Planning Ahead Is Essential

When going overseas, it is essential to plan ahead and prepare for most contingencies. I did that when I recently went to South Africa. I used a travel agent to book my airfare, I reserved my room online for the night I arrived, and I used an expediting service to take care of my rifle permit from the South African Police Service.

An actual sign seen in a Caltex service station restroom near the town of Cradock in the Eastern Cape reminded me that even with all that preparation there were still some things I couldn’t foresee.

While I did not have an occasion to make that request, I do feel for those who saw the sign just a little bit too late. I’m guessing toilet paper is a more valued commodity in small town South Africa than I assumed and that management was tired of having it stolen.

The bottom line is to follow the Scout Motto: Be Prepared!

PS: I found that you can get individually wrapped baby wipes called “Stall Mates” from Amazon. (#commission earned)

Oh, The Things You Will Find

If you have ever misplaced a key for a padlock or gun case, you will relate to this next post. In my case it is a tubular key for my Tuffpak gun case which I bought at an auction a couple of years ago. I know it is somewhere but I don’t know where. I can even see the key that was tied to a piece of cord in my mind’s eye.

Somewhere along the line I must have untied it from the case and now I need it if I want to use this gun case to carry my rifles to Africa. The key was not in the case or any of the bags stuffed in the case. This led me to start looking in the obvious locations such as my desk drawer and my nightstand drawer. Nope, not there.

This led to searching elsewhere in other drawers which has turned into something of an adventure. It is an adventure as you never know what you will find or rediscover. The photo below illustrates just a fraction of the things found.

There are the things you’ve been looking for and then there are the things you didn’t realize you still had. In the former category is my Swiss Army Alox Pioneer knife in the center of the photo. Turns out it was in a tray on top of my chest of drawers. Also found there were the mini level, the Lansky Mini Dog Bone knife sharpener, the patriotic stickers, and the suction-cup mounted peep site for your shooting glasses. I think that means I need to clean up the top of that chest of drawers so I can find even more stuff!

Then in the category of things I didn’t realize I still had are multiple sets of corded ear buds that no longer work with my newer iPhone as it doesn’t have a headphone jack. I also didn’t remember buying that blue Master TSA lock nor the Energizer reading light. The latter actually still works!

Finally, there are the things you knew you had but you didn’t remember putting them in that drawer. First, was the school picture of my first girlfriend taken in 1973-74. I had met Pat who was from Ontario at a weeklong summer camp in the mountains of North Carolina. We did get together the next year in Canada after I had graduated high school and she was headed to Grade 13. Unfortunately, we lost track of one another when she went off to university in Ottawa. I do wonder what has become of her. Second, there are the Nikken magnets which are supposed to reduce pain or swelling by adjusting your magnetic polarity or something like that.

As to that missing key, I’m still looking and there are still more drawers to search!

If You Argue The 2A Only Covers Muskets….

I came across this interesting cartoon on Reddit this morning. If you are deluded enough to presume that our Founders never intended for the Second Amendment to cover modern arms and it was only to cover arms in use as of 1791, then this is for you.

I would also note that despite what President Joe Biden asserts, we could always own cannons. Thus, have a cannon loaded with grapeshot would be perfectly acceptable to the Founders.

After viewing this short little video, those who contend only muskets and the like are covered by the Second Amendment might want to change their minds. The bodily damage done by the older weapons would try the skills of even the most accomplished trauma surgeon.

Kudos to “brilliant_garlic69” for creating this video.

New Products Released Today

A number of new products have been released today. They include a new trigger, a new innovative camo, and a specialty shotgun cartridge.

From Franklin Armory, makers of the binary trigger, comes the Trinary Firing System™. The video below shows just how it works. I’m sure it will please gun owners and infuriate anti-gunners.

From the Finnish company Varusteleka comes IanPat. This new camo pattern builds on the work done by Forgotten Weapons’ Ian McCollum.

Forget about those MultiCams and M05s already – brace yourself for the supremely historical and ultimately versatile camo pattern, IanPat! Together with Ian from Forgotten Weapons, we have developed this unique and innovative camouflage pattern that suits all terrains and needs.

Finally, from Fiocchi comes the Caw Caw Cawtridge. Available in 12, 20, 28, and .410 gauges, this shell is intended for crow hunting.

Engineered for maximum crow mortality, our new Caw Caw Cawtridge boasts a specially designed wad that delivers an exceptionally dense pattern in a shorter shot string compared to traditional shotshells. Through extensive research and development, we pushed the boundaries of innovation by not only enhancing the cartridges but also revolutionizing the packaging itself. Each box features an integrated App-based crow call with three popular calls: Feeding Crow, Fighting Crows, or Dying Crow, ensuring optimal results whether decoying birds in cornfields or hunting timber birds. Trust Fiocchi’s new Caw Caw Cawtridge to deliver devastating results against this uncanny foe!

When you absolutely, positively need to murder a murder, this is the cartridge for you!

As a reminder to everyone reading this post, remember the date.

The Ides Of March

Anyone who has studied Latin or has seen Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar knows of the Ides of March. It marks the day that the Roman dictator Gaius Julius Caesar was assassinated in the Roman Senate. He had been warned by a fortune teller to “avoid the Ides of March”.

But what is Ides in the Roman calendar?

It marks the middle of each month when the full moon has risen. The Ides were traditionally observed with feasts and sacrifices. Moreover, as the Roman calendar began the year with March, the Ides of March marked the first full moon of the new year. As such, it was a day of great importance. It was also notable as the day for settling debts.

And so it was that the group of 60 Roman senators led by Marcus Junius Brutus who feared Caesar’s reforms would threaten the Roman Senate “settled their debt” by stabbing him to death.

So much for the history lesson.

Here is what the Ides of March is really about.

“You Can’t Solve Something Like This With A .45”

There is a 2022 movie called Vengeance starring B. J. Novak from The Office. It is described as a darkly comic thriller about a podcaster who travels from New York City to West Texas to investigate the death of a girl he briefly hooked up with. Her family thought it was more and has welcomed him with open arms.

In one scene, the family matriarch is giving her opinion on what it will take to solve this.

You have to love Texas, Texans, and Texas matriarchs.

Right now Vengeance is available for free on Amazon Prime. If you don’t have Prime, you can get a 30 Day Trial for only $3 using this link. (commission earned)

Supply Chain Issues?

The tweet of the day illustrates the cognitive dissonance on the part of the Left with regard to the firearms industry. A Florida lawyer who devotes much of his time to researching “the right-wing” seems to think that the firearms industry has had no supply chain issues.

Rob Romano’s tweet humorously corrects that misapprehension.

Safari Humor

Cameron Mitchell has a YouTube channel called Cam’s Wild Life. It features videos of hunts has had in the United States as well as Africa. He often pokes fun at himself as with the video below. I came across it on AfricaHunting.com.

The video below is entitled “Typical Arrogant US Hunter!”.

By the way, KMG Safaris is organizing two group trips in 2023 where you can hunt with him on the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Use this link if interested.