Melissa

 It's late in the season, but it looks like Tropical Storm Melissa has formed in the Caribbean.

The spaghetti map is all over the place, but I'm sure it will firm up in the near future.  Still, it looks like some of the islands in the Caribbean are about to take a hit.

I'm not worried about it coming here.  We're having regular cool fronts roll through and that should provide enough steer in currents to keep her away from us.

Justice

 I'm seeing on Fox News that some asshole who was involved in the October 7th attack in Israel has been apprehended in Lafayette, LA.  It seems that he lied on his visa application.

It seems that he was in Gaza on the morning of the attack, got together with some other radical assholes and went into Israel to participate.  His cell phone records show that he as in one area that was particularly hard hit.

He's in the lockup in St. Martin parish.  His visa problems are the least of his worries.   If he gets turned over to Mossad, things may start to get really grim.

I wonder why he picked Lafayette to settle down?

Autumn

 Rain on Saturday night and this morning cool temps. When I awoke this morning, the temps were in the high 40s and it was cool on the back patio.  It's cool enough that I am going to make a stew for lunch.

Sunday is our day for family and friends.  We cook "big" on Sunday and feed anyone who drops in.  Yesterday, grandson Lucas was here with his parents. They had to leave early so that Lucas could attend a shooting practice with his 4-H shooting team.  He shoots rimfire position and silhouette.  His dad wanted to weigh his rifle so we took out the scale.

Luke's rifle is a Ruger 10/22 that has been heavily modified. Dad freaked out when he saw the weight on the scale. For sanctioned competition, the rifle is overweight.  It needs to shed over 1/2 pound. We talked options and he has a plan for that.

Ruminations

 Looking at the nationwide Democrat rallies this weekend, I am struck by the "No Kings" moniker. The  most recent President we have had that resembles a constitutional monarch is Joe Biden. He really didn't have any power, except what his inner circle allowed him to do.  Basically bereft of ideas, he had no clue who his country really was.

Others have noticed that during the Covid disaster, the people were ruled over by a small cabal who  destroyed business, closed schools, denied disagreement and limited civil liberties. Now that we are in a government shutdown, the very agencies who ruled us with a heavy hand are the same ones that are being gutted.

Karma is a bitch, and payback is a motherf****r,

Weights

 I was digging through the gun safe yesterday and started wondering about gun weights, so I got out the digital scale to put some numbers to my favorites.

My favorite competition gun is a Cimarron Model P.  According to the scale, it comes in at just a hair under 2 lbs, 4 oz.

Next up was my old Saage 110 in .30-06.  It's 8 lbs, 4 oz.  Not bad for a full-sized rifle with scope. This one is my go-to deer rifle.  It has accounted for several pounds of venison.

So, then I took out the Ruger 10/22 with the Boyds stock. Nearly 7 lbs, 7 oz.  That Boyds stock added a few ounces to the little rifle, but I feel like the upgrade was worth it.

Then, I saw an old safe queen that hadn't seen daylight in a while.  My old Winchester 94.  It's light and handy and sure needs to be taken to the range.  One ounce over 6 pounds.

Yeah, I need to get that old gal out to the range. Maybe we will do that next week.

Who Cares?

 It may be the oldest argument in the hunting world.  The subject of countless campfire discussions. The old .270 vs .30-06 argument.  Folks have been arguing this since 1925, which reminds me.  This cartridge is 100 years old.

The basic truth is that I have autopsied lots of whitetail deer. They can't tell the difference.

There are small differences in the performance of each cartridge, but both are absolutely up to the task. If you deliver a well-constructed bullet into the vitals of any medium game, the fun is over and the work begins.

So, Happy Birthday to the .270 Winchester.  It's been 100 years and still going strong. It's one of the greatest cartridges ever developed. Is it any better than its parent .30-06?  The deer, or for that matter the elk, certainly can't tell the difference.

We're Back

We are back.  Just rolled in a hour ago.  Spent a week visiting with our CFDA family and our Missouri family.  We had a ball, hugged a lot of necks.

This week, Kent Rollins is talking about two old recipes, Mac and cheese and SOS.  I've got to try that Mac and Cheese recipe. I  didn't know that it was invented prior to the Civil War.

Shooting with Billy

 Today, the Randolph County Rangers, a CFDA club, hosted a 10-year anniversary shoot.  Their head honcho, Diamondback Billy, is much beloved in the sport and hosted a good time at his club house.

We spent time with shooters from Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky, refreshing old friendships and catching up on the latest rumors.

I did get to watch Jackass Jiles, one of the fastest shooters in our sport, hit a 0.915 (which is excruciatingly slow).  Oh, we laughed.  On his next shot, he redeemed himself, hitting a 0.295 (which is exceedingly fast).  In our game, we start with the revolver holstered.  When the light comes on, we draw, cock that single-action revolver, and fire.  If the bullet strikes the target, you get a time. To manipulate a single-action revolver to unholster and strike a target in under 1/3 of a second is phenomenal.

In the ladies division, Belle took a minor trophy and got a cash award. Once again, my lady has proven that she is a Professional Gunfighter.  She had been paid cash for her skills.  I, on the other hand, finished comfortably in the middle of the pack.

Tomorrow after breakfast, we head north to Missouri to visit with family for a few days before we head home.