Sunday, September 23, 2007

HappeeEEE, Happy Birthday!

My birthday Sunday.

Got up and read the paper, had some coffee.

Took younger younger Munger to antique gun show.

Purchased (with some help from the in-laws; thanks!) a 1944 Mauser K-98.
Got a nice bayonet, and a fine leather sling for carrying.

Also, 40 rounds of Rumanian ammunition. The 8mm rifle shell looks like a small cannon shell instead of a large rifle bullet. I can't believe people fired these things in combat. Effective range of half a mile, with a good scope. That's EFFECTIVE range, mind you. The shell will travel three miles or more. Don't fire in the air.

Then we went to an all you can eat Chinese buffet, the height of elegant eating. At one point, the manager was peaking out the kitchen door at us. I thought he might offer us a discount if we would leave, but he gamely refilled all the steam trays that had gone empty.

Got home, had some of my favorite cake, which my wife makes once a year, on my birthday.

After this post, I am going to take a nap while pretending to watch the Panthers pretend to play football.

A most excellent birthday.

And, soon, in season: Bambi's mother is going down. The 8mm shell is likely to go clean through her (2400+ fps muzzle velocity, and a vertical drop of just over 1/4 inch at 100 yards). I'd hate to be cruel; she'll never feel a thing.

6 comments:

Angus said...

Happy B-day KGM from all the Angii. I know you enjoyed that buffet. Man I can still remember you and B. Roberts at all you can eat places in St Louis. Even though they would bring you all the food you wanted, you bastards still ate right off my plate!!

ps. I just fedexed bambi's mom a kevlar vest and some antipersonnel mines.

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday.

I also am the owner of a Mauser K-98. My grandfather brought it back from the war. The only issue is that it is located in the United States and I am in Canada. God willing, some day I'll get it up here.

Oh and thanks for keeping me amused and informed, this is one of the best blogs in all of the internet.

Unknown said...

Ahh, wow, I've heard you can get unissued K98s at gun shows for a few hundred bucks.

It will probably be my next gun purchase. I hear if you bake the stock in an oven at about 180-200 degrees, several times over the course of a few days, you can coax all of the cosmolene (sp?) out. Then you sand, stain, and wax to make it look like a really sexy weapon.

I've also heard the muzzle flash is like seeing straight into the sun. Let us know how it fires. Mach 2 is nothing to sneeze at.

Mungowitz said...

Jeff: The gun was $320, and it was one of the best specimens in a rack of 20, with more in boxes. I picked this one because (1) the bore was spotless, shiny like a mirror, and (2) the stock is beautiful.

The bolt action is extremely solid. I'm very excited. Ammo is a little pricey, but, as you say, Mach 2 is nothing to sneeze at.

Robert: yes that's a problem. I do hope you get to enjoy it sometime. And thanks for reading!

Jeff H said...

I've fired a Mauser on one occasion. I've always wanted to purchase an M1 Garand for my first rifle, but that will be some time from now (I'm only 22 and have no income to spend on such frivolities).
I would make fun of you for preferring a kraut weapon over a god-blessed american rifle, but I'm currently living in Germany myself. Irony is, even if I were a German citizen I could probably still buy these deadlier sort of German wares far more easily in the US--and for cheaper, too.

Anonymous said...

Dude, your blog is hilarious. Keep the faith.