I try like heck not to make mistakes, but every now and then I suffer a brain fart. This month, I’ve felt like the Cerebral Flatulence Poster Child.

For one thing, I learned I had made an error in my article on pistol-caliber carbines in the current print edition of Backwoods Home. I had described the neat little Tresna 9mm carbine, which runs on Gen4 Glock 9mm magazines in an AR15 format, as having a polymer lower. It does not: the lower is 7075 aluminum, thank you very much. The gun was not in front of me when I wrote the article, and I suspect what happened is that since I was impressed with its light weight, it looked polymer-ish to me in the photos I was working with that we’d taken while shooting it, and I also had an assignment at the time to write up the polymer-lower PolymAR from ROBAR, some conflation occurred.

All I can say is mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

Within the same week, I found myself shooting a United States Practical Shooting Association match. Hadn’t shot one in a while, but remembered that while the International Defensive Pistol Association game I shoot more of has very tight rules about shooting sequence, shooting from behind cover, etc., USPSA is more free form. Basically, solve the shooting problem however you like so long as you’re safe, and whoever gets the best finish (time divided into target hit score) wins.

Not as free form as I remembered, though. On my first stage, the range officer told me I had four penalties because I wasn’t standing where I should have been when I shot a series of targets. Happened again on the second stage. And again on the third: acute and chronic brain farts! By then I had accumulated about 140 penalty points and was totally in the tank. Finally got focused and managed the next three stages with no penalties and won one of them in my division (I was shooting Limited Minor with a 9mm Springfield XDM 5.25 out of a Comp-Tac holster). The one I won was a classification stage that had no running and was therefore geezer-friendly.

I was reminded of a time a while back when I forgot something and asked my significant other, “Gail, could it be early Alzheimer’s?”

“No,” she replied sweetly, “at your age, it wouldn’t be early.”

Sigh…

Or Watch video here.

My one good run on brain fart day. Farthest distance, 6-reload-6 time into score. Intermediate distance, 6 rd. dominant hand only. Closest distance: 6 non-dominant hand only. 

17 COMMENTS

  1. Mas,

    I thought it was “…too late to be early”.

    From your previous San Bernardino blog (See Below):

    Mas Says:

    December 4th, 2015

    Thanks for the catch on the names, guys.

    Was discussing it with significant other, a nurse by training, this morning during the fix. “Dammit,” I said, “I KNEW that and still brain-farted and transposed the last names. Think it might be a sign of early Alzheimer’s?”

    “No, dear,” she replied patiently. “In your case, it’s too late for it to be early.”

    Sigh…

    Note: You still have the essence of her comment correct! 🙂

  2. The first two things you lose when you’re getting old is your memory and……….uh…… I can’t remember the other.

  3. Mas your entitled, with all that you do for us. Sure wish you could make it to North Carolina. I’d enjoy meeting you.

  4. Dang, TN Man, it’s just more proof that the old guy’s memory is fading. (Actually, I suspect the memory is fine and the retrieval system is failing.) But thanks again, uh, what was your name again?

  5. I have a JR Carbine in 9mm with Glock may well. I think the JR stands for Just Right. I cannot really remember.

    I would think I have Alzheimer’s but for the fact that I have always had the memory problem.

    I just call it alltimers. As in I have it all the time and always have. 🙂

  6. I believe my doctor had advised me at one time that I have Alzheimer’s, but don’t seem to recall that conversation. At least now I remember not to load cartridges backwards into my pistol magazines anymore and remind myself the bullets come out the front end of the gun where the hole is.

  7. The only problem with “Free-Style” stage design is that it allows us to continue in that style even when we shoot stages which are more structured.
    In my maturity, I have graciously allowed my younger brethren to place themselves higher in the shooting order on most match stages, so that I may “go to school” on them; do what they do, but do it faster.

    Unfortunately, the things I do faster nowadays are those things which I would .. uh. never mind.

  8. Mas, when you and I and others were still yung uns (as opposed to yutes being defended in an Alabama Court by our cousin Vinny), Clint Eastwood, playing the role of “Dirty Harry” in the 1971 cult film of the same name, suffered from Early Onset Alzheimer’s at the beginning of the film. At age 41, he held acclaimed character actor Albert Popwell at gun point.

    Who can ever forget the wounded Popwell’s unusual request as he stared at the “empty or not empty” cylinder chambers of Eastwood’s Smith & Wesson Model 29 44 Magnum Wheel Gun: “I gots ta know!”, whereafter Eastwood dropped the hammer on an empty chamber? IIRC, Eastwood and Popwell were close friends until Popwell’s untimely passing at age 72 in 1999.

    Cut and paste the URL below into your browser bar and click on it to go back in the Time Machine to relive the initial, unforgettable film encounter between Eastwood and Popwell that pushed Model 29 sales through the roof. Eastwood was clearly suffering from Early Onset Alzheimer’s, right or wrong?

    http://www.wavlist.com/movies/180/dh-thinking1.wav

  10. Sure would like to meet your girlfriend. She sounds special. Thanks for the info. I learn something every time I read something with your name
    attached. Been banging handguns and boom sticks for about 70 years but I’m still learning.

  11. Mas, I’m currently reading, in my little spare time, the 2nd edition of Concealed Carry, just got into the chapter about open carry. You know that as of Jan. 1, 2016, Texas enacted open carry with a LTC or License to Carry. I’ve seen many comments on gun forums about open carry, and the majority say something like this: “I won’t ever carry openly because the bad guy will know to shoot me first.” Or “If I’m open carrying, someone might come up behind me and take my gun.” The first statement is almost as dumb as the second, in my opinion. Seems like most of the posters never heard of retention holsters. FWIW, I carry concealed, but that’s just my way so far, I’m not an outgoing guy. I’d like to hear your take on the first statement, like has it happened often enough to worry about or is it just worthless worry. Thanks,

    Glenn

  12. “No,” she replied sweetly, “at your age, it wouldn’t be early.”

    I’m sorry my brother, but that’s funny!

  13. Talk about brain farts…too bad a so-so NBA “player” picked the wrong apartment to break into here in Dallas and got sent to his reward by the armed occupant inside! Also a shame the MSM story I just read, on Fox News no less, quoted only friends and family of the deceased (whose name I will not print here as he wasn’t worth it). The team he was on, as well as the college he attended, also piled on platitudes! No mention quote from the guy’s estranged acquaintance who was the real target of his, umm, urgent meeting request.

    Note to bad guys (and even pro roundballers): break down the doors of the innocent in Texas and you’re likely to get shot.

    Sorry to derail the comments, Mas, but crap like this just really chaps my hide!

    TXCOMT

  14. Dear Mas,
    What happens is (and this is definitely scientific) as we age we have stored Sooooooo, much valuable/important information in our brains that we have trouble bring various facts forward when we need them!!!!!!!!

  15. Look, we’re all imperfect Human beings in this system of things. It’s not so much any type of functional mental failure as a momentary lapse of fact checking. It’s a little sloppiness that could easily befall anyone, younger or older. We all make mistakes and typos et al from time to time. Plus with the ridiculous demands placed on us via legistlation, regulations and various rule books it’s impossible to avoid some typoe of error. This is especially so wen one is travelling from place to place; shooting various firearms that aren’t a part of their daily routine, competing in multiple disciplines.

    Mas you are still sharp enough to come up with a sweet little saying like “cerebral flatualnce”! I was reading your work as a samll child and you still are on point! With all due respect Sir – you made mistakes decades ago, too.

  17. Mas, I would usually say you paid off the RO, old weasel trick, however I recognize the RO as a man above reproach. So great shooting!
    Rev, out!

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