Saturday, March 23, 2024

Painting Your Front Sights

Once you get north of 40 seeing the front sight on a pistol can become challenging. I'm in my second half-century so this has gotten even worse than it was for me in my forties.

If it's an older gun with either a plain black or worse yet, stainless front sight, it can be nigh impossible, especially if shooting indoors. If you can't replace the front sight or are unwilling to do so because of the gun's design or collectibility, painting it can make a big difference.

Several years ago I started out by painting the front sight on a couple guns white. This works as long as you're not shooting at a white target, at which point it's even worse than an unpainted sight. So, I picked up a set of Birchwood Casey Touch Up Sight Pens. The set came with three paint pens: white, red, and a lime green. The white pen was dead out of the box but the green pen is still going strong.

I first degrease the sight blade I want to paint, using rubbing alcohol. You can also use acetone. Wait for that to dry, then add a white base coat. Since my white pen was DOA I used white out correction fluid until I ran out, then I bought a bottle of white nail polish.

For example, here's the 1920s-vintage S&W Military & Police revolver I just got. The front sight is a thin half moon machined as part of the barrel.

First, the base coat:




(Sorry for the crappy focus.)

The white base coat helps the top coat(s) in green pop more. I generally use 2 or 3 coats of green, depending on how it looks. Make sure to let it dry thoroughly between coats.

Here's what it looks like with two coats of green. I'm going to add another.




White is very visible in the woods even at dusk but since I often shoot at white targets the green is a good compromise between maximum visibility in low light and usefulness against a variety of backgrounds.

I use this color combination on the percussion muzzleloader that I shoot in woods walks, on which I never know what color the targets will be painted. So far, so good.

Hoppe's No.9 will dissolve the paint but didn't seem to hurt the nail polish. Solvents like Ed's Red which contains acetone will dissolve the nail polish, as well.

The paint does wear off so I'm going to experiment with a clear top coat to hopefully protect the green and keep me from having to touch it up as frequently.

Note that I leave my rear sights black. Whether shooting a rifle or pistol, your focus should be on the front sight.

S&W Model 1905, 4th Change Hand Ejector in .32-20

One gun that I've wanted for a long time has been a Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector in .32-20 (.32 WCF).

Winchester introduced the .32 WCF in 1882 for its Model 1873 lever action rifle. It was intended for use on game up to the size of deer, although it would be considered very marginal on deer by current standards. About five years later, Colt began chambering their revolvers in the round.

The .32 WCF survived the transition to smokeless powder. Aside from their single actions, Colt also chambered it in the Army Special and Official Police, and S&W added it to the Hand Ejector K-Frames.

From the time of its introduction up until around World War 2 and even past that, the .32-20 was popular for small game, controlling varmints on ranches and farms, and even self defense. Unfortunately, the Pennsylvania Game Commission stupidly barred the use of centerfire guns for small game around 15 years ago so my use of this gun will be mostly be for plinking and informal target shooting. It may also get carried on a friend's rural property where it would be useful for handling wild dogs or coyotes should we run across any.

Over the past few years I've seen a nice assortment of guns in .32-20 on Gunbroker but held off on buying one because once the Plandemic hit, ammo and even empty brass became unobtanium. That situation has recently started to get better but still isn't at the point where it was in early 2020.

I recently sold off a couple of guns that had been gathering dust for a few years and decided to put the money towards a .32-20 revolver. It so happens that my local gun monger who I've consigned guns with had one listed on Gunbroker. I won the auction yesterday and this morning I picked it up.

For a gun that's a century old it's in pretty good shape. The sideplate has some minor pitting and looks like it was lightly sanded at some point to remove rust, and then reblued, and has turned a plum brown (this was disclosed in the auction). The crane has also turned plum brown. All the screws turned freely and none are boogered up, which is nice.






There was a suitable Pachmayr grip adapter in my stash, which makes the skinny service stocks much more pleasant to hold and makes the gun more controllable in rapid fire. Recoil should be very mild in this gun so I'm not concerned with the hump on the frame from hurting the web of my hand.

I removed the sideplate and it was pretty clean inside. I just blasted it out with Remoil and then compressed air, then lubed the contact points with some FP-10 and closed it back up. The right grip has quite a bit of wear so I think this gun was carried a lot. Or maybe a prior owner shot it so much he wore the right grip panel down. Anyway, one of the grips has the gun's serial number penciled on the inner surface.





The bore and charge holes had some crud in them and there's a little bit of very minor pitting in the bore, also as described in the auction. Nothing that should prevent it from shooting well, though.

The timing and lockup are excellent and there's no end shake to speak of.

