Trunp's New Comms Cheif

Evidently, President Trump appointed a new guy as his communications director.  Anthony Scaramucci.  Never heard of him.  But, evidently, he's already stepped on his tallywacker. with this tweet.  (and yeah, I googled around and checked it.  It looks legit.)

This Tweet from August 2012.

Hey, Anthony!  We don't give a crap what you think.  Evidently, you have no idea what common sense is.   First of all, your numbers are suspect.  Second, you really should keep your opinions to yourself.  The internet has a long memory.

I'll be surprised if this asshole has a job on Monday.

Good Move, China

It seems that China has banned poop icon Justin Beiber.  Yeah, really.

(NEWSER) – China wants to keep its arts culture pure and its crowds demure, which is why the country has banned the naughty influences of … Justin Bieber. The Guardian reports the 23-year-old pop star isn't permitted to perform in China during his Purpose World Tour stopover in Asia

I admit that I can't name a single Bieber song.  Don't care to.  

At the Cowboy Church

We were at church Monday night, when Brother Fred  asked if I'd be willing to demonstrate Cowboy Fast Draw to a bunch of visiting children from Korea.

"Korea?" I asked?

"Yeah,", he said.  "One of the local churches hosts a group of Korean children every year as part of its ministry.  They want to show the kids America, and as part of their introduction, they bring the kids here on Thursday night, during our rodeo practice.  We let the kids get on a horse, lead them around the arena, and feed them barbecue.  We thought that it would be cool to put on a demonstration of Fast Draw."

"Well, yeah" I replied.  "I'd be happy to do that. "  I pondered for a minute.  "We're not going to let then shoot, are we?"

"No" Fred replied.  "It would take too long to do that safely.  Just a demonstration."

"Do they speak English?" I asked.

"Not a word," Fred replied.  "They have interpreters who help with the language barrier,  But I can assure you that every one of them has a smart phone, and they'll be snapping pictures like crazy."

So, PawPaw will meet the brethren at the church today about 3:00 to set up a range, help make pulled pork sandwiches and do whatever is necessary to prepare for a group of about 50 Korean kids who want to learn about America.    We'll demonstrate Cowboy Fast Draw, let then ride a horse, and generally try to make their stay in the US exciting and memorable.

It sounds like  lot of fun.

Straight Up!

Seen on the Book of Face.  That's some straight up white trash right there.

Back in the day, I worked places like that.  I could tell y'all stories about trailer park police wor, but you wouldn't believe them.

El Patron

The Uberti El Patron is a variant of the 1873 Cattleman revolver.  It is found in .38/357 magnum, or in .45 Long Colt.    It's an upgrade from the standard Cattleman revolver, with nicer grips and more fit and finish.  The MSRP, at $649, reflects the upgrades.

As nice as it is, I have no use for one.  I have my revolvers.  But, earlier today I was in Bass Pro Shops in Denham Springs, LA and saw on in the glass counter, so I asked to look at it.  It was in .38/357 magnum, and it had the 4.75" barrel.  I was intrigued.

Our holster maker is a big fan of the .357 magnum, a caliber for which I have a lot of affection.
Our holster maker has been making a few CFDA holsters and has been borrowing one of my revolvers so that he can properly fit the holster to the revolver.  We appreciate his efforts.
Our holster maker had a birthday last week.
Our holster maker lives in Baton Rouge, LA, just a few miles from the Bass Pro in Denham Springs.

I admit a certain affection for the .38/.357 revolver.  I have several, and spent a few years leanring the intricacy of loading for it.  It is very versatile.  I also happen to know that our holster maker has a very nice Marlin 1894C, which is an almost perfect companion piece for a single action revolver.

So, there I was, in the Bass Pro Shops, just a few miles from my holster maker's home, with a nice single action revolver in my hand, in a caliber he likes, dimensionally identical to my Cattleman that he has borrowed.    There was only one thing to do.

"Give me a 4473." I told the counter guy.

An hour later, we were at his house, where I swapped the El Patron for my Cattleman.  It was a win-win for both of us.  I got my Cattleman back, he got a revolver that he can use for holster making.

Here is a nice video about the El Patron.  I didn't realize that it comes factory standard with Wolff springs.



Happy Birthday, son.

Summer

At 7:30 this morning, the temp is 75F with 100% humidity.  Summertime in Louisiana.    the weather-weenies tell me that there is a good chance of rain today, as there has been for the past two weeks.

Belle and I are heading to Baton Rouge for a funeral.  Lightweight slacks, a white short-sleeved shirt, and a bolo tie seem to be the clothing that the weather dictates.  The funeral is at 2:00 pm, and I hope that I don't get anything on my shirt during lunch.

