The Final Chapter of Customer Service and Ajax Grips

Final chapter because I will never beg Ajax Grips to do business with me again. Never, ever, even if I'm hung toes first over a giant metal shredder. That can't be as painful as dealing with this collection of customer averse peckerwoods. Final because the last of the product I had to take to recover my "credit" with them has arrived. The overpriced Wilson .45 Gov magazine will find its way into my son-in-laws Christmas gift box. I hope he loves it.

If I may note the following.

1 - I've yet to receive an answer to any e-mail sent to Ajax Grips.
2 - The person who finally answered the phone seemed put out to: A) take my call instead of one from anyone else and B) didn't like that I didn't like their rather pitiful product.
3 - Their shipping costs are outrageous for what they ship.
4 - Shipping time is outlandishly long.
5 - Their grips are horrible as noted in the photos as posted elsewhere... Naw, let's post those pics again.

The backstrap fit is about the worst, with the grip standing a full 1/8" proud in places...

The fore part of the grip is only proud by 1/16" but is sharp in all places the hand contacts it.

The bottoms fail to meet by a full 1/8"!

On top of all that the grips are so thin as to be nearly unusable. Certainly much thinner than even the factory issue grips. "Custom", not in any way, shape or form. Abominable.

Yet another day of frustration...

Too warm with temps reaching 64-65 degrees (maybe higher) and the deer went to bed early in the day and stayed there. I had no luck finding them and no one to whom to push them or to move them to me.

I've been carrying the Browning 1895 all week. I have to take Mom to the Doctor Tuesday morning but after that, I have Wednesday and Thursday to hunt and will carry another of gun, likely the Rossi/EMF .45 Colt. Lots lighter, the 1895 weighs 8 lbs, but with plenty of power for deer to 150 yards. No, it isn't likely I'll get a 150 yard shot.

More of the Same

As in, still no deer in the freezer. Warmed up a lot today. I could not get in position on the likely bedding areas.

No Deer for the Freezer Today, Again

Front moving in and I thought the deer would be out feeding but, again, no legal deer in sight. Wind about blew me off one ridge top! Finally, it started raining. I had no desire to be cold AND wet. I came home and reloaded some more for the .30-40.

The gun is easy to carry in the woods despite the 24" barrel and long receiver combining for longer than average rifle. I like the gun a lot.

No Deer for the Freezer Today

Hunted, walked, looked, and came home. No deer for the freezer today. Of course this doesn't mean that it was a bad day hunting. If it was me that was shot, that would be a bad day hunting. Otherwise it is all good. Tomorrow I'm going to try someplace with some deer chow on the ground.

Guns I have Sold

This is a sad, sad thing to say but I have actually sold guns and let them out of my hands. What foolishness sometimes possesses us. What and why you ask? Well...

The first is truely heart rending. This was my first centerfire rifle, my first deer was killed with this rifle, and it was a gift from Dad. The latter I did not know until I told him I'd traded it. I thought I'd paid for it out of my savings. Truly heart breaking that.

I'd been wanting a centerfire for a loooong time like every other boy I knew. I'd been putting money in my savings account (but I didn't hold the bank book) for that gun. Now, it was approaching another deer season and I had my safety certificate and could get a license. Dad and I made the rounds of gun shops and found the 336 in the Western Auto just off Court Square in Harrisonburg, VA. Talk about excited! That season I got my first deer, with one shot and it was a buck (it pretty much had to be!). Still excited. But I've always been a gun nut and a couple of years later I was wondering what OTHER guns might be "better". Oh, I truly regret losing this one and can't find the serial number anywhere. The follow-on was this gun...

Marlin 1893 .38-55 rifle. The 26" octagonal barrel had been cut-down to 19 inches and a bit, the magazine likewise shortened and a later 336 ramp front soldered (not silver soldered and not well at that) onto the barrel. The mag spring had to be replaced as it had been cut somewhere in the middle and welded back together to make the spring the correct length. The stock may have been taken from the same 336 donor rifle... You get the picture. But it did have a Lyman #2 tang peep which worked well. I found out later that that sight was correct for the Marlin 1892. Oh it was a mishmash but with a new buttstock and some cleaning of the solder job it was a treat. That rifle was able to hang around until my divorce when it "had" to go to pay the lawyer (or for food for the kids and me, depending on how you look at it). That was a great gun.

