Sunday, March 21, 2010

All cat burglars should think a little more

Sneaking into a secure place never quite works out like it does in the movies.
SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man is in the hospital Sunday afternoon after falling through the ceiling of a north side business. Police tell News 4 WOAI the man was trying to break into Don’s Gun Shop on the 3700 block of Loop 410 NW.

...

"It appears our suspect went through an air conditioning duct and fell through. He was knocked unconscious," said Matt Porter, spokesman for San Antonio Police Department.
(from WOAI-TV)

Air vents are nothing like the clean, metal boxes with plenty of space to crawl in that are portrayed in the movies. They're usually dirty, to some extent, and many are made of just fiberglass. And I don't know of many ducts that are actually big enough for a person to fit inside.

So, what was this guy thinking?

4 comments:

AlanDP said...

That's where I buy my black powder and other muzzle-loading supplies.

Albatross said...

You know, I've never shot a muzzle-loader. For a long time, I just had no interest. It looked like too much work just to get to shoot one time, and no one could talk me into it. I had friends that would shoot black powder, but I never played along with them unless we went shooting real bullets.

Now, as time goes on, I find myself getting more and more interested in muzzle-loaders. Of course, I have a lot less free time on my hands these days, so I guess the first question I need to ask is this: How much more time is involved in shooting black powder, besides the obvious time needed to load? I'm thinking you have to spend more time cleaning the gun, buying the right supplies (a simple box of target loads ain't gonna do it), learning what you need in the first place, etc.

It ain't like popping off a few 9mm rounds, is it?

AlanDP said...

I would recommend getting a .50 caliber Hawken-style percussion-cap rifle. A .50 caliber because the smaller calibers will gunk up faster and be tougher to clean. A Hawken because it has a hooked-breech design that separates the barrel from the stock which makes after-shooting-session cleaning much easier, and percussion cap because flintlock brings in a whole new set of challenges.

Also use only real black powder if possible. It ignites much easier than any of the substitutes.

A day at the range shooting a muzzle loader is a lot of work, when you're used to shooting cartridge guns, but a lot of fun.

I do "cheat," in one fashion: I use a commercial patch lubricant called "Bore Butter" which comes in a tube. I tried going more primitive and using Neatsfoot Oil, but it gunked up a lot faster. You can use just about anything for patch lube: Crisco, actual lard, etc. Just not any petroleum lubricants.

Albatross said...

Hey, thanks. I appreciate the tips. I'm still thinking it over, but if I ever commit to black powder, I'll keep your recommendations in mind.