Author: Joe Berk

Shield Savvy

By Joe Berk

I promised an update on my Smith and Wesson 9mm Shield, and this is it.  I’ve put 2,500+ rounds through the Shield (all reloads with different bullets and powders).  Until I recently took my Shield to good buddy TJ, I was growing increasingly dissatisfied with the pistol’s frequent failures to extract, and I wasn’t alone.  If you Google “failure to extract” and “Smith and Wesson Shield” you’ll find a lot of people are having this issue.  My problem is in the rearview mirror, though, and my Shield is 100% reliable now.  That’s because of TJ.  I’ll get to that in a minute.

That target above?  It’s 50 rounds at 30 feet through my Shield, shooting offhand.  If you’re a reloader, here are the load specifics:

      • Jim Gardner 125 grain powder coated roundnose bullets (Jim sized these to 0.356 inch, which is his standard bullet).
      • Cartridge overall length 1.145 inches.
      • 5.4 grains of Accurate No. 5 propellant.
      • Lee factory taper crimp (light crimp; see below).
      • Ammo loaded on Lee Classic 4-Turret press.
      • Mixed brass.

Ordinarily, I tailor a load to the handgun, and I thought I would be able to do that relatively easily with the Shield.  I found that not to be the case.  The Shield seemed accurate enough with nearly every load I tried, but nearly all had reliability issues.  On the low end, the lighter loads didn’t have enough energy to cycle the action (a common enough problem on compact semi-autos).  Light, mid range, and hot loads all gave the Shield extraction issues.  The Shield experienced a failure to extract about every other magazine.   It was very frustrating.  I scoured the Internet forums for this issue and the opinions were all over the map.  Here’s a smattering of the drivel I found:

      • Don’t use Winchester ammo because the rims are smaller (I measured them; that was baloney).
      • Don’t use cast bullets because they hang up (I knew that was baloney).
      • Don’t shoot aluminum ammo (which I never do, anyway).
      • Don’t shoot 115-grain bullets.
      • Don’t shoot 125-grain bullets.
      • Don’t shoot 147-grain bullets.
      • Clean your gun after every round (seriously?).
      • Don’t limp wrist your gun (again, seriously?).
      • Don’t do this, don’t do that, don’t do this other thing…
      • Do this, do that, do this other thing…

It was all written by people who apparently love the sound of their keyboards clacking.  None of it was useful information.  I felt stupid for wasting my time reading it.

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What I found was that the extraction problem occurred more with powder coated bullets than either plated or jacketed bullets.  Other than that, there wasn’t a lot of correlation between any of the load variables I could play with and the gun’s failure to extract propensity.  Then, during one range visit when I had a failure to extract, I fell back on my failure analysis background.  I put the loaded gun down on the bench (being careful to keep it pointed downrange) and took a photo with my iPhone.

A cartridge case caught during extraction on the mouth of the case immediately below it.

Wow.  How about that?  It was apparent that the case being extracted was hanging up on the case mouth of the round still in the magazine, and it was a strong enough obstacle to pull the extractor off the rim.  This brought up a lot of questions in my mind centered on the crimp and the bullet.  The Gardner bullets have a slight ramped step just north of the crimp.   And when I crimp a bullet for a semi-auto, I put a slight taper crimp on it with the Lee taper crimp die.  I want enough of a crimp to remove the case mouth flare (part of the reloading process to assure the bullet will enter the case mouth without shaving lead or copper), and enough to assure the cartridge will chamber easily.  Maybe I didn’t have enough crimp, I thought, and that was causing the case being extracted to hang up.

One of my reloaded 9mm rounds with a taper crimp and a Gardner powder-coated bullet.

I examined my ammo and I thought it looked good (actually, I thought it looked great; like most reloaders, I enjoy looking at my finished ammo).  But, to make sure, I loaded another box with as much taper crimp as I could get out of the Lee die.  Lee is right when they say their taper crimp die makes it impossible to deform a case: I put a very pronounced crimp on all the cartridges in the next box of ammo.  But that wasn’t the answer, and it created a new problem.  With a semi-auto like the 9mm or the .45 Auto, the cartridge headspaces on the case mouth.  When I used a more pronounced crimp, I started getting misfires.  The rounds were going too far into the chamber, and the firing pin wasn’t igniting the primers reliably.  Nope, more crimp wasn’t the answer.

