Neanderpundit

This is the receiver bit of the Mauser. Not a particularly pretty rifle, very plain jane. Not a bad rifle or a bad looker- just an ordinary rifle. First checkering job I ever did there, by the way.

The first thing is to lose the trigger. These receivers were shipped with pretty simple triggers, the only amenities being an overtravel screw and a lever safety to eliminate the awkward bolt safety.

I put my hands on a fine trigger at the Shot show, and it came in and fit perfectly. The sear hole had to be opened up about .020 to clear the Timney sear, but that was the work of a few minutes. The triggerguard assembly will have to be opened up a tiny bit too, but the trigger works fine and the safety works fine. Trouble is, it isn’t gonna fit in the old stock anymore without extensive work, and it’s just not worth it, as I have a new stock coming. So it will sit as a barreled action until the new stock arrives.

I love to read Steinbeck. I love the way he works the language like a fine vintner, wringing the very best out of the words that they can provide. If only he had something to say.

Steinbeck was no fool, he had seen a lot of the world and knew what was what- but he had that ignorant sense of “Fairness” that all writers seem to have- the idea that if the people that have money would just give it to those who do not it would all be alright- and failing that, they should maybe be forced to do so. His visit to the birthplace of Sinclair lewis and his respect for him just makes it worse.

Pascal says I shouldn’t use the word “Capitalism” because it is a Marxist construct; fuck that. A free marketer, a capitalist, is what he is, and because someone ignorant assigned it a label doesn’t mean that label is ignorant; it is a badge to be worn with pride. The idea that we should somehow be ashamed of it is just foolish. Use the enemy’s words against him, until he feels their sting.

Anyway it’s irritating to me that the writers with real skills were the ones who had no actual sense of sanity- commies, hippies, morons. The world isn’t fair, and that’s the way it is. Anything you do to change that will only make it more unfair, and that is the simple fact; it has always been so and will always be so. For a good illustration of this from someone whodoes actually seem to be able to write and has her head out of her ass, go visit Sarah today.

I don’t remember whose blog I read it on, but let me introduce you to Peter Freuchen. A larger-than life (and larger than most other men) figure, he lived a life of adventure, exploration, and was by all appearances a man’s man. His last wife, Dagmar, in the picture on the link, looks about half his size, and was fully thirty years his junior. She is leaning toward him in the picture, as if his animal magnetism is so strong she cannot completely overcome it and sit up straight.

I remember seeing the esquimeaux film a million years ago, and seeing this opened the book on a whole new character for me. The fact that he’s Jewish and was very nearly killed by the Nazis just makes him seem tougher.

I have ordered a few of his books so I can learn more about him. In the meantime, look at that big burly fucker standing there in that fur, and tell me you don’t feel ashamed of putting on long underwear because the temps are near zero.