During these years of stupid, I have rediscovered one of the finest joys. And that is sitting in my basement, shooting an air rifle at an Olympic (almost) range. I can sit and shoot all day for less than it costs to get to the nearest shooting area, range or hollow. I can do in it the relative comfort of my own house. I can do it in rain, snow, or sleet.
Now, I will fully admit that I am fairly lucky to have a full-length basement, but the fundamentals of air gunning are so easy to apply, anyone can do it in the comfort of their own domicile, no matter if it is a house, an apartment, or a recreational vehicle. All you need is a fairly long, straight part of the area, a pellet trap, pellets or BB’s, and something that shoots them.
Without getting too deep into it, air guns of one sort or another have been around for millennia. Blowguns that natives use to shoot poisoned darts? That is the basics of an air gun; using compressed air to launch a projectile. And we have all heard about the bellows gun used by the Austrian army and carried by the Lewis and Clark expedition. The basics of the spring piston-style gun were developed in England around the turn of the 20th century and developed by British gun-making goliath BSA. And lately, the CO2 and PCP guns have been taking the whole field to new heights.
The three basic types of air gun are the Spring Piston, where a spring launches a piston in a compression chamber, causing a pillow of air to send the projectile down a barrel. These range from the Red Rider lever action BB guns to the fancy European break barrel and side lever types, such as Walther Luftgewar and GAMO. Pneumatic, where air is drawn into a chamber and stored, only to be unleashed all at once to send a projectile down a barrel. This type of action comes in two types, the pump, an example of which is the Crossman that we all remember from our youths, and the PCP or Pre-Charged Pneumatic, where the air is introduced to the storage chamber via a mechanical method and is enough for multiple shots or extremely high-powered shots. These rifles can shoot calibers up to .50 and are now being used to hunt large game such as deer. Finally, CO2 guns use compressed, inert gas to propel the BB or pellet. This comes in little cartridges that are inserted into the gun, adding cost but making repeat shots easy and not taking up much valuable space.
We all know about BB’s, .177 steel balls. Most of us are also familiar with pellets, the wasp-waisted ammunition of the typical air rifle or pistol, which come in wadcutter for target shooting, domed for plinking, and pointed or hollow pointed for hunting and pest control. What most people don’t know are the sizes these come in. The most common is .177, closely followed by .22, with .25 a distant third. By the way, these three sizes were referred to as no. 1, no. 2, and no. 3 in older English guns, in case you were curious. Also, those same English guns don’t follow the metric system, so while the .177 was derived from the continental 4.5mm, the original .22 was 5.6mm, not the 5.5mm that is now used. This can cause confusion, inaccurate rifles, and headaches when trying to source pellets for older British and American guns. Fortunately, Marksman in Great Britain makes a special batch in this size, and older Crossman pellets fit the bill over here in the U.S. Pellets tins can be very collectible in their own right, with great artwork being the norm for the lids. The much larger and more powerful PCP guns will also use slugs of varying sizes, some going up to .50. These resemble black powder projectiles, in both looks and performance.
The uses and pastimes for air guns are many, and they range from simple backyard plinking at beer cans with an old BB gun, to hunting vermin and small game within city limits with a spring-piston .177 or .22 pellet gun, to more advanced sports such as Field Trials, a variation on golf much like Disc Golf or Sporting Clays. This basically consists of moving from shooting lane to shooting lane and hitting various small steel targets at different distances that are designed to fall over when hit at a specific kill spot, and they can all be reset for the next shooter from the firing line. Running Boar is a mainly European, indoors pastime, which consists of a series of moving targets scrolling across a shooting gallery, and each one needs to be hit to score. And then there is my favorite; Ten-meter Olympic-style shooting. Imagine a bullseye the size of the period at the end of this sentence, .5mm to be exact. Now, try to see this target from 36 feet away. No scope, just iron sights. Oh, and each shot is timed, not excessively so, but enough to put pressure on the shooter. I suck but am slowly getting better at a few shots per day. This is pretty easy to do, as I have set up a 10-yard range in my basement. These are just a few of the activities you can do with air guns, and as you probably noticed, you can do them at home, in your backyard, basement, down the hallway, or anyplace discharging a powder firearm is either idiotic or illegal.