At this point, I was getting a little frustrated.  All these problems aside, I wanted to like my Shield.   I wanted to use it as my concealed carry weapon, so I needed the thing to be reliable.  Faced with this issue, I knew it was time for what works every time:  A visit to TJ’s Custom Gunworks.

TJ examined the Shield.  He observed that the magazine positions the first cartridge in the magazine unusually high in the gun, and that was probably aggravating the failures to extract.  But there’s not really anything you can do about that.  It’s the gun’s design.  It is what it is.

The Shield’s magazine sits relatively high.
A loaded round waiting to chamber when the Shield’s slide returns to battery.

TJ then took a look at the extractor.  It was pretty dirty with combustion residue, but he felt it should work.   TJ, honest as always, told me he could polish the ramp and the chamber (they come from the factory pretty rough), but he didn’t know if that would fix the failures to extract.  I asked TJ to proceed.

A photo from TJ showing how dirty my extractor was. Even though it was funky (shame on me), TJ felt it would not have caused the extractor to slip off the case rim.

Here are a couple of photos of the chamber and the ramp as they come from the Smith and Wesson factory.   The Shield always fed and chambered reliably; it was only the extraction that was an issue.  TJ explained that if the chamber is rough, it can hang on to the fired case as it is being extracted.  I’ve experienced that on other guns.  The Shield’s chamber and its ramp looked about like I’d expect them to look on a mass-produced pistol, which is to say not very good.  I asked TJ to work his magic on both the ramp and the chamber.

The Shield’s feed ramp and chamber as delivered from the factory. Rough, but not ready.
Another view of the factory Shield feed ramp. It looks like it might have been cut by hand with a dull chisel.

TJ did his usual excellent job, and here’s what things look like now.

Pure TJ magic.
What a good ramp looks like.  Slick.  Smooth.  Shiny.

TJ told me he also put a slight undercut on the extractor to allow it to get a better grasp on the case rim.

The Shield’s extractor, as seen from the bottom. This is the piece that pulls the fired case out of the chamber. TJ undercut the area indicated by the arrow to give the extractor a better grip on the case.

I picked up my Shield a few days later and went to the range that afternoon. The Shield is now what it is supposed to be.  You saw the target at the top of this blog.  I fired 50 rounds without a single failure to extract and eject.  The gun just feels a lot smoother and slicker now.  My Gardner bullet and Accurate No. 5 load is perfect.  And the recut extractor drops the cartridges in one nice small pile on the floor behind me.  Wow.  I’m impressed.  Then, just to make sure (and because I was having so much fun) I fired another box of 50 rounds (again, with ammo loaded on the Lee Classic Turret press using the load at the top of this page).

Another target, another 50 rounds. Reliable as death and taxes, and accurate. Now, the Shield is as it should have been from the factory (thanks to TJ).

The Lee Classic Turret press does a magnificent job, and now, so does my Smith and Wesson Shield.  It’s the way the pistol should have come from the factory.

It’s bothersome that most of my recent gun purchases have required additional work to get them to perform the way they should.  In my former life as an aerospace manufacturing guy, I used to manage organizations with machine shops.  I know it would cost a little more for the gun companies to do the kind of things TJ did to my Shield (and several other guns, for that matter).  I wish the gun companies would do that; they ought to just hire TJ as a consultant (he knows what they need to do).  The bottom line here? If you have a Smith and Wesson Shield and you want it to be what it is supposed to be, get in touch with TJ.

There are a lot of things I like about the Shield.  Accuracy and illuminated sights are at the top of the list.  You can get a feel for its accuracy from the targets shown here.  None of this was bench rested; it was all shooting offhand on an indoor range with banging and clanging and brass flying all around me.

I found that after firing a a box of ammo, gunshot residue tends to occlude the sides, front, and rear of the front sight, and that causes the red to glow a lot less.  But that’s a minor point.  The Shield’s high visibility sights are great.

Holstered, the S&W Shield is about the same size as the Rock Island Compact 1911.
Another Shield-to-Compact-1911 comparison: The holstered Shield on top of the holstered 1911. Length and height are about the same.
The Shield is narrower than the 1911, and much lighter. It should be easier to carry concealed.

