun extremist.  I think you are too.  More.

On Thursday, Gov. Kay Ivey signed House Bill 272, known as the constitutional carry bill, into law. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Shane Stringer, eliminates the permit required for concealed carry and revises certain restrictions related to carrying and possessing a pistol.

“Unlike states who are doing everything in their power to make it harder for law-abiding citizens, Alabama is reaffirming our commitment to defending our Second Amendment rights,” Ivey said. “I have always stood up for the rights of law-abiding gun owners, and I am proud to do that again today.”

The passage of the bill did not come without controversy. Many gun-rights advocates argued people should not have to obtain a permit in order to carry a concealed pistol, but opponents of the bill, including some local law enforcement, argued the permits help fight crime and enhance public safety.

Shortly after Ivey signed the bill into law, Oxford Police Chief Bill Partridge tweeted the following statement:

“Alabama law enforcement lost another tool in the tool box to get illegal guns off our streets. Continuing to make officers’ jobs harder. Five of the six officers killed in the line of duty in Alabama in 2019 were killed with a stolen firearm.”

A stolen firearm.  What that has to do with constitutional carry is anybody’s guess.  It sounds like sour grapes to me.

Boss Hogg is not happy tonight.

Now.  South Carolina needs to undo the ridiculous preemption where cities can circumvent open carry the state legislature passed, and move on the constitutional carry.

Alabama will prove to you that blood doesn’t run in the streets, just like Texas did and like the other 20 states did.

Dog saves the life of his buddy.

Source.

Can I do that mommy?  Pleeeease?

Source.

Field & Stream.

This cartridge became available in 1895 in Winchester’s Model 1894 lever action rifle. It was America’s first sporting cartridge to be loaded with smokeless powder and was originally loaded with a 160-grain bullet and 30 grains of powder. This produced a muzzle velocity of about 1950 fps. The cartridge got its name from its .30-caliber (.308-inch) bullet and the 30 grains of powder that fueled it. Since then, the cartridge has been chambered in a wide range of rifles but gained its fame and popularity in the 94 and the Marlin 336.

When it comes to modern .30-30 ballistics, things are a bit improved today. The most common loading is a 150-grain bullet at an advertised 2390 fps. However, for common 20-inch barreled traditional lever guns, real muzzle velocities are closer to 2300 fps. This is a powerful combination and has been used effectively on everything from feral hogs all the way up to moose. You can also get 125 and 170-grain loads, but neither offer any practical advantage over 150-grain loadings, especially the excellent 150-grain Federal HammerDown, which has been specifically tuned for lever guns.

However, there is another option. Hornady offers 140- and 160-grain LEVERevolution loads. What sets these apart is that they utilize a spitzer instead of a round nose bullet. Round nose bullets have always been required in tube fed lever guns, but the soft rubber FlexTip used by Hornady makes these pointy bullets safe in the magazine tube. With the LEVERevolution ammunition the .30-30 has a 13% flatter trajectory and retains about 6% more energy. Regardless the loading, a traditional 30-30 lever gun will recoil between 10 and 13 foot-pounds of energy.

[ … ]

When most think of a 45-70, they think of a 45-70 lever action rifle. However, the first 45-70 was not a lever gun. The cartridge was adopted by the U.S. military in 1873 in the single shot Trapdoor Springfield rifle. The ballistics of original .45-70 ammo was nothing to crow about by today’s standards. It was originally loaded with a 405-grain .45-caliber bullet ahead of 70 grains of black powder, hence the name 45-70. This load had a muzzle velocity of around 1300 fps and compared to modern .45-70 ballistics; it was like throwing a rock. At 200 yards the bullet would drop more than two feet.

With the arrival of the .30-30 Winchester and the 20th Century, interest in the .45-70 waned. It simply could not compete with the flatter shooting .30-30 or the even more modern .30-06. However, in the early 70s Marlin reintroduced their 1895 lever action rifle chambered for the .45-70. A version of Marlin’s much more robust 336 action, the new 1895 could handle ammunition loaded with much higher pressures. Soon, we began to see the second power level of .45-70 ammunition, which included 300-grain bullets being pushed to around 1800 fps. These carried more than 1000 foot-pounds of energy to 200 yards, with trajectories twice as flat as the original loading.

But the advancement in .45-70 ammo did not stop there. The 1895 is a very strong action and companies like Buffalo Bore began loading third power level “heavy” .45-70 ammunition. Recoil is however brutal; out of a Marlin 1895 these heavy loads generate nearly 50 foot-pounds of shoulder shoving punch.

He goes on to discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages, and ends up recommending the 30-30 for white tail and 45-70 for moose and elk (or bear and other dangerous game).

From my perspective, I just don’t want that much shoulder punch.  I’m of the opinion that shooting ought to be a reasonably pleasurable experience, and if it is I’ll do it more and get better at it.

A 30-30 lever action rifle is easy to shoot.  Really easy.  Fun, accurate and pleasurable.

Then again, there are folks who have shot all of these guns so much that it doesn’t really matter.  They’re already that good at it all, so no need for much more time at the range or in the field plinking or target shooting.

And if the really big bore gun meets your needs the best, that’s why we have variety.

By the way, I once knew a Marine Scout Sniper who shot the Barret .50.  He came away with headaches every day from the range because of the concussive blast.

He did everything wrong.

A hiker was so determined to reach the top of Arizona’s highest peak that one rescue wouldn’t stop him from returning the next day to try again.

The 28-year-old Brooklyn, New York, man set out to hike Humphreys Trail to reach the state’s highest peak on Wednesday, March 2.