I shot air guns as a kid, as my father had a Crossman single-shot pistol, a .45 auto lookalike that we spent hours with, sending BBs into targets, cans, lizards, and whatever else we found shootable. Later, when I hit junior high age, I was given a Benjamin model 317, a multi-pump .177. And while this isn’t the pinnacle of American air guns, that would be the similarly designed and manufactured Sheridan, it was real. Real wood, real blued steel, really accurate. That, in turn, was replaced by an Ithaca 37 shotgun, which lead me down the road to powder arms, which I still love and enjoy to this day. But two things brought me back to the world of compressed air.
The first was a regular shooting trip up to the mountains. I have never really liked formal ranges, something that stems from my father having 40 acres in the California foothills when I was in high school and college. It was quite easy to head out to the property and blast away at targets or go hunting jackrabbits in the scrub any time I had a free afternoon. With the only Rangemaster being myself or friends and family, I never had to deal with others deciding when a range was hot, worrying about my quick draw techniques, or any other issues. This didn’t stop me from practicing safe shooting, as that was burned into my brain at a young age by my father. In any case, I was out in the mountains, and while doing some .22 practice I noticed I had developed a flinch. Not cool, and was something I needed to work on.
The second thing was my wife’s vegetable garden. And the Nutria who decided to feast on all her efforts. I cannot shoot a firearm within city limits, but I can shoot a pellet gun. And a nice .22 BSA soon filled this corner of my armory. I quickly remembered how much fun shooting these weapons is. Quiet and cheap, as pellets cost less than $10 for 250, and as I said, you can do this at home. Since then I have added a Webley MK2 pistol from the late ‘20s, two Slavia’s, which is CZ’s air gun branch, two Benjamin’s, one a .177 pistol and the other a .22 rifle, both multi pumps from around 1950. I am sure there are more to come.
I have a fairly large basement, and so I set up a shooting lane, quickly and easily. Granted, I need to shoot around the sewer main, but I have my super cheap pellet trap that consists of a cardboard box filled with shop rags and backed up by a piece of 2×12, with a plywood stop. Perfect for my purposes, and it also is so quiet that I can shoot early in the morning when my wife is still asleep. A word to the wise, if you are going to do this at home, start shooting at your trap from around five feet away, as you want to make sure that your sights are actually pointing your shots in the right direction. But, if you have a garage, a long hallway, or as I have, a long basement, you have a good air gun shooting range. Just remember, it is a range, and these are weapons, treat them the same as any other gun. Always obey the four rules of gun safety:
- Treat all guns as if they are always loaded.
- Never let the muzzle point at anything that you are not willing to destroy.
- Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on target and you have made the decision to shoot.
- Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
If this appeals to you, then I am going to make a couple of recommendations. While air guns can be quite expensive, as a new Feinwerkbau or Walther can easily run you well into the thousands of dollars, there are much cheaper places to start. For pistols, I would recommend the Browning Buckmark URX, a spring piston, break barrel single shot, so there is no CO2 cartridge to mess around with, and while it may be made of plastic, it is a great introduction to the sport and usually retails for less than $50. For rifles, I would start with the Crossman Optimus, another break barrel that comes in both .177 and .22 for around $130, though I would ditch the scope, as combo packs like that never contain good optics. Now, you might notice that I prefer spring piston pellet guns, and both of those listings are on the Pyramid Air website, a great place for all things air gun. And there you will find air guns that appeal to all tastes, from high-end competition guns from companies such as Anshutz, or full auto BB replicas of famous machine guns, great for blasting away And I will say, as much of a vintage fan as I am, I do have my eyes on this bad boy: a Hatsan BullBoss, a bullpup, PCP rifle in .25 with a built-in silencer. (No, I don’t own or have stock in Pyramid Air, they just have a great website.)
Oh, you noticed I said silencer, did you? Well, air guns are treated differently under the law. Based on Section 921(a) (3), air guns, because they use compressed air and not an explosive to expel a projectile, do not constitute firearms under Federal law — unless they are manufactured with the frames or receivers of an actual firearm.
This means that they can be shipped across state lines, do not need to be transferred via FFL, and can be suppressed. But one word about that, the silencers cannot be able to be used on a firearm that is covered under the NFA. So, they need to be permanently attached, basically. Also, keep in mind that wherever you live might have its own laws regarding compressed air guns. For example, NYC still requires you to register them with the local police. So, be informed.
In the end, air guns are not quite the same as shooting firearms, but they are a great way to work on your shooting skills and techniques in the comfort of your own home, have fun, and do this on the cheap. At least as far as ammunition goes. You are on your own for what you want to spend on the gun.