I bought a Bianchi leather holster for the Shield.  It’s similar to the Bianchi I use with my Compact 1911.  When I put the Shield in its holster I was surprised:  It’s really not any smaller than my Compact 1911.  It’s a bit narrower, but by the time both guns are holstered, the overall width is about the same.  Where the Shield has a clear advantage, though, is weight.  And even though the Shield with its polymer frame is much lighter than the Compact 1911, the recoil is quite a bit less than the .45.  Now that the Shield has been made more reliable by TJ, it will make a good concealed carry gun.  Incidentally, TJ worked his magic on my 1911, too.  It’s one of the most reliable handguns I’ve ever owned.

Ten rounds from the Compact 1911, ten from the Model 60, and ten from the Shield. All are in the 10 ring, 28 of the 30 are in the X-ring.

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Wiley Coyote Fact Checked

Did you ever get the feeling someone is watching you?

The coyote you see above was on the other side of fence just outside my backyard early yesterday.  Sue spotted him (or her?), so I grabbed the Nikon, mounted the 70-300 lens and took a photo through the window.  Sue asked what it was doing, and then it spoke up.

“Is the Kindle edition of A Cup O’ Joes available yet?”

I speak Coyote (a mostly tonal language), and that was what it asked.  Yes, I answered.  It is.  You can purchase it here.

Edit:  A short while after posting the above, Facebook fact checked it.  Here’s what they came back with:

The above is partly true.  As claimed above, you can purchase the Kindle edition of A Cup O’ Joes here (or you can click on the screen capture pic above).   The coyote you see in the featured photo above actually was behind Berk’s backyard fence yesterday, and Berk actually shot that photo.  Berk does not, however, speak Coyote (that claim is false).  And, the coyote in the above photo is not named Wiley (his real name is Deogi).

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Live on Amazon!

A Cup O’ Joes is available now on Amazon.  Every bathroom in every motorcycle shop and every motorcyclist’s home needs this book.  They make great gifts.  Check out the blurb:

Joe Gresh and Joe Berk bring you a collection of their favorite articles and stories from the ExhaustNotes.us website, Motorcycle Classics magazine, Rider magazine, Motorcyclist magazine, ADVMoto magazine, and other publications.  Ride with the Joes in China, Colombia, Mexico, New Zealand, Canada, the former Soviet Union, and the United States.  Read their opinions on motorcycles, accessories, and more.  Humor, wit, insight, and great reading…this collection of motoliterature belongs in your library.  Published in black and white.

You could wait for the movie, but the movie deal fell through.  You know the story…I wanted Leonardo di Caprio to play me or Gresh, the studio countered with Danny DeVito, and things fell apart after that.

Seriously, though, you need this book.  It will make you taller, skinnier, more attractive, and a faster rider.  Trust us on this.

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A Cup O’ Joes

By Joe Berk

Marcus, good buddy…we owe ya, Dude!

A Cup O’ Joes: I loved that title the moment I saw it and I knew it would be the winner, and Gresh and I felt the same way even after all the other suggestions arrived.  We thank you all for your ideas.  Marcus, we especially thank you.

The book is just about done.  Good buddy Jack Lewis wrote a killer Foreword, we just finished the front and rear cover (that’s what you see above), and we’re feeling good about this.  We’re going to take one more swing through before we hit publish, and then you’ll be able to order A Cup O’ Joes directly from Amazon.  The Kindle e-version will follow shortly thereafter.

Marcus, we’re going to send a signed copy to you.  Give us a little while.  I have to get a copy, sign it, USPS it to Gresh, he’ll sign it, and then it will be on its way to you.  Thanks again.

A Cup O’ Joes.  I love it.

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The Wayback Machine: Indiana Jones in Liqian

By Joe Berk
Yes, it really was like that. Somewhere along the Silk Road (the actual Silk Road) in China. I parked my RX3 when I saw the double rainbow, thinking someday I might use the shot in a blog about this adventure.

Almost 40 years ago, I saw my first Indiana Jones movie and it affected me profoundly.  I started traveling the world stumbling upon lost empires. Things that have been swallowed by time, as they say.  My motorcycle ride through Colombia had some of that.  The Baja adventures have a bit of it, too.  But none of the rides had more of an Indiana Jones flavor than did the ride across China.  That ride was three years ago this month, and I still think about it every day.  There were several things we saw in China that would have been right at home in an Indiana Jones movie.  One was Liqian.   I can best tell you about it with an excerpt from Riding China, the story of the ride with Joe Gresh across the Ancient Kingdom.