He did all the research on YouTube and AllTrails, a popular hiking website, before starting the hike, The Daily Sun reported. The information the hiker found said it was possible to reach the summit in two or three hours, so he started his hike at about 2:30 p.m., according to the news outlet.

However, on the way up the hiker became lost. He had to call 911 for help, Coconino County Sheriff’s deputies told The Associated Press.

“It was very easy to get off the trail and fall into the snow,” the hiker, identified by The Daily Sun as Phillip Vasto, told the news outlet.

As rescuers set out to help the man, he found the trail and began hiking downhill, FOX 10 reported. However, a search and rescue crew found the man and took him to a lodge parking lot to make sure he didn’t need medical care.

The man wasn’t injured and declined medical attention, AP reported. Rescuers encouraged the hiker to wait for clearer weather and revisit the trail when the conditions are better, according to The Daily Sun.

The next day, however, the hiker set out to try again. He started his hike earlier at 9:30 a.m. and made it far into the hike, FOX 10 reported.

“I was thinking if I start early in the morning, I’ll have all the time in the world to reach the summit,” Vasto told The Daily Sun.

Then he was hit with high wind gusts and less than ideal weather.

“On his descent he got off trail and fell, causing an injury,” the sheriff’s office told FOX 10.

The man called 911 again at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 3, AP reported. The Arizona Department of Public Safety sent a rescue helicopter to pick him up.

Apparently, it takes longer to reach the summit than three hours.  But let’s assume three for the sake of argument.

It was supposed to take him three hours.  So he set out at 2:30, which would have put him at the summit at 5:30, which is nearly dark.

What was he planning to do then?

He didn’t know how to navigate, he didn’t leave early enough, he got panicked and stumbled around and got injured.  He didn’t come prepared to stay overnight in the bush.  Apparently he didn’t have the equipment (maps, compass, GPS) to find his way there and back.  He had little if any food or water I would suppose, he had no cover.

Don’t do any of those things.

Always prepare for “less than ideal” weather or other conditions.  Always prepare like you intend to spend the night in the bush.  Or one or two more nights than you had planned.

News from Florida.

Floridians could openly carry firearms in public and wouldn’t need a permit to carry them concealed under legislation that now has the endorsement of Governor Ron DeSantis.

There’s one problem though… The bill hasn’t received a single hearing in either legislative chamber.

While the sponsor of the constitutional carry bill thinks it will be enough to pull the bill directly on the House floor for a vote, opponents don’t seem all that worried.

The controllers aren’t worried because the fix is in.  The fix is always in.

Governor Ron DeSantis was asked if he would support constitutional carry at a press conference Thursday morning.

His direct response: “Put it on my desk I’ll sign it”.

[ … ]

But the legislation on this bill is on life support.

It hasn’t gotten a single hearing in either chamber and the Governor’s endorsement came with only nine days remaining in the legislative session.

It’s easy to say you’ll sign it when it has no chance of passing the chambers of the legislature.

I guess you don’t really think this is important enough to push it, DeSantis.

Not in active combat.  The cat is too smart for that.  The python does have to eat, and left its eggs behind.  That cat sure is wary.  But has the sense to cover up the meal and come back to it later.

Then mama python shows up.  The cat doesn’t much mess with the python.  It just waits.

We saw it, but not he full video.  Here it is.

The only animal in North America other than a large pack of dogs that will stand down a bear. On the videos they go after the legs, the same approach the honey badgers take with lions in Africa. A single bite could break bones.

Ammoland.

Bidens (sic) DOJ doesn’t like the idea that the State of Missouri has decided to protect its citizens from an overreaching federal government and unconstitutional laws. HB85 also known as the Second Amendment Preservation Act or SAPA has really gotten under the skin of the Biden administration because it prevents gun-grabbers at the federal level from coercing with state officials for gun grabs. The law does not extend to various federal statutes, executive orders, administrative orders, court orders, rules, regulations, or other actions that collect data or restrict or prohibit the manufacture, ownership, or use of firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition exclusively within the borders of Missouri.

The Federal government’s complaint alleges that the restrictions within HB85 have hindered cooperation and other activities that aid federal, state, and local law enforcement efforts in creating joint Federal Task Forces against Missourians.

The legislation, which was signed into law in 2021 and sponsored by Representative Jered Taylor, invalidates federal firearms laws. Under SAPA, law enforcement agencies can be fined up to $50,000 if they enforce federal gun regulations. You can imagine how infuriated the gun grabbers would be over something like this.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division said, “A state cannot simply declare federal laws invalid,” “This act makes enforcement of federal firearms laws difficult and strains the important law enforcement partnerships that help keep violent criminals off the street.”

Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt said, “After their disastrous arguments in the Missouri Supreme Court last week, the Biden Department of Justice has now filed yet another partisan lawsuit that seeks to attack Missourians’ Second Amendment rights.”

This is not an especially well written article.  Nonetheless, I told you that the FedGov hated this law.  I told you so.

I think the thing about this the FedGov hates so much is that state, county and local LEOs can be sued for $50,000 and fired for cooperating with agents of the FedGov, and barred from ever working as a LEO again in the state of Missouri.

The reason they hate this is because they need local LEOs to assist in protection, addresses, processing, records (e.g., let’s say that FedGov wants to press other charges) and the like.

This continues the saga of he Missouri 2A preservation act.

I wouldn’t make a prediction on what the SCOTUS will do.  What I do know is that if the state of Missouri is serious about this, it won’t matter and any SCOTUS decision will be ignored.  The state doesn’t have to cooperate with the FedGov in anything.  They could decide to arrest agents of the FedGov and thrown them in the state penitentiary if they so choose, and there’s nothing the FedGov could do about it.