Cool stuff Zwak.
I have an Umarex which I obtained from my father. It easily has the worst trigger known to man. Not knowing much about air rifles I’m reluctant to try to modify it.
Thank you edit fairy
I’ll leave a typo under my pillow for you tonight.
EDIT FAIRY VISIT!*
She’ brought drinks!
?
She? Are you assuming it’s gender?!?!?!
But not enough of them.
I wish I had one again, lots of fun and cheap to operate. Nice article, good info
Thanks Zwak!
Excellent.
I thought this needed to come forward,
For lobot,
– https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-help-jason-start-over?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1
I have killed more things with my air rifle than with any of my powder firearms.
Admittedly, they were all mice.
For the record, I have not killed anything with a powder firearm. We had been making plans for me to visit PA for a hunting trip back in early 2020, but that got trashed by the obvious problems.
I won’t hunt for pleasure, but I’ll hunt for food, so Xbows and Birdshot, Question, can you kill a brown Bear with a shotgung slug? I really don’t know, I would think so.
I did plan to eat the deer, have the hide made into an apron, and keep any antlers for making knife handles. Not sure about the bones…
UCS, I have an empty stand again this year, a long drive, I know, and no guarantee but the accommodations are warm and modern.
a long drive
20-23 hours. I’d tend to split that into three days each way.
I’ll defer to big game hunters here, but I’d rather have something with more penetration than a shotgun slug where a brown bear is concerned.
Different flavors of Breneke slugs are wildly destructive.
https://youtu.be/HFxaJ0m6yI0
https://youtu.be/CdKBOi0TCqY
“Question, can you kill a brown Bear with a shotgung slug? I really don’t know, I would think so.”
Absolutely yes. There are rifled and sabot slugs designed with big/dangerous game in mind.
Indeed. The Spousal Unit had a neighbour growing up who ran a blueberry farm, and used to occasionally bag a brown or black bear that was wreaking havoc on said farm. Shotgun with sabot slugs. When I asked him how effective they were, he replied “Basically turns the bear inside-out.” I imagine a deer slug should work just as well.
Thanks, more for defense than hunting, what the hell would I do with a shredded bear?
Tacos?
Well said, I had some Elk chili once, very tasty.
I’ve had bear. I did not care for it at all. Spongy and kind of sweet.
Elk, however, is fantastic.
Buerco guisada?
The one I have is a break top spring piston model I got for $100 at Dick’s before they went anti-2A on us.
I do not recall the brand. I bought it because I needed to kill a mouse that a trap had failed to finish off.
Just don’t put yer eye out.
Indeed. Use pellets instead of BB’s when possible. BB’s bounce all over the place.
How much
fireairpower would it take to take out the raccoon who gets into the cat food we put out for a couple of neighborhood cats? (Or at least ruin his evening?)Probably a live trap, GT, ‘coons are easy to catch, drop the varmint off in a neighborhood of someone you don’t like. I don’t shuttle the critters around, I solve the problem on the spot. A garbage can full of water that is big enough for the live trap will work too.
You will need a right proper pellet rifle, not a kid’s Daisy BB gun.
I wouldn’t shoot a raccoon with anything less than a 22LR.
I’ve had 22 shorts bounce off their skull at close range before.
Ah, you just mean to dissuade him. Break action 177 with about 900fps velocity should do the trick.
^THIS^
I had a Daisy 50? the pump bb gun as a kid, went to a Crossman pump pistol as a teen ager. Now have a Diana 135 with a scope, that I haven’t shot for years that I bought 50 years ago. A lot of beer cans, maybe a few frogs, a red squirrel or two along the way. Just don’t shoot much anymore, though on Sat I’ll be in the woods with a .41 Mag Contender, hoping Bambi is around.
Thanks, great info!
I’ve been doing a lot of research on air guns lately, and love the PCP offerings, but man, there are definitely some additional costs associated with that platform.
Even the hand pumps are $200+, since they have to get to at least 100+ bar, all the way to 200+ bar (IIRC), and the compressors and SCUBA tank options for filling add a lot more $ to the equation.
So, I’m thinking of the spring action, just need to get a quality one.
Oh, and the other thing that blew me away (ha!) was that there are different weights of pellets in the same caliber, allowing for more custom ballistic characteristics and sub/supersonic profiles.