Gobi Gresh, aka Arjiu, stopping to smell the sunflowers in China.

The ride in the morning was just like yesterday. We rode the Silk Road at high speed, making great time in magnificent weather. I knew we were going to Wuwei (you could have a lot of fun with that name; it’s pronounced “woo wee”), but that was really all I knew about that day as we started out that morning. Boy, would this day ever be an interesting one!

It was to be a very full day, and Wuwei would be another one of those cities of several million people that seem to pop up in China every 50 to 100 miles. It was a huge city I had never heard of. China is an amazing place, and I was going to learn today it is more amazing than I could have imagined, and for a reason I would have never guessed. I’ve mentioned Indiana Jones movies a lot in this book. Today, we came upon something that could easily be…well, read on. This is going to be good.

After riding for a couple of hours, we left the freeway and entered a city called Yongchang. It seemed to be pretty much a regular Chinese city until we stopped. I needed to find a bathroom and Wong helped me. Wong is a big, imposing guy. He’s a corrections officer supervisor in Xi’an. He has a friendly look, but he can turn that off in a New York minute and become an extremely imposing figure. I saw him do that once on this trip, and I’ll tell you about that episode when we get to it.

Corrections Officer Supervisor Wong. He looks like a mischievous guy. This guy’s command presence was amazing. I saw him stop a car just by looking at it. Here, he’s enjoying the attention in Yongchang.

Anyway, I followed Wong through a couple of alleys and businesses until we came to an empty restaurant (it was mid-morning, and it had no customers). Wong spoke to the lady there, she nodded her head and smiled at me, and pointed to the bathroom. When I rejoined the guys back on the street, several women at a tailor shop (we had coincidentally stopped in front of a tailor shop) were fussing over Wong. He needed a button sewn on his jacket and it was obvious they were flirting with him. Wong seemed to be enjoying it. Like I said, Wong is a big guy, and I guess you could say he’s good looking. I think the women who were sewing his button on were thinking the same thing.

Beautiful young Chinese ladies. Mostly Chinese, anyway.  The one on the left is entering my phone number in her contacts list.

Three teenage girls approached us and wanted to know about our bikes. Like many young Chinese, they spoke English (in China, you learn English as a second language in grade school; it is a strong advantage in Chinese society if you can speak English well). They wanted to practice with us. It was the routine stuff (“how are you?” “hello,” and things like that) until one of the teenaged girls looked directly at me and asked, “Can I have your phone number?” Gresh and I both had a good laugh over that. I actually gave her my phone number and she carefully entered it into her phone (and no, she hasn’t called me yet).

I was enjoying all of this immensely, taking photos of the girls, the seamstresses flirting with Wong, and the rest of China all around me. There was something different about one of those teenage girls. I couldn’t quite recognize what it was, but to me she definitely looked, well, different.

Yongchang statues. They don’t look as Chinese as you might think they should. There’s a reason for that.

It was at about that time that Sean approached me and said, “Dajiu, do you see those three statues over there?” He pointed to three tall statues that faced us, perhaps 300 yards away. I nodded yes. “If you look at their faces, you will see that they have Roman features.” Truth be told, I couldn’t really see it in the statues because they were too far away, but I grabbed a photo and later, on my computer, I could see something different. But before I looked at the photo, it all clicked for me. That’s what had my attention with that girl. We were literally in the middle of China and she didn’t look as Chinese as her two friends. She looked different.

All right, my friends, I need to go tangential here for a minute or two and share this story with you. Hang on, because this is real Indiana Jones stuff. No, scratch that. I’ve never seen an Indiana Jones movie with a story line this good (and I’ve seen all of them).

More than 2,000 years ago, before the birth of Christ, the two most powerful empires on the planet were the Roman Empire and the Han Dynasty. These two superpowers of their time enjoyed a brisk trade relationship along the Silk Road. Yep, the very same trail we had been riding for the last few days. Between them (in what became Iran and its surrounding regions) lay a smaller empire called Parthia. For reasons only the Romans understood, Rome thought it would be a good idea to attack Parthia. They sent several Roman Legions to war (and to put this in perspective, a Roman Legion consisted of about 5,000 men). To everyone’s surprise (including, I would imagine, the Romans), the Parthians kicked Rome’s butt.