A 500 count box of Starline brass should arrive today while a set of Lee dies plus a factory crimp die should come tomorrow, so I plan to load up some ammo next week so I can shoot it next weekend.

I am most definitely looking forward to shooting it.


Sunday, March 17, 2024

Got Some Range Time in Today

We had another beautiful Spring day here in southeast Pennsylvania. I got together with a friend and we did some shooting on his property. 

One of the guns I brought was my High Standard Sentinel .22 LR revolver, about which I've written here before (check the tags on the right).

Last June, I replaced the original square butt grip with a round butt grip.



This was the first time shooting the gun with the round butt. It works for me and will make the gun more concealable should I need to do so.

The ammo I fired through it today was a box of CCI Stingers. I found that they shoot closer to point of aim in this gun than ammo with heavier bullets, so that's what I've settled on for feeding it. I do want to try some Federal Punch and while I think I have a box I couldn't find it.

One thing we noticed today since we fired most of the ammo double action is that the grooved trigger really sucked for DA shooting, especially on the edges. After I got home and cleaned it, I removed the grip and held the piece in a vise, then used some 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper, and then a round stone to dull the serrations. This should make it better for DA practice sessions. 

Last week I bought a World War Supply canvas M3 Tanker Holster, which is based on the USGI WW2 leather holster for the S&W Victory Model and Colt Commando .38 Special revolvers. The High Standard Sentinel is a little smaller than a S&W K-Frame and fits nicely into this holster.




With its alloy frame the Sentinel weighs only around 20 oz. so it's nice to carry. It would make a nice gun for the woods. In the past two years since I bought the revolver I've fired hundreds of rounds through it and had zero malfunctions, including no misfires. If I was limited to a rimfire for self defense this would probably be my first choice.

Friday, March 15, 2024

Ruger Speed Six Range Report

I shot the Ruger today for the first time. Both groups below were fired double action at 10 yards.



The Pachmayr Compac grips I installed are great, BTW. They are very comfortable for my small hands and do a good job of absorbing recoil. I'm half tempted to modify the grip frame of my Service Six to Speed Six dimensions and install a set of these.

The lower group is 40 rounds of .38 handloads with a Speer 158 grain .358 LSWC on top of 4.9 grains of Winchester Autocomp in mixed brass with CCI primers. This is a full .38 Special service load equivalent.

The headshots were .38s with a 178 grain .359 Keith LSWC on top of 5.3 grains of Unique in mixed brass and CCI primers. This is +P and approaching a .38/44 load.

The load with the Keiths has been very accurate in my 4" S&W Model 15-3, Ruger Service Six, and S&W Model 28-2 but between the Carnauba Red bullet lube and Unique, it's very smoky. As a black powder shooter that doesn't bother me, however. The fouling wipes right off.

One of the nice things about Autocomp, though, is how nicely and consistently it meters in a powder measure, in contrast to Unique. A couple years ago I made my own load chart for my RCBS Little Dandy. I took a variety of powders and did an average of 10 throws in the different rotors and Autocomp was by far the most consistent, even better than other ball powders like HP-38 and Universal.

Wednesday, March 06, 2024

New to Me Ruger Speed Six

I've long been a fan of the Ruger Security, Service, and Speed Six revolvers. I much prefer them to their successor, the GP-100, which while being stronger and simpler to make, is bigger and in my experience, not as smooth.

The Ruger Sixes were made in both blued and stainless steel versions. The primary differences are the sights and shape of the butt.

  • Security Six: Adjustable sights, square butt, 2.75", 4", or 6" barrel.
  • Police Service Six: Fixed sights, square butt, 2.75" or 4" barrel.
  • Speed Six: Fixed sights, round butt, 2.75" or 4" barrel.
Most of the Sixes were chambered for .357 Magnum. There were some chambered for .38 Special for department contracts, and some Speed Sixes in 9mm which used moon clips.

Of the three major Six variants the Speed Six is the least common.

The Sixes are a bit beefier and more durable than S&W K-Frames but will still fit in many K-Frame holsters. For example, my 4" Police Service Six fits nicely in my Victory Model shoulder holster. (I've had the Service Six for years and it's a fine shooter, especially since I installed a set of Sile wooden target stocks.)

The first centerfire handgun I ever shot was my father's blued 6" Security Six that he used in bullseye competition back in the 80s. Between all the rounds he fired, nightly dry firing, and a Wolff spring kit, it was very smooth with a great trigger. Unfortunately he traded it off many years ago.

Last week I did some searching on Gunbroker and found that Robertson Trading Post had several Speed Sixes listed for sale at reasonable-for-2024 prices. I ordered one and picked it up from my local FFL today.