I’m of the opinion that for a lethal subsonic weapon, PCP air rifles including the costs of a compressor and slugs is vastly cheaper than firearm alternatives. The silenced PCP rifles are also quieter with almost zero maintenance and cleaning.
I’ve been trying to talk a friend into selling packages at gun shows.
Totally agree, but it’s still something of an investment.
That said, once you have a compressor, then buying more gunz ultimately saves money because you already have the compressor, right? That’s how my math works, anyway!
Haven’t used my Red Rider for awhile.
Did you shoot your eye out?
Oh my God!
Er: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085334/mediaviewer/rm966778625
Icicle did it, I swear!
I currently own zero bb/pellet guns.
I have had some over the years though. Including airsoft, which was fun.
Good article.
How do you protect your cocktail weenies??
Pew pew pew.
Call ’em venison sticks, serve them on a paper plate to Jimbo, call them a charcuterie platter, he’ll guard them all afternoon.
In middle/high school I had a 66 Powermaster which I think was a Crossman. It was multi-pump. Loved that thing.
I still have my Benjamin pump pistol in .177, with an old pack of Benjamin/Sheridan pellets. My lovely nickel plate Benjamin air rifle was stolen when I lived in an apartment. Not much chance to shoot it anymore.
Swiss, saw your listing about open positions in the morning post. Can you dm me any links? I know at least one servicemember where I work getting forced out.
Thanks.
@Swiss – To piggyback on Fish’s question: what kind of positions are open? I can’t move, but would be open to at least exploring a WFH option.
I can do a quick scan and email you…what type of work, generally are you looking for?
Currently in Project management, with a technical emphasis (I manage our technical team’s engagement in larger command-wide projects)
Experience in Systems Admin, Operational Technology (i.e., Control Systems, but from the cybersecurity side, not the field programming side).
I’ve run teams of IT helpdesk folks in the past (so, first-level management exp).
Also training and teaching roles (no certs, though). Had a full-time public speaking role in a previous career. So something like training and curriculum development.
Thanks.
I will email you.
Received. Thanks again.
I emailed you.
Thanks for the write up. Related: clicked on the Browning pistol link and saw that site also specializes in crossbows. Been thinking for a while now about investing in one, but I know absolutely nothing about them. I know for a fact there are Glibs that do however.
Can anyone make a suggestion for a good entry-level, mid-price range model? I’m looking at sport shooting, and I suppose protection if I ever run out of real ammo. Won’t be doing any game hunting with it.
start here, I have the Boss 405,
https://www.amazon.com/stores/KillerInstinct/page/3BE89D9C-8099-4AF6-AAD5-3ADC171F3216?ref_=ast_bln
or here
Illuminated scope and everything — I like. Thanks Yusef.
RTFM, prevent ND, it went through my window so fast it left behind a round 1 inch hole, spooky, and nothing else happened.
Sorry for the OT:
Time for the national divorce?
Ohio AG Dave Yost sues to overturn President Biden’s coronavirus vaccine mandate:
It’s past time.
Well it’s been like half a day, but yes.
Lots of articles today.
Seems like it’s designed to never be enforced, probably won’t hold up in court, cannot be considered an emergency, and will probably come into place when Covid is really low anyway.
The purpose is to give lots of social signaling companies the excuse.
https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/have-fun-defending-the-emergency-osha-rule-in-court/
Any attempt to separate will lead to war within hours. Especially because the other side wants to rule you. They will not be satisfied to let you leave.
Which tells me they’re not putting every “anti-vaxxer” on “unpaid leave” because there is no [redacted] way that there are only 34 free-thinkers out of 20 or 30 thousand cops. Nice try, TMITE.
I’ve been seeing that stat paraded around. There’s got to be some kind of weaselly reporting going on. I can’t imagine that is true as they state it.
Just unpaid leave. That’s not counting the resignations, reassigned, on paid leave, on vacation, etc…
There’s probably some union wrangling going on.
The implication they are trying to make is simply not credible.
addendum: “approximately 36,000 officers and 19,000 civilian employees”
The actual lawsuit was a really good read for this not-a-lawyer. I particularly like all the counts about “Federal procedures were not properly followed” given how often it seems judges use that to strike down a policy without having to actually declare it unconstitutional or decide on its merits, so hopefully this will go somewhere.
