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Listening to the Beatles greatest hits poolside in Punta Cana.

For those short on time and therefore unable to read the response letter to the ATF, I can summarize the letter for you in three words, "go pound sand"...

To him the thousandth is a 1/4 inch to you.

Not all "instructors" should be instructors.....

Professional movers are expensive. There's a reason why corporate relocations are their primary customers.

Nighthawk T3 40 cal. With two Tripp mags. Nighthawk bag but no target. $2500

I knew my dad had been building this rifle, but to my surprise, he came by today and gave it to me for my birthday. It is a 25-06. I haven't yet shot it. What I was wondering is whether any of you have seen a cherry rifle stock. It looks much better than I would have guessed. He made it from a piece of rough sawn lumber. It must have taken forever to inlet.

Intro: The 2021 Legion 9/11 Memorial Run N Gun is a centerfire biathlon – competitors will complete a 5k-ish or 10k-ish run combined with a shooting competition. The event is a test of man and equipment alike. It is intended to give participants an idea of how being hot, cold, exhausted, and challenged by the environment affects their shooting, and to test the effectiveness of their gear under field conditions. This event is not intended for inexperienced shooters – all participants are expected to be familiar with the operation of their firearms, and to observe basic principles of firearm safety at all times. With the exception of emergencies, Range Officers (ROs) are not allowed to help participants in any way. Good attitudes are a must. If you are the type of person who gets upset when minor changes are made to a plan or when you don’t always get your way, this is not the event for you. Basics: Participants will receive both a score for their run based on how long it took them to complete the course, and a score for their shooting based on how long it took them to clear each course of fire. The run score and shooting score will be equally weighted in determining the participant’s final score. This is true run-what-you-brung field-style shooting. For the most part, if you want to carry it for 5 or 10 clicks, be our guest. There are three equipment classes to reflect the different ways Green Berets fight: “Lightfighter” in which you can carry whatever you want, but are limited to one pistol and one rifle; “Operator” in which you must wear body armor with rifle-rated plates installed (front and back at a minimum), and are still limited to one pistol and rifle; and “Tier One” in which you must FINISH the race with a pack weighing at least 45 lbs (not including your main rifle and pistol) – but that pack may (and should) contain ANYTHING that can give you an advantage. The only limit is that pistol targets must be engaged with pistol rounds, and rifle targets must be engaged with rifle rounds. Want to carry a PCC? Be our guest. Think a scoped bolt gun or different upper in 6.5 Creedmore will give you an advantage? Go for it. You can even carry a shotgun to engage steel pistol targets if you want (birdshot only). Any weapons carried must be IN ADDITION to a primary rifle and pistol, and weight of the pack must be stand-alone (a plate carrier would not be included or required, for example). Packs may be removed prior to shooting, as that is how 5th Group would generally do it as well – but this will be done on your run time and BEFORE any wait time starts. Shooters are expected to have all their firearms sighted in and all their gear ready to go on the morning of the shoot. There will be no zeroing at the event. Think of this as a test of how you and your equipment would perform in a Second Amendment situation if you had to go take care of business at your current state of readiness, whatever that is. Run order will be more or less random. We will try to be accommodating to participants who wish to share firearms or equipment (we can have one person run in the morning and the other in the afternoon), or to partners who wish to run together. Due to issues with back-ups and large groups in the past, only two runners can start together. Equipment: The only equipment that is strictly required to participate is a safe center fire rifle, a safe center fire pistol, enough ammo to clear the course (at least twice the minimum required hit count is recommended), eye protection, ear protection, and some form of stopwatch. Rifle targets must be engaged with rifle rounds (no larger than 30-06), and pistol targets must be engaged with pistol rounds. In everything but the “Tier One” class, competitors must carry one rifle and one pistol. Everything else is up to the participant. Shooters may use any type of gear they want to carry their equipment with, the only requirement being that pistols must be carried in a secure holster that covers the trigger if they are to be carried loaded. Rifles may be carried any way you like, as long as they remain pointed in a safe direction. You may not use tracers or armor piercing bullets that have a hardened penetrator core, as we will be using lots of steel targets that we don’t want to see damaged. To be safe – if your bullet attracts a magnet or has a green tip, leave it at home. Rules: First and foremost, all participants will be expected to comply with basic firearms safety at all times. If you demonstrate inability or unwillingness to follow basic firearm safety, you will be asked to leave, with no refund and no apology. Muzzles must be pointed in a safe direction at all times, and fingers must be off the trigger unless the firearm is pointed at a target. Long guns shall only be loaded when a shooter is at a rifle stage, after the RO has given the “fire” command. Shooters may leave their handguns loaded at all times if in a secure holster. However, loaded handguns must remain in that holster unless the shooter has been given the “fire” command on a shooting stage. Some stages will be active, involving moving and shooting. Firearms may remain loaded during movement, but strict muzzle discipline must be maintained. Shooters will be disqualified (DQ’d) and not allowed to finish the course for the following violations: having a loaded rifle anywhere EXCEPT on a shooting stage after the “beep”, dropping a loaded pistol, pointing a loaded weapon at someone, or having a Negligent Discharge (ND). It is solely the judgement of my Staff that I trust if these should occur, and if you argue with an RO