Of course, at about the same time, I was enamoured of the .44 Mag cartridge but too young to own a revolver. I found instead a "great deal" on a post-64 M94 Winchester in .44 Mag. I never managed to save up the money to install a Williams Foolproof, I think they were about $25 at the time, quite a bit of money to me in 1973, but that rifle was accurate and I killed crows (on the ground), groundhogs and other vermin. It was quick to the shoulder and while the Remington SWC (a half-jacketed round) didn't feed all that well it was accurate as was the more expensive 240 gr. SJHP. That last round became my ammo of choice until I started reloading. Unfortunately, this gun had one fault. It would, sometimes, feed a second round under the carrier. What a pain to correct that fault. Of course I was too stupid to know how to fix it by repairing the cartridge stop although I had access to all the equipment needed to effect the repair. I kinda wish I had that gun. Unfortunately I traded it for...

A Marlin 1894 in .44 Mag. These were "new" on the market at the time and had a few good write-ups in the gun magazines (yeah, I know, but I was 18). Now, I had the money for the Foolproof for that gun and although it never managed to be in my hands when there was a deer in front of me, it did get a few hogs in the FT Hunter-Liggett hills. I also loaned the gun out to similarly impoverished junior enlisted and they took hogs and goats with the gun. None of them managed to damage it (was I just lucky?) and I was able to bring it back from California just before shipping overseas to Korea for 3 years 9 months. Load of choice? Remington 240 gr. SJHP. Killed everything with a minimum of muss. However, there came a time when the wife decided that another fellow was more to her liking (he's gone now, too) and the gun was one of this group which went to pay the lawyer and feed my kids. I do indeed miss this gun but it could have been better. How?

Well, if it had been the Sporter version or the two band version I'd have liked it even better. It was fully as accurate as the Winchester it replaced and it never fed two but I've never really warmed to the rifle style forearm cap paired with the muzzle barrel band of which Marlin seems so fond. Looks dumb to me.

Sometime in this period I found an 1891 Argentine rifle that had been bubbaized. Still properly chambered in 7.65x53mm Belgian/Argentine, the rifle was the equivalent of the .308 but nowhere near the price. No matter, I supported the gun industry more than adequately in my attempt to feed the gun. I remember buying one box of Norma ammunition for $22 or over $1 a case and this was in 1973! Fortunately a Lee Loader came with the gun or I'd have been impoverished very quickly. Even a box of brass was over $15.

Still in the cut-down military stock and with a cobbled together combo of Weaver bases and cheap, cheap telescopic sight, this gun needed work. I bought a Fajen sporting stock, a Williams Foolproof, and Jon Ritenour installed a Remington 700 ramp and Williams front bead. The bolt had already been altered for scope use. While I was gone to Korea the first tour (12 months) my dad fit the stock to the gun and I was ready to go. I took the gun deer hunting several times but ammo was expensive and it didn't get loaned out for hog hunts. I did carry it to Washington on a visit to a friend at FT Lewis but a hoped for elk hunt didn't materialize. This gun, too, helped to finance the big "D". I'm still looking for it even though I now have a very nice 1891 Argentine Engineer's carbine.

While I was in Korea the second time I started to save quite a bit of money. Living cheaply on the economy and having little to do but play with the kids and read gun magazines/books I started to spend on my passion. After much consideration I bought, through my Dad who actually did the transaction while I was gone, a Ruger Security-Six in stainless steel with 4" barrel. A .357 Magnum, this gun was everything that one would expect. I shot it quite a bit with reloaded .357 Mag ammo and .38 Special wadcutters. I managed to kill a groundhog or two with it as well as a squirrel and wrote up the gun and my choice thereof in "The Sixgunner", the official news of JD Jones' Internationl Handgunners' Association (I was charter member #500).

The Security-Six wasn't just a hunting gun, it also served as the bedside gun and rode along on the seat of the car when I was out and about. At the time, that was the only way for me to carry and size was unimportant. Unfortunately, this fine gun also was sacrificed on the altar of divorce.

There are more but the emotion of the moment prevents continuing this "saga". I'll do so later...

Political Action Request - CHP in National Parks

VCDL's Gun Dealer Legal Defense Fund -- help fight Mayor Bloomberg's
scheme to cripple Virginia firearms dealers. See: www.vcdl.org
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Urgent! We need to roll up our sleeves and hit this hard!