Of course, that may just be weighted in my mind after the 4+ years of Hawaiian judges and OMB. We’ll probably get a variant of “But rules don’t matter when it is IMPORTANT” crap maybe even from Chief Justice Penaltax himself eventually. I may not contain multitudes, but I definitely contain an optimistic/cynical duality. 😉
Let’s learn about the three angels slaughtered by Kyle Rittenhouse.
The link always tells a story: https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/01/us/kyle-rittenhouse-shooting-victims-trial
The prosecution can’t call them victims, but CNN sure will.
One soy-boy’s “victim” is another man’s “assailant who got what was coming to him”.
Terrific article, Zwak.
I’ve sometimes said that shooting an air rifle : shooting a real rifle :: flying a glider : flying a powered airplane. It’s not a replacement, but it’s cheap, convenient, and makes you much better at the real thing.
Flying gliders is a lot of fun and requires significant skill.
Same for air rifles.
I figure flying air rifles would take a large amount of skill.
Very much. My pop is a glider pilot, and I’ve been up with him a few times. I’d be into that in a heartbeat if I didn’t already have all these other hobbies…
I have an RWS model 34 in .22 that I’ve owned since I was 12. It’s big, heavy, and packs a whallop. Scourge of groundhogs.
Nice. The RWS Diana Model 34 was my first rifle, although mine was a .177 caliber. Wonderful guns, and RWS had just the greatest logo art for them.
I like my doc but I hate waiting rooms.
*taps foot impatiently *
That’s why God made ebooks.
In the time I’ve been sitting here, an elderly woman has had time to check in, go downstairs for an X-ray and come back.
Coming up on an hour past the scheduled appointment
Sheesh. I’ve been in that position before. I pitched a right fit, too. “I’m self-employed and my time is valuable. I’ll send you a bill.”
Er, go first thing in the morning? /ducks
Srsly, less of the accordion effect the earlier you go.
Hail Trump, of course.
“Let’s Go Brandon” has become the MAGA version of “Sieg Heil.”
Joke’s on you…
Fun Fact: When MAGA Traitors say “Let’s Go Brandon”, what they really mean is “Let’s Go Putin”.
Many of them are just too stupid to realize it.
…Putin recently called out the West/American left for their insanity.
Halfwits, halfwits everywhere…
I’m not a complete idiot, I’m only a halfwit
/stolen joke.
they really are obsessed with OMB, poor dears….
Apropos: DeSantis calls the Biden administration the “Brandon Administration”.
This is getting really tedious. All they have is name calling, and it’s always the same three names.
Racist, Nazi, Fascist?
But what about all the %group%-phobes?
I thought it was racist, misogynistic, and homophobic (transphobic now I guess).
Racist, Nazi, Russian Asset were my 3, but there is Fascist and also Science Denier.
Racist, Nazi, Fascist
racist, misogynistic, and homophobic (transphobic now I guess)
Racist, Nazi, Russian Asset, Science Denier
Wow, and which party has a lock on diversity again?
Still going with the “Trump supporters are all ignorant rabble, unlike us enlightened elite” trope, I see.
Yawn.
I can’t remember the what the style books say. Is it baseless, unsubstantiated, or unproven claims of Russian interference.
Still going with Putin = the Devil – while our federal government is implementing policies that are pure evil.
Still with the Putin nonsense? They never learn,
“When your opponent is destroying himself, do not interrupt.” – Sun Tzu
People that know how to read already know the answer regardless of what the court says.
A group of New York gun owners will ask the Supreme Court to establish a fundamental right to carry a handgun for self-defense outside the home, a view of the Second Amendment that could reshape gun laws nationwide.
Hey propagandist, you misspelled “reaffirm”
My dad had an air pistol, no idea what kind, but it used compressed air. It was fun to shoot when I was a kid, especially because he had small steel animal silhouettes to shoot at that made great plink noises when I hit them.
Please let this happen.
Winsome Sears appears with Martha MacCallum tonight and challenges Joy Reid to debate — “I wish Joy Reid would invite me on her show. Let’s see if she’s woman enough to do that. I’d go in a heartbeat.”
That’s the greatest thing about being Left. You can hurl all sorts of accusations at your opponent and never have to be held accountable nor defend your position. I don’t think Joy Reid will take her up on her offer but even if she does. the debate will be so skewed that Sears would have been more productive arguing with my cats.
Meow! ?
“I won’t provide that sellout with legitimacy by debating her.”
-Joy Reid (probably)
Has there been an actual “debate” in recent years, like, at all?