Aside from what are purported to be squadron markings on the left side of the frame, the gun is in excellent shape and appears to have been barely shot. It's very clean and the action is smooth for a Ruger. Lockup is solid and the timing is perfect. There is a small ding on the left of the front sight but it doesn't affect sight picture.

According to Ruger's web site the serial number places it as 1982 production.

It had a set of Sile rubber grips on it which are actually meant for a Security or Service Six with a square butt. I got this set of NOS Pachmayr Compacs off eBay for under $20 shipped. They fit the gun better and feel like they were made for me. I have a 3" S&W Model 10-8 with the same grips and it's very comfortable to shoot.

Although the Ruger is a .357 Magnum, it will see only .38 Special loads with maybe a few exceptions, since I'm not a fan of .357 blast and flash.

One might wonder what's the point of a medium-frame snubbie. IMO, it would make for a fine carry gun in cooler weather when you can tuck it into a large coat pocket or wear it outside the waistband but under a coat or vest.

Friday, January 12, 2024

Got a Lathe Spider

A couple weeks ago I ordered a spider for my 7x14 minilathe, something I should have bought years ago. Little Machine Shop had it as their weekly special so I finally pulled the trigger on it.

Link to minilathe spider: https://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=1136

The spider threads onto the end of the spindle and provides additional support to long workpieces, to prevent them from whipping around.




To install the spider you remove the gear cover on the end of the headstock and simply thread it onto the end of the spindle.




I used it today while drilling and tapping the flared end of the factory ramrod that came with my Investarm Gemmer Hawken. Even though I bought an unbreakable Delrin rod for it from Track of the Wolf, which is threaded on both ends, I want to keep the OEM wood rod as a spare.

This shows the ramrod mounted through the spindle bore.




And here I was using the lathe as a tapping guide to keep the 10-32 tap straight. I did not do this under power. Instead, I used the chuck key as a handle and rotated the chuck manually. Power to the lathe was off when I did this.




Aside from drilling and tapping the end of the OEM ramrod to accept 10-32 accessories like cleaning jags, worms, and bullet pullers, both ends of both rods got drilled and cross-pinned. To drill the holes I used my minimill.

Always cross-pin your ramrod tips! Failing to do so can result in the ends pulling off the rod if you get a jag stuck or need to pull a ball. It's simple to do so:

  1. Drill a hole through the rod crossways. I used a #40 drill because for my pin I used some brass rod 0.098" in diameter.
  2. Chamfer both ends of the hole.
  3. Drive the rod through the hole and cut it off. I used side cutters.
  4. Using a hammer, peen over both ends on a metal surface. I used the anvil on my bench vise.
  5. File the ends of the pin smooth.
One end of the Delrin rod from Track is tapped 10-32 and the other is 8-32. I will use 10-32 jags, etc. and have an aluminum T-handle with an 8-32 stud on the end. I have qualms about using it for cleaning or ball pulling.

Just another example of how my small, tabletop machines help me out with gunsmithing tasks.

Video: Banner Grabbing with Nmap

 


Video: Nmap Scanning for Specific Open Ports

 



Saturday, January 06, 2024

Investarm Gemmer Hawken Rifle

With Lyman getting out of the black powder business, Muzzle-loaders.com has taken over as an importer of Investarm guns. I had a 10% off coupon from them that expired at the end of last year, so on 12/26/23  I put it towards a left handed .54 flintlock Gemmer Hawken. It arrived this past Wednesday. The Gemmer Hawken is the current incarnation of the Lyman Great Plains Rifle, which for decades has been very highly regarded for a production muzzleloader.

Back in the 1990s I had a LH flint .54 Lyman GPR but sold it off after a few years. At the time I wasn't hunting and my shooting interests were more along the lines of milsurps and S&W revolvers. I wish that I had kept it. Let's just say that the Investarm rifles made today are not as nice as those made even 10 years ago, much less my old GPR. In particular, the triggers were horrendous. Rough, difficult to set, and so heavy when unset as to be unusable. So, I ordered a Davis Deerslayer from the Log Cabin Shop and it arrived today. The Deerslayer was originally designed for use in  the T/C Hawken and Renegade, rifles but it also works in similar guns like the GPR/GH.

Installation was painless and while the instructions mention removing wood, that wasn't required. (Doing so may be required on a T/C.) The rifle now has an easy to set trigger that would be usable even when unset. Dry firing it feels like I'm holding one of my custom muzzleloaders. In my opinion the Davis triggers are worth the $80 asking price (although it shouldn't be necessary to replace the triggers on a factory rifle to get something usable).

