Back in the 1950s, a Washington State trapshooter and gunsmith named Al Ljutic (LEW-tic) made a good living re-building trap guns that had been shot into tatters, and became curious if he could build something that could stand up to the godless amount of shooting that ATA shooters do. (A serious trapshooter will fire several times more shells in a summer than a bird hunter will in a lifetime. I was only moderately serious about it, and I was doing 500 rounds a week.)

The result of his work was the Ljutic Mono Gun, which may be one of the most durable firearms ever made. It’s a single-barrel, break-open design that has only 12 major parts, and these are  massive and very carefully turned out. There are Ljutics that were made in the early 60s that are still in regular use, and it’s not uncommon for them to run through 500,000 rounds over the decades.

I was groping and fondling a Ljutic Mono Gun at the company’s SHOT booth, and was prevented from placing an order only by the price. It’s a lot of money. If you ever get a chance to examine one, do so. It’s a work of genius.

The signs and slogans posted in black-rifle world at the SHOT Show were an interesting indication of how our various wars are going. I regret that I didn’t write them down, and have done my best to recreate them here:

And finally. Ullfrotte long johns are made in Sweden, and the word Ullfrotte means "wool terry cloth," which is what they are. Best long johns I've  ever worn, but the importer has decided that the Swedish name is not Amurrican-friendly, and has changed it to "Wool Power," which is pretty vapid.

They're still the best long johns around. They don't itch, they don't get cold when you sweat in them, and when you've worn them awhile they do not smell like the Fifth Soviet Shock Army did after the Battle of Kursk.

This week I’m off to the SCI Convention. Trophy wives. $90,000 safaris. $250,000 guns. Taxidermy beyond your wildest dreams. I am willing to endure all this for you, my fellow bloggers. Keep an eye out for my reports.