Seems like it’s all talking points with loaded questions, or ad hominem attacks whilst talking past each other.
Not saying I wouldn’t like to see Ms. Sears make it happen, though.
For example, NYC still requires you to register them with the local police.
NYC is assho? Where oh where is my shocked face?
I still have the Daisy Powerline 880 my father gave me when I was a child. He still has his childhood Red Rider. We took them both out this summer and shot in his back yard.
Thanks, Zwak, for a great article. I’ve been toying with the idea of getting an air rifle, but there are so many options my eyes glaze over when I do any online shopping and I end up not getting anything.
If the Supreme Court does rule that New York’s current regime is unconstitutional, how do you think the State is going to adapt to continue denying citizens their rights?
Depends on how much of a fine can be levied against the State for each day… they… conti..
OH HAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!
HAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHA!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH!
….hah.
Ow, that hurt. Stop making me laugh.
“Firearms are prohibited to all residents except the plaintiffs and the attached list of the governor’s friends.”
Back from (not) elk hunting.
This was a great article, Zwak. Great summary. I’ve been saying for years that especially for rural dwellers, a really powerful air rifle is a great tool to have around if Something Bad Happens, and you can keep tens of thousands of pellets without a huge expenditure. I’m a little surprised I haven’t bought one yet myself.
Although I am probably going to buy one of these.
Very nice. I just got a Model 94AE .45 Colt
I hope I’m not stepping on someone’s link, too good to pass up:
https://boingboing.net/2021/11/03/man-jumped-into-lake-to-escape-bees-only-to-be-eaten-by-piranhas.html
When it’s your time, running just makes it take longer.
Hmm… so someone with better Photoshop skills than I needs to work on an Oprah “PIRANHAS!” meme gif?
Bummer, that’s like winning the lottery twice in one day but sorta the opposite.
“When God hath ordained a creature to die in a particular place, He causeth that creature’s wants to direct him to that place.”
Sounds like something from one of those “Final Destination” movies.
Me likey:
https://www.amazon.com/Yang-Bore-Light-Hunter-rifle/dp/B002N4D83M/ref=sr_1_19?keywords=texan+PCP&qid=1636050850&qsid=144-8670535-6797324&sr=8-19&sres=B00WR799TW%2CB00T9S3OBQ%2CB07CWDJQ7V%2CB08PDLV448%2CB071XHV8SS%2CB08SHKDT14%2CB08JWGTSMY%2CB087KQ6J7X%2CB08RSBCQSC%2CB00AF61IL4%2CB0018L9NE4%2CB00AU6EICA%2CB08RS6R4QP%2CB07L1SVSW1%2CB07T864Z9L%2CB072J31LH8%2CB089DJCB9Y%2CB08B3PT2QP%2CB002N4D83M%2CB08GY4W7M2&srpt=AIR_GUN
“ Danchenko Indictment: Source For Steele “Dossier” Claims Was Not Russian Officials. It Was… A HILLARY CLINTON POLITICAL OPERATIVE”
http://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=396323
I was saddened to hear about Mr. Danchenko’s suicide next week.
Fitting protest because DoBolshevik is trash.
Sassy.
I’ve got a .177 Benjamin Whisper series that they claim will take out a Racoon at ~ 60 yds. It feels like shooting a suppressed rifle in .22 short, so probably true.
15-1600 fps with the pointed sabot pellets and 1200+ with standard pellets. Makes a crack when you fire it.
I haven’t shot anything other than water bottles and paint buckets with it.
Found a place that might be…questionable. Form says you don’t need insurance and ANY ID will do, that is so they just get paid. Well, what if I pay you…and you just say you checked the ID? I feel like the scene in Office Space trying to figure out how to launder money.
And sorry…why do you need my social security number? Nah, I am good. Like I said..they might be willing to look the other way and give a card…
Or it’s just an easy way to get some info for identity theft.
Most medical offices still insist they need it. Yeah, you don’t so no.
SXM ditches the 50’s and 60’s channels. And 40’s Junction is replaced with Xmas music.
’60s moved to 73, slightly renamed.
Thank you. I didn’t think to search thru the channels. At least it’s all grouped next to where 40’s is/will be.
Jesus, reminds me they also turn Soul Town into Holiday Soul and move Soul Town to a new channel, why not just and Holiday Soul as a new channel ? Does SXM get a good laugh out of fucking with my presets?
I ditched SXM when they ditched O&A.
Fuck Howard Stern.
