Mighty Favog Posted April 17, 2004 Share Posted April 17, 2004 On the road to a nice recovery from an appendectomy three weeks ago and a clean okie-dokie from the surgeon at the follow up visit I decided to catch up on some other hobbies and passions. A week after the surgery I was scheduled to qualify for my CCW (Carrying Concealed Weapons) permit. At first this had me a little worried just how much pain the recoiling arm would produce. It wasnt too bad after all and I passed with no problems. I received a 100% on the written exam and 100% in the range qualification. In fact some of us finished so early I spent the remaining time cleaning my weapon, and still had plenty of time after that. We couldnt leave early because the law says we have to have 10 hours of classroom time and 2 hours of range time. At that time of the morning I could have just taken a nap to catch up on some Zs. The next couple weeks were uneventful and Im scheduled to get the final background check done this Wednesday at the Sheriffs office. It should only take about a half hour. Up to 45 days after that and they happily hand me the permit. Last night I got off work a little early and the weather was gorgeous for this time of year. Came home and my girlfriend wanted to go somewhere and she didnt care where. She dropped me off at an indoor shooting range while she went to a nearby mall. While at the range I wanted to see if I could work out some bugs in my competition gun (sharp edge on the feed ramp making a smiley on the bullet cases). While I was doing that a nice, large gut sportin, man reaches over my shoulder and puts on my tray a handful of handloads he made up (155gr. lead semi-wadcutters) with a little hotter charge than normal. Now Im very cautious about using anyones handloads but it turned out these were done right. They still jammed in my gun but it was good to find out that its partially the guns fault and not the all of the ammos fault. I brought with me a couple boxes of Remington 185gr. metal case wadcutters that are usually pretty finicky feeders but I was trying anyway just to get rid of them since Ive had them stored away for about 10-15 years. A few minutes later the same man comes over and offers me to try his comp 45ACP since its the same cal. as mine. I said thank you and tried it. The Remingtons jammed a bit in his gun too so I didnt feel so bad. I guess mine just likes full power 230gr. round nose and thats it. I can live with that. A little while after that he comes over again and offers another gun for me to try. I looked at it and it didnt take a millisecond to know that it was.....a Wildey Magnum. HOLY COW!! This one was chambered it 45 Winchester Magnum instead of the more well known 475 Wildey Magnum that Charles Bronson made so popular in the movie Death Wish III (remember? Wildeys coming). It had the 8 bbl. and I held onto it as best I could because the backstrap of the grip is like holding a wide remote control straight up and down and parallel to your bodynot comfortable at all. I pulled the trigger and it felt like a .357 revolver with a 2 bbl. Not to bad after all but I still wouldnt want to fire a hundred rounds through it in an hour. So this guy wasnt done yet. Natta. Next he comes over with a revolver with the cylinder open. I looked at it and could tell it was a Ruger Super Redhawk in the new grayed finish and 7 1/2" bbl. From the size of the chambers I immediately thought it was a 44 magnum and told him Ive never shot a 44 before. He said its not a 44. its a 454 Casull! Now Im in trouble. Ive only read about this round but have never experienced it. With a muzzle energy of over 1,800 lbs. this is certainly no toy. Knowing I wouldnt get a chance like this again as long as I live and finally deciding not to chicken out and knowing my health insurance was all paid up I tried it. He loaded it and just said not to put your fingers near the cylinder gap (cylinder to bbl. forcing cone). The flame will cut them off. This is like John Force offering his Top Fuel funny car to you for a little spin around the block. He did say itd go through the first four feet of elephant. I stood at the firing line and told the man I only weigh 150 lbs. after a large pizza and he just stood there and smiled. I took aim with my usual grip and stance and let er rip. The percussion was enormous and the smoke ring blocked the lights so I couldnt see my target anymore. The range went silent and I could tell I wasnt deaf because I heard myself giggling. Even the hillbilly in the next lane to mine stopped shooting his Ruger Super Blackhawk 44 Magnum to see what the hell that was. I opened the cylinder and turned around to hand it back to him and said "Thanks, that things insane.". After realizing that I probably shot about $6-$7 worth of this nice mans ammunition I offered him my empty 45 brass since he reloads. Remington brass is pretty good stuff. I patted him on the back and thanked him for the experience. I walked out of the range and into the pro-shop and said to the old man working there And I thought Bin Ladden was crazy He just smiled and said who the nice man was. Some people go to bars to strike up a conversation. he comes here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted April 17, 2004 Share Posted April 17, 2004 You would get along just fine with my older brother Tom. The last time I was by there he was making a pair of grips for a small cannon. What is the deal with the pistol permit? We just go see the Sheriff down here. