Midwest Meetup! (Pix Heavy)

[kalashnikovcult]

If there is Heaven on Earth ..It is Here ..It is Here...It is Here !

[ckkalyan]

This cannon is, I'm sure, a Model 1841 Mountain Howitzer. Here is the wiki on this weapon:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1841_Mountain_Howitzer

That's a real piece of history you're standing next to, CK!

Thanks for these pics, guys!

Thanks Timmy for the heads up on the Mountain Howitzer, nice article. Here is a bit that I found in reference to 'Fort Rigley' here http://swcwa.com/Untitled41/The_Mountain_Howitzer.pdf

Although much used in the East, mountain howitzers were perhaps most important in the
West, where there were fewer roads, rougher country, and few large cannons. Mountain
howitzers were devastating weapons when used against the Indians. Indeed, mountain
howitzers were the first cannons ever seen by many Indians.

Mountain howitzers figured prominently in several Indian battles fought during the Civil War
years, from fighting at Fort Ridgely, Minn., during the 1862 Sioux Uprising to the infamous
Sand Creek Massacre in Colorado in 1864. The famous mountain man turned Union general,
Christopher "Kit" Carson, credited a pair of mountain howitzers with saving his command
during the Battle of Adobe Walls, Texas, on November 25, 1864. Carson's force of about 400 men
attacked and overran a Kiowa village before they were confronted by 1,000 Comanche warriors
camped nearby. The soldiers barely escaped with their lives after a long, running battle.

[ckkalyan]

XL and Kalyan dada how come the two of you always have all the fun ? I mean look at those pictures ...This is so unfair

Jokes apart, a most wonderful narrative (as always, coming from the two of you ) and wonderful pictures. Please keep them coming.

Cheers and best wishes

TC

Thank you very much for your comments and appreciation gentlemen Moin, gladiatorgarg, Bhargav and TC

[ckkalyan]

Wow!! What a pictures and videos by both of you.

In first picture, toys on the rack are fantastic, AR 15, FN FAL rifles and M1 Grand. All of them are my favorite toys.

In next few pictures you are handling a Coonan 1911 in 357Mag. I can’t believe you actually meet Dan and shoot his 357Mag.

I can’t believe CK, you are telling to Dan Coonan not to sell one of his toys to me. I hate you.

Baljit

Thank you SS and Baljit for your feedback

I am so glad Baljit that you took the time to reply itemwise - so I am sure you enjoyed every bit of it! I am surely drooling over your well presented, delicious looking kebabs - well done buddy! Slurp!

[ckkalyan]

Sunday August 25th... contd.

We're still at Ahlman's show...

Phew! I'm sure I still missed some stuff.

Sorry XL - I jumped the gun, my apologies! My internet conn was truly driving me up the wall; so for a while there I wasn't sure whether I was going or coming....thanks a ton for your intuitive support, on the posts amongst many other things.

[ckkalyan]

CK,
What a great pictures and write up as usual, also playing with his other hobby is fantastic.

In first picture 10/22 looks very mean, heavy barrel with blue thumb-hole butt stock. I think if you put your thumb in that hole then you going to feel much more comfortable to shoot that 10/22.

All of the pictures are fantastic. I am really enjoying this post.

Armor area.
All of the pictures are fantastic. Here looks like CK ready for WW III.

Standing front of Ferret Scout Car, British Armored Personnel Carrier, Dodge Weapons Carrier, Tank, Russian "Ural" bike and sidecar, checking out Bazooka, Willy’s jeep and Gatling gun are amazing pictures.

In next pictures he still standing beside Nazi and holding there MP40?

You are right XL; he quickly remembered which side India was on during WW2 and crossed over to the American side. After all he is in US. Very smart guy!!

Next few pictures are also fantastic. German soldier with his Mouser rifle, Russian woman soldier firing her Mosin Nagant Rifle, "Screaming Eagles" shows off his Garand (this is one of my favorite rifle) and finally demonstrate the MG36 is amazing.

Thank you very much guy's, I think,I have to make a plans to visit MN.

Baljit

Thanks very much Baljit for your interesting comments, I appreciate it!