I use music podcasts or playlists now. I liked XM when it first came out. Not anymore.
LSUG, Outlaw Country, and Bluesville keep me subscribing, they add enough new stuff to keep it fresh and while they also play the old stuff from their respective genres they don’t stick just to the classics and will play rarities and lesser known songs (LSUG more so than the other two).
They may have stolen the election for Murphy in NJ, but we get to keep this as a consolation prize.
🙂
Evidently Durr is peeved that the “He only spent $153 on his campaign” story is making the rounds. Evidently he spent $153 on his *primary* campaign, and around $5,000 on the main election.
I wonder how many millions his opponent spent.
Probably nothing, assuming he could cruise for the win.
Murphy barely campaigned – then they had to find an extra 40k votes for him at 2 am.
See… further proof we need to get money out of politics!
Shenanigans.
Two incidents of voters being unable to select the Republican candidate for governor in New Jersey have been unearthed.
Two separate videos are being shared on social media where the voter on the voting machine is unable to select the Republican candidate for governor in New Jersey.
I know this can go both ways, but it is still a problem.
Touchscreens? Yeah, that’s secure ?
I stopped voting but last year it was still fill out the bubbles with a pencil in NY.
But money is what matters in politics.
Okay, how do you get the fat to render out of duck breast?
It always seems to stick around as an oversized slab.
What a schmaltzy question.
I call fowl.
I thought duck breast was supposed to be cooked starting with a cold pan.
I never make it myself though.
That is what I tried this time.
Cut an X in the skin, going into the fat.
Yeah, I remember that from all the cooking shows and I’ve never cooked it.
Take hold of the duck by the feet and neck. Rotate briskly in opposite directions, wringing the duck out.. The resulting liquid (including the fat) should run out. I’m pretty sure this is the source of duck sauce.
I don’t have whole birds.
Cut through skin into fat in a cross hatch pattern. Put small amount of oil in cold pan. Duck breast skin down, low heat. Takes a while.
They’re declaring war.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/mkt_breakingnews/osha-covid-19-vaccine-rule-may-be-expanded-to-small-businesses-labor-department_4085878.html
The Biden administration’s emergency COVID-19 vaccination requirement released today could be expanded in the future to employers who have fewer than 100 workers.
This was always going to happen just like “two weeks to flatten the curve” turned into “two years because fuck you”. You are the frog in the pot slowly being brought up to temperature. ///AlexJonesWasRight
OSHA inspector to be the most dangerous job in 3…2…1…
Keeping us UNCLEAN out of work, that will fix everything,
Keep shutting the doors of people who will not have a way to provide for their family. What could wrong
*dons cynicism hat*
That’s probably the idea.
We have altered the deal. Pray we do not alter it further.
Seriously, how much longer can this go on? The number at their absolute breaking point has got to be in the several millions now.
Until they are made to feel the consequences of their overreach. They’re not going to stop at this vaccine mandate. After they get the small businesses, children are next. The public school kids first, then the private school kids, then they’ll make it impossible for the stragglers to be in polite society.
It stopped being a slippery slope a while ago. We flung off the cliff with gusto and are in freefall.
I bet they drip the test option soon after also
I don’t find this surprising. One of the main points against it is that arbitrary 100 number. 99 employees in the same building are safe, but 101 workers across 12 different locations are not?
It’s an “emergency” but let’s wait two months plus however many months the lawsuits will circulate to enforce it.
It’s a non starter. Every work place in the US? Something of that scope? NFW.
Snitches get stiches…they will make a while industry out of this and internal employees will benefit greatly for ratting on their companies
Thanks for the great info, Zwak! I think you just helped my wife and I answer the question we were pondering just a few days ago: “What should we get (9yo son’s name) for Christmas?”
*calls local Ford dealer to get estimate on water pump replacement*
Him: “Yeah, we can get you in on the 29th”
Me: “Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh”
Doh!
I was just at the airport a bit ago, checking up on some things, and a guy came in to talk to the mechanics, interrupting them working on my airplane. Then he started talking about vaccines, and how “back in my day” (he’s in his 70s), “parents were lined up around the street to get their kids vaccinated for polio.”
I said, “well, polio is a very serious disease for children, while COVID doesn’t really affect them much at all.” He started in on “but kids carry it and pass it on to more vulnerable people.” I don’t have time for that shit. I just brushed him off and refocused the guys on the work they’re doing for me.