Wow, imagine that. Rome, defeated on the field of battle by the much smaller Parthian Empire. To put it mildly, things did not quite go the way the Romans thought they would.

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All of this severely disrupted trade between the Han Dynasty and the Romans, and nobody liked that. “Why the hell did you do that?” the Han Dynasty asked Rome. “We had a good thing going and you screwed it up.”  At least that’s what I’m guessing the conversation went like.  You get the idea.

Cooler minds prevailed and the Romans  realized, yeah, that was a dumb move.  The Romans told the Parthians, hey, it’s over, let’s be friends again. The war ended, the Chinese were happy, the Romans were happy, the Parthians were happy, and trade resumed. All’s well that ends well.

Well, sort of. There was still that matter of those pesky Roman legions that had invaded Parthia. They didn’t come back from that war, and for two thousand years, no one knew what happened to them. The Romans probably assumed their Legionnaires had all been slaughtered.  No one knew until an Australian dude and a Chinese guy, both University archeologist types (starting to sound a little like Indiana Jones yet?) put a theory together in 1957. Hmmm, maybe those Romans had not been killed after all.

The Parthians, being bright enough to defeat the Romans, were not about to let the Legionnaires go home and perhaps attack them again in some future war. They didn’t want to kill the Romans, either. I guess they were kinder, gentler Parthians.  Here’s where those two Aussie and Chinese archeologists enter the picture. They hypothesized that the Parthians told the errant Legionnaires, “Look, we don’t want to kill all you guys, but there’s no way we’re going to let you go back to Rome. And there’s no room for you here, either. Your only option is to keep heading east. Go to China. Maybe you crazy warmongering Italians will find nice Chinese girls and settle down.”   With that, and as one might imagine, a hearty arrivederci, the Romans continued their eastward march straight into the middle of China.

And folks, the prevailing wisdom today is that is exactly what happened (although the prevailing wisdom evidently hasn’t prevailed very far, as I had never heard the story until that morning in Yongchang). In fact, prior to this theory surfacing, folks wondered why the Chinese referred to the area around Yongchang as Liqian. That’s not a Chinese word, and it’s unlike the name of any other Chinese town.  The folks who know about these things tell me it is an unusual word in the Chinese language.

Liqian is  pronounced “Lee Chee On.”

Get it yet?

Lee Chee On? Liqian?

Doesn’t it sound like “legion?” As in Roman legion?

A Chinese man in Liqian. This guy could be the Marlboro Man for a Chinese cigarette company!

I found all of this fascinating. I saw more than a few people around the Liqian area that had a distinct western appearance, and they all consented to my taking their photos when I asked. They recognize just how special their story is. The Chinese government is taking note of this area, too. They are developing a large theme park just outside of Yongchang with a Roman motif. We visited that theme park, and while we were there, Sergeant Zuo gave a book to me (printed in both English and Chinese) about the place. It is one of the two books I brought back from China, and that book is now one of my most prized possessions.

Imagine that:  Roman legions, resettled in the middle of China, in a town called Liqian.  And I rode there.  On an RX3.

That photo at the top of this blog?  All the gear, all the time?

Nah, it was nothing like that.  One of the Zongshen guys had this idea about making a movie with a Roman Empire theme (you know, being as we were in Liqian and all that), and he bought along gladiator costumes. I’m not sure what Gresh and I were thinking (we’re not normally into gladiator movies) but we let those guys talk us into putting the costumes on and taking a few pics and videos.  I guess you had to be there to understand it; it was all in the spirit of the ride.

Watch for our next Indiana Jones episode in China.  It’s about the lost Buddhist grottos at Mo Gao in the Gobi Desert.  There’s more good stuff coming your way.  Stay tuned!

Want to read more about the ride across China?  Pick up a copy of Riding China!

Your Worst Gun?

Here’s another story from good buddy Jose.  These are his opinions about his worst gun, a Cobra Derringer.  Jose gives us an interesting set of observations.

By Jose Armenta

Davis Industries of Chino, California, began manufacturing these cheap Derringers in 1982 until they were sued into oblivion in 1999. They are made of cast Zamak, a zinc alloy containing 93% zinc, 4% aluminum and 3% copper. You and I might call it “pot metal,” a material commonly used for inexpensive die cast model cars and other toys.