you will lose. Procedures: When a shooter approaches a station, he will be required to show the RO an empty mag well and empty chamber on his long gun(s). If another shooter is currently on the stage when he arrives, the one who just arrived will be instructed by the RO to start his stopwatch to keep track of his wait time (this will be subtracted off the participant’s run time when his run score is calculated). It is purely the shooter’s responsibility to keep track of his wait time. The ROs have no responsibility whatsoever to help you do this. Even if an RO offers to help you keep track of your time, you have no one but yourself to blame if this is not done. When the shooter is ready to shoot the stage, the RO will record his wait time if any. The shooter will be given a quick summary of the course of fire. The RO will ask if the shooter understands the course of fire. If the answer is yes, the shooter will be given the “fire” command, at which time he may load his rifle and/or draw his pistol and begin shooting the stage. All stages will have a zone where the shooter must fire from -- either a particular hole in a barricade that you must shoot through, or a marked zone on the ground, in which every part of your body or equipment which touches the ground must remain inside of when you fire. Hits made from outside the designated area will not count toward completion of the course of fire. Every shooting stage will have a 3 minute time limit. This is to keep the runners moving and to prevent large backups of shooters waiting to shoot a stage. At the end of that 3 minute period, the shooter will be stopped and time penalties applied to their score for any target not fully neutralized as per the course of fire requirements. If for any reason the “cease fire” command is given, you will immediately cease fire, holster your handgun, and unload your rifle. You will do likewise when you complete a stage, or time out. The RO should tell you your time for the stage. The RO will record your time on their iPad. You may want to carry a pen and notepad to keep track of your score in there is a mix-up with the scoring. Every shooter must show the RO an empty mag well and chamber on his rifle before leaving each stage. The RO will give directions on where to go to continue down the trail. Shooters are NOT required to leave their rifle’s bolt open during the run… this is actually discouraged, as it will allow lots of that beautiful Tennessee red clay to accumulate inside the action. There will be ample opportunity for this to happen on the course. The Run: The path for participants to follow will be marked with brightly colored flags and/or tape. Shooters must stay close to the marked path. Do not cut corners. Failure to follow the marked trail may take you into the impact area of a hot range!!! If the trail takes you through some difficult terrain, this is on purpose! Parts of the trail may be down a road. Keep to the left edge of the road and watch for traffic. Your Fitness: This event is in a remote area, and you need to be aware of over-exertion. We should have some folks with medical skills on hand, but your health is your responsibility. If you start having problems, slow down... drink some water... listen to your body! There is no shame in walking the course; know yourself and your limitations. Accommodations: Dead Zero Shooting Park is in a remote area south of Spencer, TN, so lodging may be challenging. Primitive camping will be allowed on-site for $10/night. Call Dead Zero at 423-800-7758 to make a reservation to camp. Cabins and campgrounds will full hookups are available at Fall Creek Falls State Park about 15 miles away, but the Mountaineer Folk Festival is being held there this weekend so most of these sites are booked well in advance. The city of Dunlap is less than 20 miles to the south and has a couple hotels, restaurants, and a Walmart. The cities of Chattanooga and Cookeville are within about 40 miles and have all sorts of nicer options for food and lodging. There will be people on site all day Friday, as the ROs will be running the course. Registration opens at 6:30 a.m. and closes at 7:30 a.m on the morning of the match. The safety briefing begins at 7:30 a.m. Anyone who does not get signed in by 7:30 will not be allowed to participate, so be on time. The first runner will be sent out at 8:00 a.m., and another runner will be sent out in a uniform interval thereafter. The ROs will have run the course the day before. They will be scored along with all the other contestants. After the last runner has crossed the finish line, we will calculate the results. The winners will be announced, and trophies and prizes will be awarded as 5th Group sees fit. How to Sign Up: The registration fee for the Legion 9/11 Memorial Run N Gun is $100 for the 5k and $150 for the 10k. Registration will be limited in number so all runners can finish the course before dark. Registration will be handled through Practiscore, Dead Zero will have you sign a waiver the morning of the match, and we will collect full payment (CASH or CHECK ONLY – NO CREDIT/DEBIT CARDS WILL BE ACCEPTED AND THERE IS NO ATM ONSITE) the morning of the match. Make sure you are familiar with all of our rules and procedures before signing up. All participants must register under their true names. Tickets are non-transferable. Pre-registration is mandatory, and no walk-ons will be allowed on match day as space and time is limited. Several discounted slots are being held for active-duty 5th Group personnel. If you are 5th Group, please email mstennett@twlakes.net to confirm your status and claim your reduced competitor slot. All proceeds from the match will go the Special Forces Association, Chapter 38. Learn more about them here: http://sfa38.org/ Cancellation Policy: Please cancel your registration through Practiscore as soon as you know you can’t come. We always have several people on the waitlist, and if you don’t cancel early enough not only can they not get in, but the Special Forces Association won’t max out the contribution we can make to them. DON’T BE THAT GUY who just decides not to show up and doesn’t tell anyone. Directions: The start and finish line are both located near the Pro Shop at Dead Zero Shooting Park, 1195 TN-111 Scenic, Spencer, TN 38585. Chattanooga, TN has a small airport and is less than an hour’s drive from Dead Zero. Nashville International Airport is a little under two hours’ drive. Pictures, as always, by the amazing Lisa Stennett

