When Russians Battled Germans in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (WWII)

When Russians Battled Germans in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (WWII)

When Russians Battled Germans in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (WWII)

Posted on September 20, 2022 at 12:00 AM by The Biker Lawyers

Bringing War to the Modern Age

It’s more than a hobby. It’s a way to honor world history and an unforgettable experience to teach new generations about the sacrifices made by our forefathers.

Forget the dusty old textbooks and ancient photos- Cedar Rapids area reenactors are bringing the past to life with family-friendly weekend events that are true to history and focused on the lived experiences of soldiers during World War II.

Reenactors are dedicated to honoring our past by recreating history in a way that is accessible to everyone.

They bring true-to-history experiences to events that are fun for all ages, so you can learn about history while getting your hands dirty! The Cedar Rapids area has a thriving reenactment community that is dedicated to educating the public about history, sacrifice, and celebrating our freedom.

These men and women are proud members of the community, which includes Iowa City, Coralville, Cedar Rapids, North Liberty, and beyond. They’re even doing a larger reenactment next week in Minnesota.

Recently, I experienced one of these monumental events and sat down with a participant to discuss what goes into making history come alive.

I thought WW2 reenactment might be good for photography so I brought my big rig — Canon EOS-R full-frame sensor camera with a Canon big-boy 70-200mm f/2.8 lens which is a rig made for capturing battlefield skirmishes from a safe distance.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words so, as you likely have noticed, I made this week’s blog more of a photo essay.

I’ve had Rock 108 listeners who have been inviting me to see their WW2 reenactment group do their thing for several years.

Now that I am the Biker Lawyers “Ambassador of Ammo”, I thought it would be a good time to check it out, and what a great day it was.  As I said, it’s so much more than just reenacting the battles, it’s a walk back in time.

They had authentic wartime encampments from the ’30s.  The tents, the furniture that would be used, right down to the phone systems, bunks, blankets, and utensils.

These reenactments are a very family-friendly good time that is free to attend.

They hold several “skirmishes” throughout the day which you don’t want to miss.

These are battlefield reenactments complete with period armored vehicles, and soldiers with guns (including machine guns) shooting live blanks so there is plenty of BOOM going down as well.

The video this week is a combination photo essay and a short live-action shot of one of the skirmishes I had a video mishap, so only got one short clip but the photos tell a pretty good story.

If you ever have the chance to see any of the battle reenactor groups I highly recommend it.  It’s a great day of historical accuracy, immersive entertainment, and family fun that will cost you little to nothing.

About Russ: The biker community’s Ambassador of Ammo

Known as a professional Radio Gypsy, Russ is the voice of “crazy stories and bad behavior” on Rock 108 every weekday from 10 AM – 2 PM (CST). After a shooting expedition with friends, Russ found a new passion for firearms and is now searching to find the perfect fit to match his needs. Join him as he tests and reviews various guns and targets, learns gun safety, and occasionally blows stuff up every week right here!

Make sure to subscribe to this blog for email updates when Russ posts a new experience!

 

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Settling Sibling Rivalry with a Shoot-out

Settling Sibling Rivalry with a Shoot-out

Settling Sibling Rivalry with a Shoot-out

Posted on September 8, 2022 at 1:05 PM by  The Biker Lawyers

 

Twins Shoot Out

When you’re the Biker’s Ambassador of Ammo, taking a break from work doesn’t mean taking a break from the range.

While on vacation in California I was able to get my identical twin (we prefer the term “spare body parts”), Rich, to join me on the firing range. Until last week he hasn’t had much of an interest in firearms, though he has been watching the series I’ve been posting for The Biker Lawyers and Midwest Shooting in Hiawatha.

Finding a Shooting Range

I couldn’t believe my luck. I found a shooting range that must’ve been less than five minutes from my brother’s house. He even admitted that he drives by it every day on his way to work but has never gone to check it out.

Iron Sights, Oceanside’s public indoor shooting range has over 150 different shotguns, rifles, and pistols available for rental. They have classes available to help sharpen your skills and even acquire your CCW. Hearing and eye protection are always provided for free.

This place seemed like the perfect place for an old-fashioned shoot-out!

The Shooting Competition

With a little convincing, Rich and I were headed to the range to see which was the superior brother in (fire) arms.

The contest would consist of two rounds challenging the body and mind… literally.

The first round would involve shots to the engine — body shots on a paper target at a distance of 21 feet. We’d each get one magazine, 10 shots, from a .22 caliber handgun.