The Cobra Big Bore 38 Spl is small indeed.
Looking down .38 caliber junk barrels.
Pointing with index finger while firing with the middle finger. It’s the way some people shoot the Cobra Derringer, but I don’t recommend trying it. I don’t recommend this Derringer at all!

Cobra Enterprises acquired the Derringer manufacturing part of Davis and began producing identical guns in Salt Lake City, Utah. Then in 2016 someone had been carrying his Cobra Big Bore (in the 9mm Luger version) with the hammer resting on one of the firing pins, put it on a bench, and it discharged, hitting the gun’s owner in the stomach. I don’t know much about it except the guy sued Cobra and Hornady, the ammo manufacturer. In anticipation of a judgment against them, the company owner started another company, Bearman Industries, also in Salt Lake City. Cobra filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in February 2020 and shortly thereafter Bearman took over Derringer production. And now Bearman is again plagued with consumer lawsuits.

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This example is a Cobra I bought new around 2014. It is of the typical Zamak pot metal construction with some kind of cheap steel rifled barrel liner. The trigger is absolutely horrid and the cross-pin safety is barely functional. It shoots best with handloaded 148 grain wadcutters because its 2.75-inch barrel is totally useless with hollow point ammo. The gun wouldn’t be so bad if the crossbar safety wasn’t so hard to disengage. I might try polishing the safety detent when I get some time.

The mystique of the derringer hide-away gun is deeply rooted in 1950’s Hollywood western movies, such as this still of Paladin from Have Gun Will Travel.

Firing a Derringer takes some practice. If you pull straight back on the trigger, it will not fire even with 20 pounds or more. To fire, the trigger must be pulled slightly downward and not straight back. An old time cowboy action shooter once taught me that Derringers are best fired with the middle finger on the trigger while the index finger points at the target alongside the barrel. You hold your hand outstretched with the fingers open. Now watch your middle and lower fingers as you slowly close your hand into a tight fist. Just before your finger contacts the palm of the hand, the middle finger moves slightly downward at the very end of the pull. Weird, huh? But it works!

Pressing the trigger straight back will get you nowhere with a Derringer. One must pull the trigger slightly downward to release the sear. This is accomplished pretty easily by using the middle finger. Try this: hold your hand outstretched with the fingers open. Now watch your middle and lower fingers as you slowly close your hand into a tight fist. Just before your finger contacts the palm of the hand, the middle finger moves slightly downward at the very end of the “pull”. Weird, huh? But it works!

Check out these trigger pull directions from the manual.

Using this middle finger method works well at across-the-card-table distance. However, my index finger is a bit longer than the barrel so I have to bend my finger a little to keep it away from the muzzle.

Would I recommend the Cobra Big Bore Derringer to anyone? Absolutely NOT!

But I’ll still keep mine as a conversation piece. It’s a fantastic example of a crappy gun. I shoot it a couple times a year just to remind myself of what a pile of junk this thing really is. Someday maybe I’ll find an old Remington .41 rimfire Derringer just for fun. I understand the Remingtons have no safety at all and may be equally as crappy. Who knows?

What’s your worst gun?

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The Rimfire Series

By Joe Berk

I liked good buddy Jose’s blog about his Marlin Glenfield .22 rifle, and we thought it would be a good idea to include a Rimfire Series category here on ExNotes.  When the idea first surfaced, I thought we might have done a blog or two on .22 rimfire firearms.  When I searched through our blogs, I found that we’ve already posted six .22 blogs.  For your quick reference, here they are:

A Tale of Two .22s (a CZ Model 452 and a Remington Model 504)

A .22 Colt Trooper Mk III

¡Siluetas Metálicas!

First Person Shooter

A 200th Year Ruger .22

A Tale of Two Springfields

We’ll be including a category for these on our Tales of the Gun page, too.

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Watch for upcoming rimfire stories in this series, including a blog or two on the GSG .22 1911, the Ruger Single Six, the Smith and Wesson Model 41, a Mannlicher CZ Model 455, a Trainer CZ Model 452 , a Winchester Model, a Remington Custom Shop Model 504, a Ruger Mannlicher 10/22, a 200th year Ruger 10/22, a target grade Ruger Mark III, a vintage Winchester Model 62, and more.  Yep, we like our rimfires.  Big time.  Stay tuned, Amigos!