Pic before installing the new triggers:




Yesterday I added a couple coats of clear Watco Danish Oil to the stock, which is some unspecified European hardwood that was lightly finished. Older Investarm guns, including the Cabela's Hawken I took a big doe with in 2022, had walnut stocks. I also replaced the vent liner with an RMC unit that uses an Allen wrench for removal. It's coned internally as well on the outside so it should help ignition.

The lock sparks well even with the cut agate flint that it came with. L&R now makes left handed RPL replacement flintlocks to fit the GPR/GH but I'll give the factory lock a solid workout before thinking of replacing it.

The only other modification I have planned it to put slots in the barrel keys and install pins held in by the escutcheons so they can't fall out and get lost.

I may not be able to shoot it until next weekend, due to the weather. I'm hopeful that it will shoot well with 70 - 80 grains of 3Fg and a patched .530 ball. I'm also going to try some .526 balls which should make for easier loading in the field. My reason for getting a .54 is to improve my chances of a complete pass-through on the large whitetail deer up in Tioga County, compared with the .50s I've been using.

As an aside along those lines, I'm hoping to work up a good conical load for my percussion Cabela's Hawken .50 that I can use during the early antlerless season. I have some Hornady Great Plains bullets that should shoot well in the gun and be really effective on deer.

Aside from the larger ball, the Gemmer Hawken will give me a flintlock rifle that's easier to handle inside a deer blind, since it's significantly shorter than the longrifle I toted last week.

More to follow after I shoot it ...

Sunday, December 24, 2023

Video: Hardware Troubleshooting on the Linux Commandline

I put up one more video for 2023. I hope you'll find it useful.




Have you ever wondered how to troubleshoot hardware issues in Linux, especially from the commandline? In this video we'll take a look at tools you can employ from a Linux shell session to help identify hardware, diagnose and troubleshoot issues, and work toward solutions to hardware problems.

Thank you for watching my video. If you found it helpful, please give me a Like, Subscribe, and Share. There's more to come!

ALL LOGOS AND DISTRIBUTION NAMES ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

PDF COPIES OF THE SLIDE PRESENTATIONS CAN BE FOUND ON MY GITHUB SITE:

https://github.com/InformationTechWithDave

SOURCES FOR LINUX INSTALLATION MEDIA IF YOU DON'T HAVE RELIABLE BROADBAND INTERNET:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3R4gu9Y

LinuxDiscOnline: https://www.linuxdisconline.com/

NOTE: AMAZON LINKS ARE AFFILIATE LINKS. IF YOU CLICK ON THE LINK AND THEN BUY SOMETHING I WILL RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU.


Video: Exploring and Scanning with Nmap

 In this video we learn how to explore networks and scan hosts using Nmap, the Network Mapper.



Thank you for watching my video. If you found it helpful, please give me a Like, Subscribe, and Share. There's more to come!

ALL LOGOS AND DISTRIBUTION NAMES ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

PDF COPIES OF THE SLIDE PRESENTATIONS CAN BE FOUND ON MY GITHUB SITE:

https://github.com/InformationTechWithDave

LINKS FOR THE SOFTWARE AND BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO:

Nmap: https://nmap.org/

Nmap Free Online Book: https://nmap.org/Book

Softcover book: https://amzn.to/48a9XS8

Homebrew: https://brew.sh/

VMware Workstation: https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation-pro.html

VMware Fusion: https://www.vmware.com/products/fusion.html

VirtualBox: https://www.virtualbox.org/

UTM: https://mac.getutm.app/

VMware vSphere ESXi: https://customerconnect.vmware.com/en/evalcenter?p=free-esxi8

Metasploitable (Intentionally vulnerable Linux VM): https://sourceforge.net/projects/metasploitable/

CVE Vulnerability Search: https://cve.mitre.org/cve/search_cve_list.html


SOURCES FOR LINUX INSTALLATION MEDIA IF YOU DON'T HAVE RELIABLE BROADBAND INTERNET:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3R4gu9Y

LinuxDiscOnline: https://www.linuxdisconline.com/


NOTE: AMAZON LINKS ARE AFFILIATE LINKS. IF YOU CLICK ON THE LINK AND THEN BUY SOMETHING I WILL RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU.

Video: Exploring Linux Shell History and HISTCONTROL

In this video we take a look at the Linux shell history function along with HISTCONTROL.

 



ALL LOGOS AND DISTRIBUTION NAMES ARE THE PROPERTY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

PDF COPIES OF THE SLIDE PRESENTATIONS CAN BE FOUND ON MY GITHUB SITE:

https://github.com/InformationTechWithDave

SOURCES FOR LINUX INSTALLATION MEDIA IF YOU DON'T HAVE RELIABLE BROADBAND INTERNET:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3R4gu9Y

LinuxDiscOnline: https://www.linuxdisconline.com/

NOTE: AMAZON LINKS ARE AFFILIATE LINKS. IF YOU CLICK ON THE LINK AND THEN BUY SOMETHING I WILL RECEIVE A SMALL COMMISSION AT NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU.