For the second round, we set our sights on the much smaller target that sits atop the shoulders. This time we’d be operating within the same parameters as round one, but aiming for the head.

Rich results, right away?!

Rich nailed his first (and luckiest shot, the bastard) DEAD CENTER. A perfect shot! Check out the video to see the look on his face!

His first ever target shooting and he landed 9 out of ten in the center ring! Great shooting… for a beginner.

Surely now that I’ve had a few weeks of experience and some actual training under my belt I can best him… right??

The second Round was a little more difficult for Rich. The target is a lot smaller. Still, he was able to land 5 out of 10 in the center ring. He set a high bar for me to compete with.

You’ll have to watch the video to see who proved to be the better shot. As always, I look forward to reading your comments.

Ready To Go Gun Shopping

The bottom line is Rich liked it so much he’s gun shopping. Thankfully he’s got a place close by with a huge selection to help get him started. I’m sure he will be a great range shooter in a matter of months.

I think a rematch is in our future. Let me hear what you think below.

About Russ: The biker community’s Ambassador of Ammo

Known as a professional Radio Gypsy, Russ is the voice of “crazy stories and bad behavior” on Rock 108 every weekday from 10 AM – 2 PM (CST). After a shooting expedition with friends, Russ found a new passion for firearms and is now searching to find the perfect fit to match his needs. Join him as he tests and reviews various guns and targets, learns gun safety, and occasionally blows stuff up every week right here!

Make sure to subscribe to this blog for email updates when Russ posts a new experience!

 

This blog is brought to you by

The Biker Lawyers, Personal Injury Lawfirm. Injured?

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AR-15 Vs Exploding Targets- Reaction and Review

AR-15 Vs Exploding Targets- Reaction and Review

AR-15 Vs Exploding Targets- Reaction and Review

Posted on August 31, 2022 at 12:00 PM by The Biker Lawyers

 

Farming with Explosive Ammo

I’ve been teasing this for long enough and finally, we got a chance to go to a top-secret (undisclosed) farm location… MILES from any neighbors.

We needed a place where we could make a LOT of noise without aggravating anyone. Our biggest worries were disturbing a herd of cows hanging out over in the next pasture. In fact, we had to go to our backup top secret location because the cows were just too close, and we weren’t planning on any BBQ steak that night.

Side note:  In the video, see if you can spot a curious cow on a hill watching the whole thing. Bonus points if you comment the exact time his friend takes off running! We had a bunch of explosive targets brand name Sonic Boom which Wade sells at Midwest Shooting in Hiawatha, Iowa.

I kept calling it Tannerite which I thought was the compound that exploded only to find out that it’s a Brand Name.

Fun fact: Tannerite and Sonic Boom are just two brands of the many available. They’re all called Binary Explosives. 

Back to business, Sonic Boom is very stable and will only explode with high-velocity rifle shots — It turns out that handguns and even shotguns won’t create a boom.

So, being 50 yards away from the target our weapon of choice was an AR-15 with a great scope. I’d fired an AR before, and even an AK47, but an AR-15 with a scope was something I had never used before.

The experience was… explosive.

Wade collected a bunch of “mush melons”  which we set up on a square hay bale.

We had melon innards splattered for more than a fifty-yard radius by the time we finished. The integrity of the hay bale was breached pretty quickly, making for some impressive video footage.

Enjoy the video as Wade, Jayden, and Jordyn from Midwest shooting and I all take turns behind the scope of an AR-15 unleashing hell on helpless, downrange, mush melons.

Now, I can’t make any promises, but one reader requested I test my skills with Crossbows in a future blog. What do you think? Should I give the Crossbow a go?

About Russ: The biker community’s Ambassador of Ammo

Known as a professional Radio Gypsy, Russ is the voice of “crazy stories and bad behavior” on Rock 108 every weekday from 10 AM – 2 PM (CST). After a shooting expedition with friends, Russ found a new passion for firearms and is now searching to find the perfect fit to match his needs. Join him as he tests and reviews various guns and targets, learns gun safety, and occasionally blows stuff up every week right here!

Make sure to subscribe to this blog for email updates when Russ posts a new experience!

This blog is brought to you by

The Biker Lawyers, Personal Injury Lawfirm. Injured?

