Politics Be Damned (Temporarily)

According to the velocity printed on the box, a 40-grain, solid lead .22-caliber roundnose Federal Gold Medal Target bullet leaves the muzzle at 1,080 fps and can cross the distance of 25 yards in less than a heartbeat. Meanwhile, the CCI Subsonic .22-caliber lead hollowpoint bullet checks out at 1,050 fps. But, trust me, whatever is on the receiving end isn’t going to make an issue of the slightly slower velocity. After all, if a shooter does his or her part, the recipient of that pill will be in the game bag long before the discussion even gets serious.

Next Tuesday is Sept. 1, otherwise known in my neighborhood as “opening day” of grouse season, and I’ll be out there looking around for blue grouse with a Ruger MK IV within reach to headshot the remarkably stupid ones. By now, Insider Online will have been to the range a few times with a couple of 50-round boxes of Federal rimfires, and a box of the CCI specimens, to make sure his pistol is still shooting spot-on.

In 40 years, this correspondent has not missed a Washington grouse opener. While it’s customary to be strolling around the high ridges with a 20-gauge over-under shotgun stoked with No. 6 shells, I confess to enjoying the additional challenge of conking a fat fool hen with a pistol, and the Ruger MK IV happens to be one of the best on the planet for this endeavor.

Does your state allow taking small game with a pistol? Check your hunting regulations. Most western states allow shooting small game with handguns. You never have to worry about biting down on a lead pellet and a .22-caliber bullet doesn’t tear up the meat.

My Brother’s Keeper

Well into the last century, I had a mentor who ran hounds and enjoyed raccoon hunting. His choice of sidearm was an original Ruger Standard, which became the MK I.

Many years later at a gun show, I scooped up one of those pistols in very good condition. Retiring to the range, I found it delivered hits on everything I aimed at, and the next fall I conked a dandy grouse on the season opener at about 20 yards using a two-hand hold, a few yards off an old logging road.

A couple of years ago, when Ruger introduced the MKIV, I got one for a review. It’s the target model with a 5-inch bull barrel and adjustable rear sight. It’s the improved version of my brother’s MK III. His is a real keeper as well, capable of punching holes in bottle caps at 25 yards from a sandbag rest. Incidentally, he’s a better shot with a handgun than he realizes, though I’ll give part of the credit to that pistol.

The heavy barrel convinced me Ruger had a good idea. When the MK IV came along with its simple takedown — the original pistols all the way up through MK III models can be a pain in the neck to strip and reassemble, or so I’m told by several pals who reached that conclusion — I had to buy it. The new incarnation is a delight.

My dad used to carry a .22-caliber revolver while deer hunting, just for the purpose of potting a grouse or rabbit if one wandered into view. Made sense then, makes sense now.

Biden’s Running Mate

Okay, it’s been a couple of weeks since Joe Biden picked one of the most radical anti-gun women he could find as a running mate. If he wasn’t deliberately sending a message to American gun owners, this was a whopper of a misstep.

California Sen. Kamala Harris was on the receiving end of a Second Amendment Foundation lawsuit while she was that state’s attorney general. On the campaign trail last year, she vowed to demand action from Congress on gun control during her first 100 days in office, or she would take executive action. She wants a ban on so-called “assault weapons” and likes California-style regulations for all citizens in all states.

If Biden should win in November and be unable to complete his term, Harris would become president. Chew on that for a while.

This is, according to gun rights activists, not the time to be “stylish” about voting so a woman is next in line for the Oval Office. If you’re not registered to vote, do that today. If you are registered, be absolutely certain to vote. Make sure your family and shooting buddies vote, too.

Then get out and hunt.

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