Video: Exploring the Linux Filesystem Hierarchy

 This is the second video on my YouTube Channel, @InformationTechWithDave:



Understanding how the Linux filesystem is crucial for system administrators, enthusiasts, and developers who need to manage and troubleshoot Linux computers.

In this video we''ll learn how to move around the Linux filesystem, display directory contents, and what the different directories or folders are used for.

YouTube Channel: InformationTechWithDave

Earlier this month I started a new YouTube channel to share some of the knowledge I've accumulated since changing careers into IT back in 1999. So far I have uploaded videos on topics related to Linux and cybersecurity. I have plans to expand on that in the future.

My channel's home page is: https://www.youtube.com/@InformationTechWithDave

The first video was this one:


Later videos have better audio because I bought a Fifine K650 USB microphone at Microcenter. I then added this pop filter from Amazon.

Please take a look and if you find the information I'm providing useful, subscribe, hit the notification button, and share my videos.

PDF versions of the presentations for my videos can be found on my GitHub site: https://github.com/InformationTechWithDave

Friday, November 03, 2023

Galco Draw-Ez for Holsters

Recently I've posted about M3 Tanker Holsters, of which I have three variants. The no-name copy that I wanted to use with my Beretta M9 was very snug, so I did a couple things to make it usable.

First, the leather was very dry, so I worked in some 100% neatsfoot oil. This softened it a bit and will preserve the leather. At some point I'll also rub some Sno-Seal dressing into the outside, to provide some water repellency.

After treating it with neatsfoot oil, I wrapped the Berretta in Saran wrap and forced it into the holster for about a week. This loosened it a little and the I added a plastic bag over the Saran wrap, then let it sit in the holster for another week or so. By this point it was getting there. However, the gun still dragged when drawing it.

So, the final step was to rub some Galco Draw-Ez Solution into the inside of the holster where the gun rubbed against it. I let it sit for about 10 minutes, put the naked gun back in, and tried drawing. It made a noticeable improvement.

Draw-Ez comes in 1/2 oz. (15ml) bottle. It's not cheap but a little goes a long way. If you have a leather holster that is hard to draw from it's worth trying.


Thursday, November 02, 2023

Jewish Boycott?

JEWISH BOYCOTT

BY John Neville Cohen – Publisher


BY COMUNIDAD JUDÍA · 13 SHEVAT 5781– 26 JANUARY, 2021


A short time ago, Iran’s Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged the Muslim World to boycott anything and everything that originates with the Jewish people.


In response, Meyer M. Treinkman, a pharmacist, out of the kindness of his heart, offered to assist them in their boycott as follows:


“Any Muslim who has Syphilis must not be cured by Salvarsan discovered by a Jew, Dr. Ehrlich. He should not even try to find out whether he has Syphilis, because the Wasserman Test is the discovery of a Jew. 

If a Muslim suspects that he has Gonorrhea, he must not seek diagnosis, because he will be using the method of a Jew named Neissner.


“A Muslim who has heart disease must not use Digitalis, a discovery by a Jew, Ludwig Traube.


Should he suffer with a toothache, he must not use Novocaine, a discovery of the Jews, Widal and Weil.


If a Muslim has Diabetes, he must not use Insulin, the result of research by Minkowsky, a Jew. 


If one has a headache, he must shun Pyramidon and Antypyrin, due to the Jews, Spiro and Ellege.


Muslims with convulsions must put up with them because it was a Jew, Oscar Leibreich, who proposed the use of Chloral Hydrate.


Arabs must do likewise with their psychic ailments because Freud, father of psychoanalysis, was a Jew.


Should a Muslim child get Diphtheria, he must refrain from the Schick” reaction which was invented by the Jew, Bella Schick.


“Muslims should be ready to die in great numbers and must not permit treatment of ear and brain damage, work of Jewish Nobel Prize winner, Robert Baram.


They should continue to die or remain crippled by Infantile Paralysis because the discoverer of the anti-polio vaccine is a Jew, Jonas Salk.


“Muslims must refuse to use Streptomycin and continue to die of Tuberculosis because a Jew, Zalman Waxman, invented the wonder drug against this killing disease.


Muslim doctors must discard all discoveries and improvements by dermatologist Judas Sehn Benedict, or the lung specialist, Frawnkel, and of many other world renowned Jewish scientists and medical experts.