Ride with us

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The 40-Yard Challenge

The 40-Yard Challenge

The 40-Yard Challenge

Posted on August 24, 2022 at 8:00 AM by The Biker Lawyers

Creating a New Shooting Challenge

I was discussing with Wade at Midwest Shooting in Hiawatha various VLOG ideas and we liked the idea of challenges a lot.

I reminded him about the statement he made after a 21-year-old man who carries, took out an active shooter during a mass-shooting event from 40 yards.

Wade said that was a hell of a shot and that he wasn’t sure he could put many rounds on a target 40 yards away with just a Glock.

He also wondered if I, as a new shooter, would be able to get any on target from that distance.

After all, handguns are meant for close work.

Setting Up Our Target

Well, that sounded like a good challenge and fairly topical too. Off we went to Wade’s family farm to set everything up.

Wade created what we affectionately called a “torso target” with paper covering it so we could track everyone’s shots.

Once we set everything up it became clear just how far away 40 yards truly is.

40 yards is a long haul-  almost half a football field.

Ten seconds of full-out running for the average person. The length of two bowling alleys placed end to end. A target that’s 3ft tall and hardly a foot and a half wide sitting 40 yards away looks absolutely tiny. I had serious doubts about our ability to hit this target.

Time to Shoot Our Shot

The Shooters were Wade and Jayden from Midwest Shooting and myself.

I went first.

We got ten shots each, the same as happened with the shooting we’re recreating.

To add a measure of stress and distraction an AR-15 is being shot at the same time — again, mimicking the scenario that was in the news.

Spoiler — we all hit the target. You’ll have to watch the video to see how we did individually.

What This Target Practice Taught Us

While this was a fun exercise, it really can’t recreate the tension of being shot at (I checked with Rock 108s legal team and they thought that wouldn’t be a good idea). I’m a bit old for paintball- but wouldn’t rule it out.

Shooting a stationary target that isn’t shooting back was most certainly easier than what happened in the real-life incident we were using as our challenge.

Have you tried this kind of target practice? If you do, I’d be interested to hear about your results and videos too. Comment below.

About Russ: The biker community’s Ambassador of Ammo

Known as a professional Radio Gypsy, Russ is the voice of “crazy stories and bad behavior” on Rock 108 every weekday from 10 AM – 2 PM (CST). After a shooting expedition with friends, Russ found a new passion for firearms and is now searching to find the perfect fit to match his needs. Join him as he tests and reviews various guns and targets, learns gun safety, and occasionally blows stuff up every week right here!

Make sure to subscribe to this blog for email updates when Russ posts a new experience!

This blog is brought to you by

The Biker Lawyers, Personal Injury Lawfirm. Injured?

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Taking a Meeting with the Boss at the Shooting Range

Taking a Meeting with the Boss at the Shooting Range

Taking a Meeting with the Boss at the Shooting Range

Posted on August 17, 2022 at 10:28 AM by The Biker Lawyers

The Boss is Shooting

Our Market manager and all-around badass, Allyson Hillman, and her husband Steve have taken up shooting with our friends and sponsors at Midwest Shooting in Hiawatha, Iowa. The indoor range is fantastic and we were excited to all make use of it.

Ready, Aim, Fire

In this week’s blog and video, Allyson tries out two revolvers and a 9mm to see what fits her personal preference best. Watch as she gets the chance to compare:

  • 9mm Sig Sauer 320
  •  
  • Smith and Wesson 38 Special, 642 snub nose revolver
  •  
  • and the Legendary 357 Magnum revolver

Here you’ll see her take her time with each one.

Based on the results above, it looks like the lightest, smallest gun, the snub nose, surprised us all by giving one of her best shots of the night.

Some Friendly Shooting Competition

After trying all three she selected the one she thought felt best and we took it to a friendly shoot-off between Allyson, her husband Steve, and myself.

In my head, I found myself in a no-win situation. If I win; I beat my highly competitive boss and if I lose, well… I lose! I mean, who doesn’t want to whoop their boss in a little friendly competition?!  Either way, I was really pulling for Steve to win and take the pressure off.

At the end of the video, you will see all three targets.  Everyone did fairly well for a bunch of duffers, however, there was a clear winner and I have a feeling we’re headed for a rematch to settle the score.  So, keep watching for my future blogs.

What the Future Holds

Automatic weapons and Tannerite targets that will blow the bejesus out of inanimate objects. I’ve been talking about it for months and I’m ready to put my finger to the trigger.

Stay proficient with your weapons, get to the range often, and be prepared, responsible, gun owners.