About the Blue Thumb Hole Stock - I figured it out - eventually! I was completely overwhelmed by the range of unfamiliar weapons that I had to fire in such a short period! Sometimes I think it is better this way; to be just thrown into the arena and say 'use this' - one learns pretty quickly and probably never forgets!

[ckkalyan]

If there is Heaven on Earth ..It is Here ..It is Here...It is Here !

Many thanks kalashnikovcult

[xl_target]

Sunday August 25th... contd.

We're still at Ahlman's show...

Phew! I'm sure I still missed some stuff.

Sorry XL - I jumped the gun, my apologies! My internet conn was truly driving me up the wall; so for a while there I wasn't sure whether I was going or coming....thanks a ton for your intuitive support, on the posts amongst many other things.

Hey, no problem.
I was just continuing to post those photos. I'm sure there were people interested in seeing them.

[xl_target]

Monday August 26th, 2013

As CK explained, the next day we went over to a family friends farmhouse and shot some of my guns. It was a very hot and humid day and after a few hours we were pretty much physically drained.

Here is a video of Ck shooting two of my pistols. The SIG 1911-22 and my SIG P225:




A little later we pulled out the shotguns. Here is CK firing a Mossberg SA-20 (20 gauge), a Remington 870 (12 gauge) pump action shotgun and my Ruger M77 rifle in .280 Remington:


CK Pumping the 870 like a pro!

After we packed everything up, we went into the house and cooled down for a little before we went back to my place. On the way home, I gave CK a lot of grief about his aching shoulder. To tell the truth, I was pretty much wiped out by the heat and was ready to head home too.
After supper, CK and I sat down and started going over all the photos that we had taken. We also started composing our first post on this thread.

[Baljit]

Thank you very much XL for shearing the videos with all of us.What a great time both of you guy's have.

Thank's again.
Baljit

[xl_target]

Thank you very much XL for shearing the videos with all of us.What a great time both of you guy's have.

Baljit, thanks for your comment.
A lot of the things we did are only fun if you have someone to share them with.

Tuesday, August 27th, 2013

All good things have to end sometime. It was now time for me to get CK back to the Twin Cities. He was going to meet up with another friend, spend the night with him and then was going to be dropped off at the airport in the wee hours of the morning so he could, get checked in, go through security and depart at 6:30 am.

On the way we made the obligatory Cabelas visit. It wasn't so much that CK hadn't been to a Cabelas but that I wanted to go too. The Cabelas discount coupon was burning a hole in my pocket too.


CK fondling an 1860 army black powder revolver.


A (working) replica Colt 1860 Army model cap and ball revolver.
I've wanted one of these for a very long time.


A Polar Bear. My, he's a big one


A Grizzly. Who's afraid of the Big Bad Bear?

We finally made our way to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St Paul after innumerable traffic jams and construction slowdowns. We met CK's friend, Sharad, in a swanky bar in downtown Minneapolis. My daughter, who lives up there, came down and met us and a few beers were consumed. We chatted for a while and then it was 8 PM and time for me to head home.


CK and Sharad consuming some of the custom brews available in this bar.

I would like to thank CK for the time he took off and the considerable expense he underwent to come over here to spend some time with me. I really appreciated our time together and sharing a bit of my life, in this part of the world, with him.

[sandy_3126]

Looks like you guys had a lot of fun....

[xl_target]

Thanks Sandy,
Yes we did.

[Vikram]

Another great set of videos and photographs.

XL and Kalyan,

Thanks a lot for this wonderful compilation and taking us along on this wonderful trip you two took. I really enjoyed going through the report and the accompanying photos and videos.What is even more heartening are the friendship and the easy camaraderie.

Best-
Vikram

[Baljit]

Wow!! more video and pictures.

very nice CK, How did you feel when you holding a 1860 army black powder revolver?

Standing front of Polar and Grizzly bear are amazing pictures.Your visit to Cabela remind me when we are in St.Louis last year.
Here.


Spending a evening with one of old friends in the bar was also amazing. What kind of beer are you guys drinking?

Over all, I really enjoyed your visit to MN.Let's start working on next visit to MN.

CK, Looking forward for you visit to Kelowna again in couples of weeks.

XL, thank you very much for these pictures again. I truly enjoyed this post.

Thank you very much to both of you guy's to take all of us to MN.


Baljit