“In short, good and loyal Muslims properly and fittingly should remain afflicted with Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Heart Disease, Headaches,Typhus, Diabetes, Mental Disorders, Polio, Convulsions and Tuberculosis and be proud to obey the Islamic boycott.”


Oh, and by the way, don’t call for a doctor on your cell phone because the cell phone was invented in Israel by a Jewish engineer.


Meanwhile I ask, what medical contributions to the world have the Muslims made?”


The Global Islamic population is approximately 1,200,000,000; that is ONE BILLION TWO HUNDRED MILLION or 20% of the world’s population.


They have received the following Nobel Prizes:


Literature:

1988 – Najib Mahfooz


Peace:

1978 – Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat

1990 – Elias James Corey

1994 – Yaser Arafat:

1999 – Ahmed Zewai


Economics:

(zero)


Physics:

(zero)


Medicine:

1960 – Peter Brian Medawar

1998 – Ferid Mourad


TOTAL: 7 SEVEN


The Global Jewish population is approximately 14,000,000; that is FOURTEEN MILLION or about 0.02% of the world’s population.


They have received the following Nobel Prizes:


Literature:

1910 – Paul Heyse

1927 – Henri Bergson

1958 – Boris Pasternak

1966 – Shmuel Yosef Agnon

1966 – Nelly Sachs

1976 – Saul Bellow

1978 – Isaac Bashevis Singer

1981 – Elias Canetti

1987 – Joseph Brodsky

1991 – Nadine Gordimer World


Peace:

1911 – Alfred Fried

1911 – Tobias Michael Carel Asser

1968 – Rene Cassin

1973 – Henry Kissinger

1978 – Menachem Begin

1986 – Elie Wiesel

1994 – Shimon Peres

1994 – Yitzhak Rabin


Physics:

1905 – Adolph Von Baeyer

1906 – Henri Moissan

1907 – Albert Abraham Michelson

1908 – Gabriel Lippmann

1910 – Otto Wallach

1915 – Richard Willstaetter

1918 – Fritz Haber

1921 – Albert Einstein

1922 – Niels Bohr

1925 – James Franck

1925 – Gustav Hertz

1943 – Gustav Stern

1943 – George Charles de Hevesy

1944 – Isidor Issac Rabi

1952 – Felix Bloch

1954 – Max Born

1958 – Igor Tamm

1959 – Emilio Segre

1960 – Donald A. Glaser

1961 – Robert Hofstadter

1961 – Melvin Calvin

1962 – Lev Davidovich Landau

1962 – Max Ferdinand Perutz

1965 – Richard Phillips Feynman

1965 – Julian Schwinger

1969 – Murray Gell-Mann

1971 – Dennis Gabor

1972 – William Howard Stein

1973 – Brian David Josephson

1975 – Benjamin Mottleson

1976 – Burton Richter

1977 – Ilya Prigogine

1978 – Arno Allan Penzias

1978 – Peter L Kapitza

1979 – Stephen Weinberg

1979 – Sheldon Glashow

1979 – Herbert Charles Brown

1980 – Paul Berg

1980 – Walter Gilbert

1981 – Roald Hoffmann

1982 – Aaron Klug

1985 – Albert A. Hauptman

1985 – Jerome Karle

1986 – Dudley R. Herschbach

1988 – Robert Huber

1988 – Leon Lederman

1988 – Melvin Schwartz

1988 – Jack Steinberger

1989 – Sidney Altman

1990 – Jerome Friedman

1992 – Rudolph Marcus

1995 – Martin Perl

2000 – Alan J. Heeger


Economics:

1970 – Paul Anthony Samuelson

1971 – Simon Kuznets

1972 – Kenneth Joseph Arrow1975 – Leonid Kantorovich

1976 – Milton Friedman

1978 – Herbert A. Simon

1980 – Lawrence Robert Klein

1985 – Franco Modigliani

1987 – Robert M. Solow

1990 – Harry Markowitz

1990 – Merton Miller

1992 – Gary Becker

1993 – Robert Fogel


Medicine:

1908 – Elie Metchnikoff

1908 – Paul Erlich

1914 – Robert Barany

1922 – Otto Meyerhof

1930 – Karl Landsteiner

1931 – Otto Warburg

1936 – Otto Loewi

1944 – Joseph Erlanger

1944 – Herbert Spencer Gasser

1945 – Ernst Boris Chain

1946 – Hermann Joseph Muller

1950 – Tadeus Reichstein

1952 – Selman Abraham Waksman

1953 – Hans Krebs

1953 – Fritz Albert Lipmann

1958 – Joshua Lederberg

1959 – Arthur Kornberg

1964 – Konrad Bloch

1965 – Francois Jacob

1965 – Andre Lwoff

1967 – George Wald

1968 – Marshall W. Nirenberg

1969 – Salvador Luria

1970 – Julius Axelrod

1970 – Sir Bernard Katz

1972 – Gerald Maurice Edelman

1975 – Howard Martin Temin

1976 – Baruch S. Blumberg

1977 – Roselyn Sussman Yalow

1978 – Daniel Nathans

1980 – Baruj Benacerraf

1984 – Cesar Milstein

1985 – Michael Stuart Brown

1985 – Joseph L. Goldstein

1986 – Stanley Cohen [& Rita Levi-Montalcini]