About Russ: The biker community’s Ambassador of Ammo

Known as a professional Radio Gypsy, Russ is the voice of “crazy stories and bad behavior” on Rock 108 every weekday from 10 AM – 2 PM (CST). After a shooting expedition with friends, Russ found a new passion for firearms and is now searching to find the perfect fit to match his needs. Join him as he tests and reviews various guns and targets, learns gun safety, and occasionally blows stuff up every week right here!

Make sure to subscribe to this blog for email updates when Russ posts a new experience!

This blog is brought to you by 

The Biker Lawyers, Personal Injury Lawfirm. Injured? Ride with us.

11 + 2 =

Are Gun Shows Sketch?

Are Gun Shows Sketch?

Are Gun Shows Sketch?

Posted on August 12, 2022 at 10:36 AM by The Biker Lawyers

Gun shows get a lot of grief- is it actually justified?

Gun shows get a lot of grief, especially from the political class, whose use of the phrase “Gun show loophole”  (which isn’t really a thing, but that’s another topic for another time) goes to show how ignorant they can be.

My thought for this week’s blog and video was to go to a gun show happening in Waverly, shoot some video, and talk to some exhibitors and patrons to demystify the whole gun show experience.

“My working assumption has always been that they’re really no different from any hobby show; they just happen to deal with guns.”

Off I went to Waverly. It is a great little Eastern Iowa town with one of the finest diners I’ve ever visited in this part of the country (the East Bremer diner- you really should check it out if in the area… but that’s a different story for another time). So up the 380 to the 218 I went.

When I arrived the parking lot was a busy spot, obviously, this was a fairly well attended event.  Out front, the great people from Honor Flight were holding a gun raffle of vintage weapons to support the Honor Flight program in Iowa. A $20 ticket got me a chance to potentially win one of about $10,000 worth of guns (and it was for a great cause) so of course, I ponied up for this great fundraiser. Payment was easy- I give ’em my card, they swipe, and my name was in the drawing.

Glock-Blocked: Entry into the Gun Show wasn’t so easy.

Doesn’t sound sketchy at all and so far it hasn’t been — then I tried to get inside, this is when things went south.  I introduced myself and told the gentleman selling tickets who I was. I told him that I do a pro-gun blog for the Biker Lawyers and Midwest Shooting and asked if I could shoot some video for my vlog at their event today.

“No video” he chuffed.

“Ok, can I shoot some stills for background images?”

“No photography of any kind,” he said.

Well ok, I thought, he can’t stop me from wandering around and chatting up vendors and customers… right?  WRONG.  He said, “That’ll be 8 bucks!” I whipped out a good ole trusty Red Sox Branded debit card- the same that had just been accepted minutes ago less than 500 feet from where I was currently standing- and that’s when he said “machines down; cash only”.  GARRRR the big block is down! It’s now 4:30 and since they close at 5:00 that leaves no time to go to an ATM.

I am done for the day… or am I? I thanked the gentleman (like the professional that I am) and left.

Not all was lost…

My friend Troy from Long Impressions who prints all the Rock 108 Merch has his shop just a few blocks away — I’ll drop in on Troy.

Ned and I were given vests that make us Honorary Biker Ambassadors for The Biker Lawyers. Aside from their patch, I’ve been wanting to customize mine a bit.  So with Troy’s acuity, we were able to create an awesome back-print graphic (pictured below).  So the day wasn’t a complete loss.

Conclusion: Are gun shows sketchy?

Now, to answer the question — are gun shows sketch?

Honestly, I’m not sure as I only have a database of one visit.

My sense is that anyone who wants to live in the shadows projects a sketchy vibe. but I also know, there are those out there who are not friends to this type of business. 

So the jury, for me, remains in deliberation… but I’m concerned. 

About Russ: The biker community’s Ambassador of Ammo

Known as a professional Radio Gypsy, Russ is the voice of “crazy stories and bad behavior” on Rock 108 every weekday from 10 AM – 2 PM (CST). After a shooting expedition with friends, Russ found a new passion for firearms and is now searching to find the perfect fit to match his needs. Join him as he tests and reviews various guns and targets, learns gun safety, and occasionally blows stuff up every week right here!

Make sure to subscribe to this blog for email updates when Russ posts a new experience!

This blog is brought to you by 

The Biker Lawyers, Personal Injury Lawfirm. Injured? Ride with us.

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