What a great way to spend the day with old friends!

Justin and Juan were both soldiers in my section back at Camp Casey. It was great news finding out that they were both here in El Paso. We enjoyed a great day at the range (it also proved to be an excellent hang over cure) shooting a variety of firearms including my Rock Island M5 12 gauge pump action shotgun, 7.62x54r Chinese Type 53 (1956), my new Ruger 10/22 and my new CZ Mallard.

We shot 25 rounds each at the trap shooting complex but we didn't score or shoot by proper trap standards because well, we just wanted to have fun and we don't know how to properly shoot or score a round of trap. As I discovered with a simple Google search this morning, it's not that difficult. We'll go back and do it again by the book next time.

My new Ruger 10/22 showed typical symptoms of a new .22LR firearm. It was picky about ammo, preferring on this particular day some American Eagle over CCI (Go figure). It seems that ANY new semi-auto .22LR firearm, pistol or rifle, is going to be picky about the ammo you put through it.

All in all it was a great day and I am happy to have two close friends here in my new home town.

We have another Korean veteran / friend coming to town to visit next weekend for Memorial Day and we are planning to hit the range again!

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Homecoming Wish List

I have one year remaining on my army contract (A little over a year actually, but when you factor in my accrued leave days, it puts me about a year out). And I have found that my mind is beginning to day dream about not only getting my gun collection out of storage, but also about which firearms I would like to get my hands on. Of course, I justify buying MORE guns as my homecoming gift to myself because the reality is, I don't really NEED anymore guns, but I digress.

So here is my wish list, it's modest and not too long. Most importantly, it won't break the bank, which is important because I will be a full-time student for the next few years.

CZ Canvasback 12ga. 26 inch

I went skeet and trap shooting for the first time just before I deployed to Korea. I really enjoyed it, but a home defense shotgun and 20 inch double barrel aren't exactly the ideal guns you want to shoot skeet or trap with. I don't want to spend too much money and it appears that CZ makes some really nice, affordable over and unders, like the Canvasback.

Sig Mosquito .22

I wasn't too pleased with either the Walther P22 or the Ruger Mark III. The Walther P22 was a pain in the ass to reassemble and the Ruger Mark III was a pain in the ass to disassemble. If you don't reload and love shooting as much as I do, then a .22LR is an absolute must because, even at the recently inflated prices, .22LR is still the cheapest ammo. I have been overwhelmingly impressed with my other Sig pistols (P232, P226 and 1911 STX) so I would expect that their Sig Mosquito .22 should be a quality firearm as well.

Ruger 10/22

My Ruger 10/22 was among the 7 rifles stolen when my apartment was broken in to a couple years ago. I've been wanting to replace it ever since, not to mention, a Ruger 10/22 is just one of those firearms that everyone should own.

Beretta Storm Carbine 9mm

The Beretta Storm Carbine in 9mm would is a luxury in that I totally don't need it for any practical purpose but it sure looks like a lot of fun to shoot. I've had my eye on one of these for the last 3 years and I just might use my tax return money next year to finally get one.

1911

Don't be silly, yes, I already own several 1911's. So why would I want more? That is a dumb question. The 1911 is the most beautiful, classic firearm the world has ever known. I am really leaning towards adding a Kimber CDP Pro II so that I can use it as my everyday carry (4inch barrel makes it an ideal carry handgun), but the Ruger 1911 looks really nice as well, especially for the price. Another make I've been considering is the Remington R1 Enhanced. Also a very good value for the money. Decisions, decisions.