After the funeral, we'll be just a few minutes from Bass Pro Shops in Denham Springs.   With any luck, I see a side-trip after the funeral.

Wax Bullet Velocity Test

Many of us in the CFDA are interested in wax bullets, because they are the ammo we use in competition.  There are currently five bullets approved for use in CFDA competition, and we refer to them by color.

Bandit Bullets makes blue wax
Spitfire Bullets makes red wax
Royal Wax Bullets makes purple wax
C&R Was makes yellow wax
CFDA makes orange wax

The bullets have differing attributes.  Some shatter on the target, some stay solid on impact.  The various manufacturers all have their formulas, and CFDA shooters are always looking for the perfect bullet.  Consistency is important, as it is in all shooting.  Low ES and SD are critical to our game.   But, in the final analysis, the reasons for choosing one bullet over another are as varied as the individual shooter.  What one shooter might consider a "bug" that causes them to reject a bullet, might be considered by another shooter to be a "feature" that causes them to choose that bullet.

My buddy in Kentucky, a shooter we call Counselor, is the host and author of the Firearm Patriot Channel on YouTube.  He has undertaken to provide us with velocity testing of the various wax bullets and put his video up on YouTube yesterday.



I admit that watching someone test ammo (whether centerfire, rimfire, or CFDA was) is about as interesting as watching grass grow, but this is data that every CFDA shooter can use.  Kudos to the Counselor for this work.

The Women's March

The leading hypocrites in the Women's movement held a march this weekend to protest... something.  One of their targets was the NRA, the leading gun-rights organization in the US.  And, of course, they have the right to protest.  I support anyone's right to protest, just as I have a right to point out their hypocrisy.

Their message was consistent.

-Real men don't need guns
-No one is safe unless everyone is safe (whatever that means)
-Loaded guns under beds are bad
-The NRA doesn't respect women's rights
-The NRA is full of bigots

Google if you must, but the organizers of this march are known for blatant hypocrisy, racism, bigotry, and anti-Semitism. They're truly a hateful bunch.

Their basic hypocrisy was exposed during the march, when the organizers hired armed guards to surround them as security,   Consider that for a minute.  Armed security, because they don't like guns.  They don't like guns, unless those guns are in the holsters of men, paid to protect them from... what?

The Women's movement has become a clown show, rife with sexism, homophobia and hypocrisy.

I am the NRA, and I am freedom's safest place.

Tomatillo

Until the mid '90s I had no idea what a tomatillo was.

One day I was working in southern Natchithces Parish along Highway 1, which runs north and south though the parish.  A Missouri Pacific crew was also working in that area, replacing cross ties.  The cross tie crews at that time were not as automated as they are now, and were comprised mostly of Mexicans.  As I watched, they broke for lunch alongside the tracks and several of the fellow, after lunch, got Wal-Mart bags and started picking a green fruit from the low vines that grew along the rocky railroad embankment.

I had seen these same vines along the tracks, they grew as a weed, and I had noticed the during the early October hunts when we would turn the beagles loose along the tracks.  looking for rabbits in the briars and tangles that grow along the edge of the railroad embankment.  I considered the little plants to be a foot-tangle and tried to avoid them, because I didn't want to be tripped while carrying a loaded shotgun.  But, I had never considered the little fruits to be edible.  Yet, here those Mexicans were picking them and putting them in Wal-Mart bags.

Eventually, my curiosity overcame my laziness, and I got out of cruiser and asked what they were picking.

"Tomatillo, senor." he replied.

"Are they any good?" I asked?

"Oh, senor, they are very good."  He extracted a pocket knife, peeled the husk, and cut a slice, extending it on the edge o the knife.

I took the slice.  "That tastes like a tomato!"

"Oh, yes, senor".  He replied.  "We use them in salsa verde and any dish that needs a tomato flavor.  And, they grow along this railroad very well.  They are a taste of Mexico."

And, that's how I became introduced to the tomatillo.  So, if you're ever walking along a railroad track, keep your eyes peeled for a small vine that looks like a tomato vine.  If you see small fruits like this, pick a few and peel them.

They are very good peeled, washed, and sautee'd with onions and bell pepper.

Welfare Bears

Seen on the Book of Face.

Heh!  Yeah, I've often wondered about that.

Tooled Leather

My son sends me a picture of tooled leather.  You may not know that the tooling must be done on a holster before it is formed.    He's making a one-piece Mexican Loop holster and the pattern is interesting.

That's nice work, and I'm interested to see it when it's done. That looks like very nice work.

Celebration

We are heading to New Roads, LA, to celebrate the 96th birthday of Belle's mother.

We do these celebrations on a rotating basis, and this time, Bell's brother gets the honor of hosting us.

We'll be gone all day.