A Sig Sauer 716i
in .308 caliberLock and load .... ready on the firing line ....
I am on record
saying I would never own an AR-type rifle.
Among other
things, they have no class; no beauty; no sex appeal.
Behold, a Sig
Sauer 716i in .308 caliber crowned with an after-market, red dot, Vortex sight acquired
on my jaunt to Dakota. The third guy in the "band of loosely-connected characters"
who gathered for the "Great Dakota Shoot Out" had purchased four,
shiny-new AR rifles in about a three-week period. The most expensive in the
batch is a Fabrique Nationale (FN) SCAR which cost him $3,499.99 straight from the factory. Yep, really. The
others were in the $1,500 range.
He can afford
them. He inherited a vending machine business which his father had established
over the course of many/many years. The secret to wealth? Maybe, be a doctor;
maybe, be a lawyer; for sure, operate vending machine concessions in colleges,
hospitals, factories established and bought and paid for by a parent.
Yep, he can afford them, but he was a bit embarrassed by so many purchases in such a short period of time that he decided to cut this one loose for $1,100.
Anyway, my son (the instigator) and I (the guy with the checkbook) went halves on this hummer.
We both get to
shoot it; he gets hang on to it, but has to clean it and keep it spotless ....
Now, because I
said I never would have an AR-type I am left wondering if, since I only do own
half of one, am I a liar or a half-liar or a what ....
Neither here nor there material ....
For those
reading this who are unfamiliar with the .308 cartridge, it also is known as the 7.62
millimeter as fired in the M-14 rifle, which for a few years was the standard rifle of the United States military. It succumbed to the AR-15 / M-16 in .223 caliber,
which translates to 5.56 millimeter. One reason (probably the primary
reason) the M-14 was dumped was because American troops had trouble handling
the recoil of the .308, whose ballistics are similar to a .30-06. The .30-06
was the primary round used in our military rifles during World Wars I and II and in
Korea.
For the record (it
seems like I say that with a degree of frequency), I have no trouble handling
either the .308 or the .30-06 and suspect another of my reasons for disliking
the AR-types was because of the .223 caliber. I also suspect one of the reasons
I gave in on (partially) owning an AR is its present availability in several calibers,
including the .308 / 7.62.
What is the
purpose of the .308 / .30-06 / .223 data mentioned here? I have no idea what to say other than to blame my fingers for not wanting to stop typing.
I just came inside from looking at the "Hunter's Moon." It is spectacular .... it is beautiful .... enjoy it ....
By the way, one
of the videos here is a new, pre-release version of "7 And 7 Is" by Deep Purple ....
and, yes, it really is Deep Purple, at least current members of the band as they now exist .... ancient codgers that they are. The other video is Queen performing "I'm in Love with My Car," with song composer Roger Taylor doing the vocals. This song harkens back to my double Mustang GT 5.0 era .... oooouuuu, sweeeeeet ....
12 comments:
I was glad to see the explanation of the link between rifles and vending machines. I actually know someone who did quite well in the vending machine business. I also know several folks who own AR-style rifles.
Hmmm... a liar? A half-liar? Let's just say you opted to change your mind about something. Though I'm no fan of "politicians", I've never felt it was entirely fair to accuse one of "flip-flopping" on a position. People do sometimes change their opinions about things.
One of my earliest thoughts about a vending machine business was how tedious and boring life would be going from place to place and "reloading" the machines. Sometime later, it dawned on me how difficult it must be to convince people to give you often exclusive access to their colleges, hospitals and factories for placing your machines within them. Through this particular individual came realization of what a gold mine vending machine concessions can become.
Moving in the "right" political circles no doubt can be a benefit to this or to any business, as can having a wife who is a district/circuit court judge, which was the case for my son's friend's papa. Incidentally, this lad once said, rather loudly at a public gathering, that he thought of me and my former wife as his "second parents," which I felt was a significant compliment.
ARs are potential gold mines for accessory makers as many "gun nuts" have many opinions on what constitutes a "perfect gun." I know I frequently experiment with changing out parts, especially on 1911s. Most of mine have differing configurations.
I agree with you about "politicians" and about "flip-flopping" .... but-t-t-t often remain a bit skeptical in most instances. As the old idiom goes, "The proof is in the pudding ...."
Thank you, Kelly, for coming here and for writing here. I would guess the autumn brings back mostly good memories for you, too ....
Uffa meg!