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted April 18, 2004 Author Share Posted April 18, 2004 Well, Ohio just passed a CCW law earlier this year (Ohio-HB12) and up until now it's been nearly impossible to carry. Ohio's been 30 years behind the times forever. Now that the law has passed and is active as of April 8th, 2004 the gov't wanted everyone to prove they can safely handle one and are fairly proficient with it. The required training is put on by either OPOTA (Ohio Peace Officers Training Assn.) or an instructor from the NRA. It was a miracle that the state even concedes the NRAs existence much less a viable source of training. It requires 10 hours of classroom time and 2 hours of range time. Luckily Ohio has reciprocity with Indiana, Michigan, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Alaska, Tennessee, Vermont, Idaho and Utah. This is great since I live in Cincinnati and we closely border Indiana and Kentucky. An Ohio CCW permit is recognized in those states but not the reverse. Those states cannot use their permits in Ohio, but they're working on it. During the classroom training I could have fallen asleep easily. The stuff covered was pretty rudimentary. The law does make a provision that you can also apply in an adjoining county to the one you live in. I didnt have to worry too much about this one because our (Clermont Co.) sheriffs office is bending over backwards to see that people get their permits (setting up nighttime appointments so you dont have to take off work etc. etc.). Now the county I work in and spend a lot of my time in is a totally different story. That would be Hamilton Co. (Cincinnati). The sheriff there (Sheriff Si Leis) thinks that nobody should even own a gun period, only his deputies should have them. I think this man has a grave misconception of who the enemy really is. He is definitly one of these elitists that think there are two kinds of people, cops and everyone else; and don't you dare mix the two. Sometimes I think he wants to be Sheriff and County Prosecutor all in one. A funny story about old Sheriff LeisSheriff Leis was the one who sued Larry Flint and his publication company years ago for pandering obscenity with Hustler Magazine. When I was in high school (80-83) I took vocational Auto Mechanics for 2 ½ years. Our teacher was a friend of Mr. Leis and the sheriffs wife would bring her 69 LTD XL (that car was beautiful) into the shop to have work done. I got the job a couple of times and it usually wasnt anything major. A couple of malcontent students in my class had a great idea. When her car was finished and she came to pick it up (we were gone by then) the Auto Shop student(s) left a copy of Hustler in the glove box for them as a present. We never heard anything about it but we never saw that car again. It was great. Leis daughter and I are about the same age and we had Drivers Ed together (god, what a flirtatious floozy she was; she was built though). Leis gave her the LTD and she had it side swiped in a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 And to think that I griped about signing a card and mailing a $20 check to the Sheriff for a permit! He was voted out and the $7.50 permit Sheriff was voted back in. Now that's justice! My brother and I used to pop caps quite a bit for the fun of it. We even visited old strip pits to pick off ground hogs at distance for laughs. I remember buying a new scope for my varmit rifle and after bore siteing it I decided I would go to an old abandonded rifle range to dial the scope in. The old range had berms every 75 yards going back to over 300 yards. I had been having problems with my tundra tank so I decided to take the wife's car. Since the car was small I carried a rolled up sleeping bag to use for a prop for my gun on the berms. Got there and set up a few targets. Thought I would start at 100 yards, but since I didn't have my rest it would be impossible to see over the first berm from ground level lying prone. I decided I would park the car diagonally to my targets and use the sleeping bag as a rest on top of the car hood while kneeling beside the car. Squeezzzed of the first round. Bolted another round into the chamber and DANG!!!, is that a powder burn on the hood??? I couldn't believe it. The sleeping bag elevated the barrel at least 12" above the hood I thought. The day kinda went downhill after that. Ever tried to clean a powder stain from the hood of a white Corvette? Over the next few years my brother went off the deep end and starting shooting competitively. One of the last trips we made to the local range together involved killing lots of bowling pins and iron targets. He had several Colt's highly modded that looked like assault weapons. He reloaded by the wheelbarrow. Y'all would have got along just fine. I haven't shot a pistol in 10 years. I miss it. Think I'll go out in the back yard right now and squeeze off a few rounds! Thanks for the laugh Tom. