January 11, 2025: More Phenomenally Ugly Guns!

I normally begin each season with a bird shoot, but so far it's been too damned cold to go out any farther than the bird feeder. So I'm indoors with a heater to warm my aging feet and the trend to unspeakably ugly guns to chill my aching heart. Here, you see the latest in this awful development in the world of shooting, the Chiappa "Little Badger" a so-called "survival gun."

Typically, American Rifleman had a laudatory review, though it did contain some damning-with-faint-praise overtones, such as these:

Once assembled, the Little Badger TDX barely resembles a rifle
In lieu of a pronounced fore-end, it features a miniature quad rail that is comfortable enough to get the job done or can be used to mount a forward grip for a more conventional grasp.
For those interested in keeping it streamlined, wrapping your hand around the rear of the receiver will serve general shooting needs just fine.
Although short on gripping surfaces, Chiappa ensured that the TDX left the factory with adequate sights modeled after those found on an M1 carbine.
Each tester had the same reaction when he fired his first shot—that the trigger was far lighter than anticipated. At just more than 2 lbs., this was greatly appreciated, as it made it exceptionally easy to keep the unorthodox design steady while firing.
The general accuracy of the TDX wasn’t great, but it was pretty much on par with other guns of this type; as they are made for emergency situations, match-grade consistency wasn’t expected. Nonetheless, it met our “minute of tin can” satisfaction requirement

What on earth can this rifle do that couldn't be done with something else, other than cause people who have an eye for classy guns recoil in horror? If ugly is somehow necessary, well, the Savage Model 42 is ugly enough for any practical purpose but nowhere near so ugly as the Little Badger:

And there's the very ugly M6 Survival gun, now available in civilian versions, ugly but again not in the same league of ugly as the Little Badger:

Both of these are ugly, but they have the advantage of incorporating a shotgun barrel as well as a rifle barrel. If indeed "survival" is the point of the Little Badger, well, it's outclassed except in ugly.

When it comes to an all-around survival/foraging gun, it's hard to beat the old and much-loved Savage 24. This over/under combination was made for decades in many variants, one of which is shown here: it's a 24-S, one of the least attractive versions but still recognizable as a real gun, not something that might have been issued to a Star Wars trooper. For my money of all the Model 24 combinations the .22LR/20 gauge is the bee's knees; it's a shame that Savage stopped making these guns and replaced them with the moderately hideous Model 42, but at least they had the decency not to produce anything like the Little Badger.

January 15, 2025: Why? Why?

Oh, God help us, the ugly gun trend gets worse every day. Here is the "FlightLite" [sic] "Herring Model 2024," which the NRA has described as "...AR-15 based lever action..." as if that justified it.

I'm not sure how much more of this I can stand...I didn't think anything could be uglier than the Chiappa "Little Badger," but clearly I was wrong.

No doubt this...thing...is intended to get around the AR-15 bans in some states and countries. No doubt some people will buy it. This should not have happened.

January 18, 2025: Today's Idiocy

From time to time I spot something in a supermarket or other store that makes me scratch my head at the stupidity of today's consumer. Here in Blacksburg we have many students who are vegetarians or worse, vegans; the local Kroger's caters to these dimwits. Here is the latest imbecility:

January 20, 2025: Well, He's Gone

Fifteen minutes ago President Buffoon's term ended after four long years. He can now stumble off into the mists of history; good riddance to him and everything he stands for.

February 2, 2025: The Festival Of The Meteorological Rodent

The report from Punxatawney is that the groundhog saw his shadow today. Six more weeks of winter. Well, Phil is at least as accurate a forecaster as the Weather Babes on TV.

February 9, 2025: Super Bowel Sunday (And No, That's Not A Typo)

I've spent the last few days digitizing dog pictures from our old albums, so that they can be displayed on one of those digital photo frame gadgets. Forty-one years of having dogs means you have a LOT of pictures. I've been through three albums so far, have 86 more images to go in the current one, and no idea how many more there may be in other albums stashed away in our spare room closet.

This is a tiring exercise for many reasons. First—and least important—is the fact that my back is killing me from the stooped positions I have to take. Much more importantly, it's emotionally draining. Seeing all those pictures of long-dead companions who have shared our lives for anywhere from 10 to 16 years each is wearing me down.

So many memories...For a variety of reasons I believe I have, at most, 10 years to go. Not long enough. I have come to realize that I can no longer, at age 77, have a dog. It would probably outlive me, and I have no one to whom it could go. I could never countenance any pet of mine ending up in a shelter or worse, being "put to sleep" because I was so inconsiderate as to die first. Nor do I wish to undergo the heartache—again—of losing a beloved animal should I live longer than I think I will.

I have absolutely zero interest in football, but briefly I've been watching the "Puppy Bowl," which is far more entertaining and far more honest than any football game could ever be. This isn't helping my melancholy outlook. Those adorable dogs remind me of what I have had, what I have lost, and what I can never have again.