1988 – Gertrude Elion

1989 – Harold Varmus

1991 – Erwin Neher

1991 – Bert Sakmann

1993 – Richard J. Roberts

1993 – Phillip Sharp

1994 – Alfred Gilman

1995 – Edward B. Lewis

1996- Lu RoseIacovino


TOTAL: 129!


The Jews are NOT promoting brainwashing children in military training camps, teaching them how to blow themselves up and cause maximum deaths of Jews and other non-Muslims.


The Jews don’t hijack planes, nor kill athletes at the Olympics, or blow themselves up in German restaurants.


There is NOT one single Jew who has destroyed a church.


There is NOT a single Jew who protests by killing people. The Jews don’t traffic slaves, nor have leaders calling for Jihad and death to all the Infidels.


Perhaps the world’s Muslims should consider investing more in standard education and less in blaming the Jews for all their problems.


Muslims must ask ‘what can they do for humankind’ before they demand that humankind respects them.


Regardless of your feelings about the crisis between Israel and the Palestinians and Arab neighbors, even if you believe there is more culpability on Israel ‘s part, the following two sentences really say it all:


‘If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence. If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel.”


Benjamin Netanyahu: General Eisenhower warned us. It is a matter of history that when the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Dwight Eisenhower, found the victims of the death camps he ordered all possible photographs to be taken, and for the German people from surrounding villages to be ushered through the camps and even made to bury the dead.


He did this because he said in words to this effect: ‘Get it all on record now – get the films – get the witnesses – because somewhere down the road of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened’


Recently, the UK debated whether to remove The Holocaust from its school curriculum because it ‘offends’ the Muslim population which claims it never occurred.


It is not removed as yet. However, this is a frightening portent of the fear that is gripping the world and how easily each country is giving into it.


It is now more than 65 years after the Second World War in Europe ended

Now, more than ever, with Iran, among others, claiming the Holocaust to be ‘a myth,’ it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets.

Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Guns for Jews

I've put together a primer on gun ownership for fellow Jewish-Americans who are new to it, in the wake of the October 7th pogrom. It's in the form on an article I'm hosting on my Google Drive.

Guns for Jews.

Please share it to anyone who you think might find it useful.

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

The M3 "Tanker" Shoulder Holster

Sometime around 1939 - 1940, the US Army adopted a shoulder holster as an option for carrying the M1911A1 pistol. A similar version was adopted during WW2 for the S&W Victory Model and Colt Commando revolvers. These holsters remained in service at least until the 1990s, AFAIK. After the 1911 was replaced with the Beretta M9, it was used for the new pistol.

Several years ago I picked up a copy of the USGI M3 shoulder holster for the S&W Victory Model from the now-defunct Pacific Canvas and Leather. I like it a lot for carrying my Model 15 or Ruger Police Service Six, but of course it's too small for an N-Frame.

I recently replaced the grips on my S&W Model 28-2 Highway Patrolman, which made the gun much easier to shoot with my small hands. It previously wore a set of Herrett's Shooting Stars. I replaced them with a set of Thai Magnas + a BK Grips adapter. With it now fitting me better I started thinking about packing it as a woods gun.

So back on 9/3 I placed and order with El Paso Saddlery for one of their “1942 Tanker” holster, which is their version of the USGI M3 shoulder holster. It arrived 9/15, much sooner than expected based on what the EPS website says.




If it looks backwards it's because I'm a southpaw.

It’s very nicely made with nice leather, stitching, and hardware. They also threw in a key fob.

Out of curiosity I put my Colt Shooting Master in it and except for the fact that it’s too short for a 6” barrel, the holster fits the gun well. So, if I ever pick up a 4” Colt New Service this holster is usable with it.

A S&W Heavy Duty would look right in this rig.

I'm looking forward to using it in the woods.

I also have a copy of the M3 for 1911s. I don't have a 1911 anymore but I do have an M9, so tonight I tried it in the holster.



(I don't recall where I got this one from. Maybe Amazon. I'm pretty sure it was made in India.)