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 Hey Tom, Your indoor .454 Casull story is about the same thing that happened at the rifle club when a guy that looked like yours started firing a Barrett semi-auto in .50 BMG. Almost everything stopped to watch him shoot. I was shooting a DCM (CMP) match and finished my round, so I went, too. There is no bass impact like a .50 cal round going off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 Coincidentally, I finally last night saw "Bowling for Columbine" for the first time. You guys see it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wardsweb Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 I had similiar weapons. Yes going to the range with a tricked out 1911A1 is one thing, but as soon as I would pull out the Ruger Super Blackhawk (wimpy 44mag stainless w/10" and Leopold site) and fire one round, the range would go quiet for a sec as people look to see what just went off. Still have the 1911 but sold the Ruger. I can go "plinking" all day with a 22 for fun for what one box cost for the Ruger. This one is fun but most ranges won't let you shoot full auto. Now here is a FUN day at the range Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted April 18, 2004 Author Share Posted April 18, 2004 Yea, when that 454 went off I was glad I was wearing underwear that day. Someday, I still may want to have children. I haven't heard a 50 BMG yet but every time I think of one I look over at a 20mm dummy round in my study and think it can't be too far from that. Then I see my 105mm Howitzer empty casing and start to hold my ears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2K Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 Any weapon in the hand of an irresponsible person is dangerous. A drunk driver is one example. Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 This is my number one weapon for the BBB's home security. I have others that I've never needed to use because when this one's hammer comes down it's got a 170 pound kick to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted April 18, 2004 Author Share Posted April 18, 2004 Mine just doesn't leave empty magazines around the house if I don't take it out for walk once in a while. I like/love dogs really, I just can't afford the extra time and attention they need. My cat (Depo) acts so much like a dog it's funny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 ---------------- On 4/18/2004 4:01:22 PM Tom Blasing wrote: Mine just doesn't leave empty magazines around the house if I don't take it out for walk once in a while. I like/love dogs really, I just can't afford the extra time and attention they need. My cat (Depo) acts so much like a dog it's funny. ---------------- LOL. Depo. That's a cool name. I like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 Just got my permit for Georgia renewed recently. Georgia now has a reciprocity agreement with: Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming. You don't have to pass a test in Georgia, but my wife and I both went up and took a class in Chattanooga (TN), so we had some training. I'm glad we did. We didn't do too badly, and keep saying we're going to go back to practice at the range. There are too many people who get a handgun and just shove it under their pillows at night. fini, I can tell you disagree with what we're saying here. It's okay. It isn't the responsible people you need to worry about. Cheers, Marvel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted April 18, 2004 Author Share Posted April 18, 2004 BBB- Hehehehe....thanks. I work for a court reporting firm and he was found at the front doorstep of one of the ladies I worked with. She has allergies too intense to keep him (he was 9 weeks old) so she brought him into the office. I get to work that morning and she says "Your cat is in the conference room...". "Huh? I don't have a cat. I can't have a cat!" I brought him home and the first thing he did after running around a while was go potty in the same box I brought him home in. Yep, he's a keeper! So now his full name is Deposition Turbo LeMew. Or sometimes we just call him CatBoy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted April 18, 2004 Author Share Posted April 18, 2004 ---------------- On 4/18/2004 5:00:02 PM Marvel wrote: Just got my permit for Georgia renewed recently. Georgia now has a reciprocity agreement with: Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wyoming. ---------------- I'm glad there's more of that going on. My girlfriend and I go to see her parents in Flint, Michigan twice a year (from Cincinnati) and this means I can bring the insurance along too. It used to be around here that if you took a handgun over state lines without notifying all the police departments your entering into; you could get into some deep doodoo. Practice is always a good thing. I don't know of too many