How was your day?

How was your day you ask?  Well let me tell you.

Woke thinking it was going to be a good day.  Planning on going for some group therapy.  For those not in the know that means I was going shooting.  Loaded up my pistol and some targets and headed up to the American Shooting Range in Peoria.  40 miles later there I was.  I walked in, did the usual dance and jumping through hoops and found myself on the firing line.  Mount the target.  Load the magazines.  Insert a magazine into the pistol.  Rack the slide, set the safety and put the pistol on the table.  I picked up the pistol and swept off the safety as I aligned the sights on the target.

Boom, boom, boom…….. Shit!

The slide locked back and I had a failure to feed.  So I went through the drill.  Slap the magazine on the bottom making sure it was seated.  Pull back the slide and release.  Only the slide would not pull back.  Would not go forward.  Ok repeat the drill.  Still nothing.  Thinking a round was jammed I dropped the magazine and tried racking the slide.  Nothing.  Ok I depressed the slide lock lever and the slide slid forward into battery.  Ok thinking the round in the magazine might be the problem I striped it out and reset the mag.  Racking the slide it worked fine slapping forward as it stripe the next round out of the mag.

Boom……… Shit!

The slide locked back again.  Thinking the magazine was the problem I removed it and inserted another.  I depressed the slid lock lever and the slide snapped forward chambering the round.

Boom…….. Shit!

Ok, emergency repair procedure number 2: I tried harsh language.  Didn’t work.  Ok bullets not jamming, check.  Both magazines having the same problems, check.  Must be the pistol.  I contacted the range officer and asked for his help.  He loaded one of the magazines and shot the pistol.  

Boom…… Shit!  

After several tries he determined there was a problem with the spring on the slide lock lever.  My group therapy was over.  Loading everything up I drove home.  Did I mention it was 40 miles?  I am now in a sour mood.  Ok, I was pissed!  It didn’t help my mood by bumping along on Illinois roads thinking there were too many assholes on the road.  Then I thought there were the right amount of assholes on the road.  One for each driver.

Getting home I call Ruger and am put on hold.  Finely after 16 months (really only 5 minutes) I get a nice lady who helps me prepare to return my pistol to Ruger to be fixed.  So I go to my email to print out the shipping label and …… Shit!  Window’s 8.1 wants me to watch some video before I can print out the email and label.  I watch the stupid video then go to print….. Arrh!  The printer is out of black ink.  Replacing the cartridge I try again.  Success!  Shit!  The shipping label comes out the size of a stamp!  Reformatting the email creates a life size shipping label.  I start to fill out the form in the email.  Serial number, check.  RMA#?  What the hell is an RMA#?  So I poor over the email and shipping label looking for the elusive RMA#?  There is no such number to be found so I call Ruger again.  On hold again for 16 month!  Really only 10 minutes this time.  Nice lady says that’s the reference number.  Why the BLEEP didn’t they call it the reference number on the form?  Ok, I finish filling out the form then clean my pistol.  Getting in the car I head up the Manito Blacktop to drive back to Peoria to the FedEx place.  Only 35 miles this time.  I’m in a hurry because I have to be back by five o’clock to go pick up something from Sue’s.  Halfway to Pekin there is a police car in the road forcing traffic to detour.  I know not why but I now have to drive almost to Manito (where I live) to pick up another road to cross the Mackinaw River.  Well I made it to the FedEx ok after that and tried the Manito Blacktop coming home thinking it might be open now but no.  So I had to detour once again.  But I made it.  So, how was your day?