It's very snug and takes quite a bit of force to insert. So, since the leather was dry I gave it a good coat of neatsfoot oil and plan to leave the Beretta in it for several days in the hopes it'll stretch out.

As-is, my Browning High Power and Beretta 81 Cheetah fit OK. The CZ P-09 won't fit at all.

I've recently run across variants of the Tanker holster cut like the leather ones but made from canvas. The Amazon link above has some. I've never tried them and they are a bit less expensive, but I've no experience with them. They might work well, might not.

I also ran across this blog post extolling the merits of the M7 shoulder holster. The M7 differs from the M3 in that it includes a chest strap to help keep it from flopping around. That post also lists a variety of pistols that will fit, which makes it close to being a universal holster.

As to why to use one, as noted above I find it comfortable. It also makes the gun available if you're sitting in a vehicle. The strap can be adjusted so you can wear it over your clothes or concealed under a coat. Also, if you can't normally carry a gun but want one that you can quickly throw on, it's an option.

Sunday, September 03, 2023

Highway Patrolman Range Report

Last night I got to shoot the Model 28-2 Highway Patrolman with the new grips. This setup is a keeper for me. I ran 130 rounds through it. The first 80 were 148 grain wadcutters on top of 3.8 grains of Autocomp, while the last 50 were 160 grain semiwadcutters cast from a Lee mold on top of 3.8 grains of HP-38.

This combination of Magnas and a grip adaptor allows me to get a better hold on the big N-Frame than the Herrett's Shooting Star stocks did.




Look at those recessed charge holes. N-Frame magnum goodness!





Saturday, September 02, 2023

The Highway Patrolman Gets New Grips

S&W introduced the Highway Patrolman in the 1950s as a less expensive version of the .357 Magnum, AKA pre-Model 27. Instead of a high polish blue and checkered top strap and barrel rib, it had a more utilitarian blueing job and the top was bead blasted to reduce glare. However, the revolver's innards were the same as the more expensive .357 Magnums/Model 27s.

When S&W started assigning its revolvers model numbers in 1957 the Highway Patrolman became the Model 28, although they were still stamped "HIGHWAY PATROLMAN" on the right side of the barrel. They were offered with your choice of a 4" or 6" barrel. All were chambered for .357 Magnum.

The Highway Patrolman became popular with various law enforcement agencies and civilians, and remained in production until 1986.

Back in the 1990s when old Smith & Wesson revolvers were cheap, I traded into this 4" Model 28-2, made in the early 1970s. It's what is called a "pinned and recessed" S&W. You can see the pin going through the frame and barrel threads. The cylinder is recessed so that the cartridge rims are flush with the back face. Only rimfires and magnums were recessed. S&W discontinued pinning the barrels and recessing the rims in centerfires in 1981, to save production costs.

I think I have less than $300 into this Model 28 considering the value of my trade, an Astra A-75 9mm. It came fitted with some hideous aftermarket plastic grips with finger grooves. Luckily, my dad had a 6" Model 28 on which he'd installed a set of Hogue rubber grips in place of the Herrett's Shooting Stars his revolver came with. He gave the Herrett's to me and the plastic grips went into the trash. Here's what it's looked like up until yesterday:



(This is one of my favorite gun pictures. I really got the lighting right.)

The Herrett's are nice but a little big for my hands and the thumb rest on the left (a mirror of what's shown above) tended to dig into my palm when shooting. (I'm left handed.) So, about a week and a half ago I ordered a set of Magnas from World Wide Grips in Thailand. They are made from Thai rosewood. I also ordered a grip adapter from BK Grips. So, now it looks like this:




The new grips are well made and fit pretty well.

Incidentally, the reason that I didn't buy genuine S&W Magnas is that they have gone up in price as least as much as the guns. A set in excellent condition would go for well over $100. I paid $54.16 shipped from Thailand for these. If I was able to find actual S&W grips for a comparable price they'd be pretty ratty looking.

Tonight I ran 130 rounds of .38 Special handloads through it. The first 80 were 148 grain wadcutters on top of 3.8 grains of Winchester Autocomp. The last 50 were 160 grain semiwadcutters cast in a Lee TL358-158 mold. The wadcutter load is very mild while the SWC load should give about 800 - 850 FPS from the 4" barrel.

This setup is a keeper for me. I'll definitely be shooting it more. I'm able to better hold the gun and recoil control with these loads is fine. I need to run some .38 +Ps* through it but I am very pleased with the Magna/grip adapter combination.




*I find .357 Magnum recoil and muzzle blast to be obnoxious, even from an N-Frame. Anything that I might need to shoot with a handgun can be handled by .38 Specials loaded to +P or .38/44 levels. The Model 28 is ideal for these loads.