people that can hit the X ring every time but it's good to remind yourself how it operates and what the recoil feels like (although under stress you probably won't notice it). If you can operate all the operations of your weapon without having to look at it then you're doing o.k. For instance, I used to ride skateboards semi-professionally when I was in high school (18 months with Coca-Cola). About 10 years after that I pretty much didn't use them (I had several and still do) for recreation or whatever else. Fast forward to now- One of the townships in my area just built one of a half dozen skateparks and I just had to go check it out (never had any 20-25 years ago). I didn't plan on riding one but I took two or three boards just the same. I found myself in the bottom of a kidney bowl thinking I was gonna kill myself. Only fell once, not a bad one. It just hit me really hard that 10-15 years ago I could do this stuff in my sleep (and sometimes did), now most of it escapes me. I still have pictures and notorieties but the feel of it was forgotten. Yea, give me about a years' practice and I'd be back to my old self again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 ---------------- On 4/18/2004 5:00:02 PM Marvel wrote: fini, I can tell you disagree with what we're saying here. It's okay. It isn't the responsible people you need to worry about. Cheers, Marvel ---------------- Marvel, I'm not worried about you guys, and I have no intent to hijack Tom's thread. I don't even necessarily disagree with you all. I was just adding a perpective, and asking if anyone had seen "Bowling for Columbine." I think it's a profound movie. It's had me thinking all day, after seeing it last night. Have any of you seen it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted April 18, 2004 Author Share Posted April 18, 2004 I haven't seen it only because of the title. I avoided giving it much attention and thus credibility just by how the title sounded to me. Like some sort of sick twisted movie you might see on stickdeath.com or South Park. Now I take it that it has a more serious tone and purpose to it. In my own defense I will say that I have never reached for a gun in anger or revenge. I think of myself as being a lot bigger than that. If it ever came to finger pointing of what happened at the school that day all I would like to/can say is that there were already plenty of laws in place that didn't help to keep those kids from getting a gun. I feel that criminals, by definition, don't obey laws and why would another one be any different. When I used to sell guns for a dept. store (yeeesh...ten years of it) I had kids come up and ask me to sell them mace and other similar products. The store had a policy against selling it to minors and I agreed with them. The kids would tell me they needed it for self defense and I would reply "How about not letting yourself get into a position where you might need it?". I may just offended a customer but I was hoping to put a new idea into, what seemed to be, a mind that wasn't thinking of but one option...to fight. Mace has been around for longer than I can remember and I don't ever remember needing it when I went to high school. Yes, the stakes have probably been raised since 20 years ago for me but I still think there are ways around getting into such trouble. A gun in true self defense, granted, is extreme and I never, ever hope to need one. But my odds of survival just greatly increased the chances of me having pancakes next Saturday morning at home with my girlfriend and pets, listening to Simon and Garfunkle on the stereo in the next room. When I first posted this thread I was hoping in the back of my mind that it wouldn't go in this direction. I realize my acknowledging and responding to that unwanted direction isn't doing my original intent any favors. So as Monty Python said in the beginning of the soundtrack album for the movie "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"..."you'll pass them now". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 As I stated before, I have no intention of taking this in any "direction" other than adding some very relevant information, making a sincere recommendation, and joining in the conversation. Believe me, I am very used to being ignored here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted April 19, 2004 Share Posted April 19, 2004 Ignore you! You make too many serious posts to be ignored, and I really mean that. It is humor that helps keep us from going off the deep end. Tom, A very good friend of mine does Civil War re-enacting. His wife quit going to some of the functions because of the sound of a mini ball going through the air. Over a half inch diameter ball of lead moving at low velocity. She has read too many of her husbands writings and knows what that piece of lead can do. He does artillery as well. Now we're getting into some big bore stuff. This isn't going in a bad direction. Hope the recovery goes well and you have a good week. Marvel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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