Senator George Allen, keeping his word to gun owners, has introduced
S 4057, the National Park Second Amendment Restoration and Personal
Protection Act of 2006, which will allow gun owners to carry in a
National Park as long as the state where the National Park is located allows carry in parks!

Senator Allen needs to get the bill a Floor vote in the Senate and
get it off to the House for passage that must happen before the end
of the current session of Congress.

We need to do the following things ASAP to help Senator Allen MAKE
THIS HAPPEN!:

1. Contact Senator John Warner and ask him to support S. 4057

Phone: 202-224-2023
Fax: 202-224-6295

Email web page:

http://warner.senate.gov/contact/contactme.cfm

2. Contact Senator Majority Leader, Bill Frist, and ask him to fast
track S 4057!

Phone: 202-224-3344
Fax: 202-228-1264

Email web page:

http://frist.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=AboutSenatorFrist.ContactForm

3. Spread this email on other gun-related web sites and email lists
so we can get the word out to gun owners across the nation! Send it
to family, friends, and coworkers, especially those outside of
Virginia. We need Senators from other states to support this bill
and quickly!

Here is the web page that lists all Senators and their contact
information for those not in Virginia:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

They should contact both of their Senators and Bill Frist (item #2 above).

LET'S ROLL!

*********************************************************************
VA-ALERT is a project of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL).
VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to
defending the human rights of all Virginians. The membership considers the
Right to Keep and Bear Arms to be an essential human right.

VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org

I hope that everyone will contact their Senators AND Senator Frist AND publicize this.

More Muzzleloading in the Rain

It was pouring down and I'm standing there, actually stillhunting, and see first one doe and then another and another and, no bucks. Has to be a buck. Never saw a buck. Soaked, I fired my gun clear and came home, cleaned the rifle and took care of the personal property taxes. Now that makes it about a normal day. On the one hand 7 does at about 25 yards or so and on the other hand paying $600+ in taxes.

Of course now it has cleared, mostly, and the sun is shining as strongly as the rain was falling 2 hours ago.

I almost forgot to mention that the FIRST thing I did this morning was try the .30-40 loads using 43 gr. H4350 under the Hornady 220 gr. RN. Success! I don't know why, but I like heavy bullets going relatively slow. I'm excited and will load up the rest of my cases thusly.

Muzzleloading and Rain

They don't mix, muzzleloading and rain. Oh, you can do it. But, for me, to go through all that and maybe not have your charge fire, well, it could just be weak and only wound the animal. No good. After a bit, I discharged my load into a soft clay bank and came home to clean the gun. Still, it was a nice day, if short.

Hunting - VA Muzzleloader

Got out with the New Englander today. Went up near Todd Lake. Found some sign/tracks but not with deer standing in them, then jumped some grouse. Did jump one doe but doe aren't legal right now. Weather was nice, overcast some with temps about 59-60 degrees Fahrenheit. There is always tomorrow.

Just a few thoughts...

Once again I'm awaiting the arrival of a service technician to repair/replace some appliance that broke. Hopefully, in about an hour all will be well. Fingers crossed.

I have been doing some things though. Aside from the horrendous torture of being forced by my wife to watch "Borat" at the theater, I've been loading some 220 gr. Hornady RNs for the .30-40 Browning 1895. They feed slick as snot, soon we'll see how well they shoot.

I've also loaded some .25-35 empties. Quite a few, and not all reformed .30-30 brass, had cracked/split necks. I don't know why. I loaded these with the 27 gr. BLC(2) and Hornady 117 gr. RN.

My New Englander and kit is ready to go. Tomorrow I'll be out hunting deer.

Had a Sharp-shinned Hawk in the back yard this morning. I hoped that some hawks would come in and take out some of the rabbits and squirrels. I had 12 squirrels around the bird feeder yesterday. Anyway, there were several crows harassing the hawk.

Another Company and Customer Service

Well, well, I've run into another company with a net presence who hasn't figured out how to answer their e-mail. I sent Charter2000 a message asking about the rumored release of the 1876 in saddle-ring carbine form about January of 2007. No response in going on 4 days. Ok, so I'm not a retailer. Guess I'll pop for one from another importer like Cimarron when theirs is released.