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Moss Landing Moto Art

By Joe Berk

If you’re on the Pacific Coast Highway and you’re riding through the little fishing village of Moss Landing, it’s nearly impossible to miss the moto art at the J&S Eagle Iron and Leather Shop, although that’s exactly what I did on a trek north a few years (no doubt because it was raining so hard).  On the way back, though, the sun was out and I when I saw these I knew I had to stop for a few photos.  I shot these photos about 5 years ago and I don’t know if these moto sculptures are still there.   It might be worth a ride to check it out.

Ernie Buck, the store manager, told me these gigantic bike sculptures are Hecho en Mexico and go for about $20K each.   I guess that’s not that far-fetched considering what a new Harley or BMW costs these days, and these things are easily three times the size of those bikes.

The first moto gigante was constructed mostly of license plates.  Bear in mind that all three of these sculptures use giant tractor tires (that will give you a sense of their size).  Like I said above, they’re huge!

The next one  was fabricated from horseshoes.   Horseshoes!  Imagine that!   Where do artists get their ideas?

It was cool.  I liked the gangster whitewalls.  I had a set of those on my ’92 Softail.    You know, the top of those tires was about the same height as me!

The third bike was fabricated almost entirely of shovels.

Maybe the bike above is a Shovelhead (you know, the one that came after the Panhead).  It was cool.

You know, the bikes above make for interesting displays, but I wondered where I would put such a thing if I owned it.  You’d need a huge lawn or a spacious home in which to display this kind of art, and even then, I’m pretty sure Sue would have none of it.  They sure were interesting and they made for cool photos.

The Pacific Coast Highway is an amazing road and it’s always been one of my favorite rides.

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What’s in a title?

So it’s about to happen, but we need a title.

200+ pages of single-spaced, profusely-illustrated motorcycle content from the two Joes who started ExNotes. The collected works, so to speak. With selections including magazine articles, road tests, opinion pieces, travel stories, ExNotes blog posts, and even a few listicles. American bikes, European bikes, Japanese bikes, Indian bikes, Chinese bikes, vintage bikes, modern bikes, dream bikes, wild conjectures, and more. A Foreword by none other than Jack Lewis, perhaps the brightest and most literate star in the motojourno constellation. It’s about to land.  The book is already written. All we need is the title. That’s where you can help. That, and of course, buying the book.

We’ve got a few titles we’re considering:

Dos Joes
Dos Moto Joes
Two Good Joes
The Two Moto Joes
Moto Stories from Joe and Joe
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The Rimfire Series: Minute of Golf Ball

Good buddy Jose, who has written for us before (I’ll give you a link to his other articles at the end of this blog), sent this story to us a day or two ago.  I enjoyed reading it and I think you will, too.

By Jose Armenta

Hi Joe!

I have one you might like….

“Minute of Golf Ball”

I was at the range two weeks ago on a very busy day fooling around with the first 22 semi auto rifle my parents bought me for Christmas when I was 12 years old (um, I mean Santa Claus did). It’s a Marlin Glenfield Model 60 and it came with a 4x scope.

Anyhow some years ago I mounted an inexpensive BSA “Sweet 22” 4×9 scope on it, I mean really inexpensive like 60 or 70 beans.  I put four golf balls out on the ground by my targets at 100 yards while some kids and the range hands looked on. Using bulk “rot gut” Federal ammo, I picked off all four balls with four shots. Golf balls fly about 10 to 15 feet when hit with a 22, sort of like when you hit them with a chipper iron. Two kids with a Ruger 10/22 tried bouncing them to no avail. So next range break I set them back up and did it all over again, and the results were 4 for 4!

I told the kids my 50+ year old department store rifle was “minute of golf ball.”

Oh, and yes, it does have the famous Glenfield squirrel stock. I learned to hunt with this rifle so it will always be my favorite.

Who still shoots their first 22 rifle?

Jose

Jose, that’s awesome.

To answer your question (Who still shoots their first 22 rifle?):  I know I do, good buddy Greg does, and I suspect quite a few of us do.  My first .22 was handed down from my Dad, who bought it when he was 8 years old for $8 in New Jersey of all places (a state with what are probably the most stringent gun laws in the country).   I like your story a lot, Jose. It’s a good story, it hits on a topic that many of us can relate to, and it suggests a new blog line:  The Rimfire Series.  Thanks for submitting this to us, and if you have more stories, please send them in!

Here are links to Jose’s other ExNotes stories:

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