What a story and what a gun(very nazi like)
Like you music but I cant see it here
I go to youtube and watch there
Stay happy and enjoy november soon coming
Anita
Curiously, Anita, the Sig Sauer rifle in the photograph is not unlike the Wehrmacht and the Waffen-SS MG42 (MG = machine gun) in appearance, from which a number of today's weapons including the American M60 are descended. My new "baby" is a semi-automatic, of course, but a military adaptation is "floating around" in some U.S. special warfare units and the India army has ordered more than 72,000 of them.
Everything I have read points toward this rifle being the best AR variation ever.
The Rolling Stones are in town Sunday evening .... I have seen them twice and cannot make up my mind if I want to go this time around. The concert is not sold out, so there are tickets to be had .... hmmmm .... I wonder ....
My thought is that "7 and 7 is" is a take it or leave it song, and that the last "good music" Deep Purple put out was the "Perfect Strangers" album way/way back in 1984. I like the "purple gang," but think it pales when comparted to the likes of Queen and few others. "I'm in Love with My Car" is a cool song.
Thank you, vakker norsk jente, for coming and for commenting:
"I'm in love with my car .... Got a feel for my automobile ...."
Whilst not being enamoured with the idea of guns (we've touched on that subject before), I found your post fascinating. :-)
And to top it all, Queen's I'm in Love with my Car. :-) One of the many gems on the A Night at the Opera album.
Greetings from London.
"Whilst not being enamoured with the idea of guns" very possibly is among the mildest ways of describing your views about firearms, I think, it demonstrates another of your admirable traits, CiL. You are willing to accept those individuals whose beliefs differ from your own.
As for Roger Taylor's Queen song, "I'm in Love with My Car," I think it might be the quintessential piece of music about "hot cars." I love the song and can associate with it.
Thank you, CiL, for your appearance and your comment. I have an avid/avid/avid biker in my family and wish someone would write a song about "hot bikes" for him ....
P.S. I was driving behind a Corvette a few days ago which had a customized license plate: "NOHURRY"
Awesome blog
Thank you, very much, Rajani Rehana .... I like it .... most of the time ....
I have visited your blog several times, although I have not commented.
I expected the topic of the release to change because I simply can’t comment on guns, there is no expertise.
Music makes the senses awaken, very energetic.
Great performances!
Class, beauty and sex appeal, of course, are in the eye of the beholder and I personally find none of them present in AR-type rifles. They originally were designed for war and being able to function in the harshest of outdoor conditions. Originally, AR-types had a dismal record for functioning in the location of their first exposure to war, which was Vietnam. Modifications and improvements have helped them to evolve into a sturdy, usually reliable weapon and, you know guys, their popularity soared because they became associated with the "macho man" image.
I am entering the "AR game" very late and mostly to keep my son happy. In a manner of speaking, it will be an interesting experiment and I am curious to learn if this exposure will influence my opinion about them ....
Anyway, I will have the first part of a new post going up on November 1, but it revolves around growing up in a small, rural community in which the "gun culture" was among the dominant characteristics. The second part, which will follow a few days later, centers more on a post card showing a street in that community, with some focus on the message written on that card in Swedish.
Thank you, Liplatus, for each and every time you visited me and for this comment. Some people more-or-less exchange comments, but my own mannerism is to write both posts and comments when and where and how I wish and, hopefully, others will do the same.
Later, Liplatus .... and, in the meanwhile, take care and be safe ....
To expand on that Taylor song, Queen was one of the few bands that could boast four excellent songwriters. In fact, over time my enthusiasm for Bohemian Rhapsody waned. There are far better songs on The Night at the Opera. I'm In Love With My Car, The Prophet's Song, Deaths On Two Legs. Bohemian just got lucky. :-D
Give me any of Queen's first seven albums (all 70s) and I'll show a band that was equally ground-breaking and hard to categorise.
Greetings from London.
I came to Queen rather late and never moved into "studying" the individuals or their music in detail, CiL, so I will accept your thoughts as verbatim to the facts. My own thought is with so many excellent musicians in the world and so many talented vocalists, why do so few reach the level of Queen? My short answer is lack of "powerful" songs, which translates into so few among them with the ability to compose memorable music. That would not be the only reason, of course, but it would be among the primary reasons.
I am glad to see you here again, CiL, and I sincerely wish you great success and many accomplishments as a writer. I have not given up on the hope that one day you will give me a tour of London with the two of us sporting cowboy boots.
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