Ongoing Saga with Ajax Grips

Well, yesterday I received my order meant to use up my credit at Ajax Grips. I ordered 2 Wilson 7-round mags for my Colt .45 ACP pistols and a HKS speedloader for the 629. One (1) magazine and the HKS speedloader arrived via Fedex yesterday. It was UPS last time. No reason that I can see to switch carriers but it is a big difference at my end as UPS delivers about 1:00 PM and FEDEX delivers somewhere between 4:00 and 6:00 PM with no guarantee as to time. So one (1) magazine is backordered and until it arrives my transaction (how long has this taken?) with Ajax won't be complete. Again, I got to pay an extra $22 and change for the "privilege" of doing business with these folks. And they have yet to answer an e-mail.

Easy Shooting Guns or Marksmanship

I was talking about my new Browning 1895 rifle (.30 US aka .30-40) on a forum and mentioned (as I did here) that it was easy to hit the 4" plates to 150 yards from off-hand. One respondent thought that I must be a grand shot if I could do that. After some reflection, I'm thinking that he either didn't believe me or didn't understand what I was talking about.

First off you have to understand that the 4" plates are either 4" on a side squares, i.e. 16 square inches OR 4" in diameter or about 12.5 square inches area. That's not precision shooting by any means but good enough to bring a deer to bag.

Next, you have to understand that easy doesn't imply that you hit it with the first shot or even every shot only that it is a relatively simple and uncomplicated exercise to accomplish those hits. In this particular situation the Browning's sights are easy to see (at least in the conditions that existed at the time I was shooting) and easy to see against the target (again, in those particular conditions), the rifle was comfortable to hold and fit me well, the trigger wasn't influencing my shooting, the cartridge shot relatively "flat" (in other words it didn't require a lot of hold over out to that range), and the cartridge/rifle combination is balanced in that it doesn't generate excessive/intimidating recoil which might affect the shooter.

I don't think the task of hitting a 4" metal plate at 150 yards is anything any rifle shooter can't accomplish, it is just easier with some rifle/cartridge combinations. This Browning seems to be one such combination.

"Gun" Rights and the "New" Congress

With the Democrats taking control of the Congress what do we have, as gun owners, in our future? First, I submit that gun rights are really human rights. Rights to self-defense, rights to political freedom, the right to defend freedom of speech, the right to defend being born of a particular race...

Anway, I don't think that much will happen due to gridlock. Sometimes gridlock is a good thing. The Dems are not united. They had to put up conservative candidates to beat the Republicans. No liberal won unless they ran unapposed like Pelosi, just look at Lamont who lost to Lieberman. Will these folks really be so beholding to Pelosi and Schumer that they will abandon their values to vote for these things? Maybe, but not with political pressure from home. I think they are smart enough to realize that they used the liberal leadership to give them an "in" in a party that is socialist but that when that older, often aging, leadership goes the new class will be the leadership. Also, these freshman senators and representatives realize that they will not be re-elected if they radically deviate from their campaign persona. The margin is much better than it seems as the RINOs are gone (e.g. Chafee and Dewine) and there are not 60 votes they thought they needed. I think the two houses are still divided, even among the Dems as the Reps have such a short time to their election cycle.

The Dems will also be distracted, continue to be distracted, by their hatred of Bush and his cabinet. They are already working towards trial or hearings on all those poor souls who served the past 6 years. The first lamb up for slaughter will be Rumsfeld.

The Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has served the country most of his 72 years and done a darn fine job the whole time. He was brought in to restructure the Army and was confronted with going on a war footing at the same time after 9/11. His replacement Gates may be different in temperment but not in accomplishment nor in ability and that will not make much difference for the management of the war. After all, it is the circumstances surrounding the war that will effectively make the decisions for the leaders, not the Secretary of Defense. Still, it will distract the Dems. Distracted, we will not be so easy a target.

What concerns me more is that our perceived weaknesses will encourage our enemies to take a greater risk and again attack us here in the homeland. That will be disastrous for the Dems but it can be more disastrous for shooters in that components will become hard to get either due to simple non-availability or to increased cost as a result of rising fuel prices and competition with military requirements. If it is a major attack, it could seriously damage our economy or even require the restructuring of our transportation system. In that case you'd best be prepared to get along with what you have. That includes .22 LR ammo. At least your "excess" can be traded.

Note: I don't like posting "political" posts here but this is close enough to my regular subject matter that I've done so. For my political posts, see One Old Soldier under the Blogs on the right.