Pearl Jam live show 8/4/00 in Charlotte. I was there and took my 2_young daughters with me. Cool to have an audio of the occasion.

Is there supposed to be something after the but?

I build roads. 1/10th of a foot is good to go with me!

I keep thinking about buying a Mark IV. Would someone PLEASE talk me into it?

Sounds like dealing with my Dad. I love him, but years of working as a machinist for razor blade machines ,means his tolerances are VERY small. A hair is like 4 thousands... he wants to have stuff to the thousandth. I hate to deal below 1/8s of an inch. lol

This incident was a main driver of starting the very first Legion 9/11 Memorial Match in 2017, and was the first stage of that very first match. One of our founders was the XO for these fine young gentleman, and wanted to do something to honor them. I thought it fitting to bring it back for the 20th Anniversary of 9/11, and honor them once again. Stage 5 is in honor of SFC Matthew C. Lewellen, SSG Kevin J. McEnroe, and SSG James F. Moriarty, who were killed in action on November 4, 2016 during an ambush at a vehicle checkpoint in Jordan. In this stage: fight off the enemy from inside a vehicle and use barricades for cover while fighting off an ambush. - De Oppresso Liber -

Listened to a podcast on "Buckeye Firearms Newsletter" and they said the reason for limited ammo is in 2020 there were 8 and 1/2 million new gun owners that purchased their first gun and just to allow one 50 round box of ammo per new purchaser, it took all the extra ammo in stock to supply them let alone us who have been purchasing all along. The prices asked today is because of supply and demand. Supply has increased, a little, but ammo is still at a premium in price and slowly beginning to come down. Said it may be 18 more months before supply catches up with demand. My small stash is sufficient, but I have slowed my consumption in order to conserve what little I have.

A professional should be here Friday to remove it. Thanks everybody!

I’ve mentioned it before I think, but one of the big factors in me folding my business up and deciding to become somebody else’s employee is insurance. I haven’t had health insurance in 5 years. It was too expensive. For me to provide health insurance for my family last year would have been nearly 30k in premiums and deductibles before the insurance company would have started kicking in a dime. It was too much.

My big gripe is the cost of prescription drugs. When you make a pill for $.05 and sell it for $10.00, that's just plain wrong. Yeah, I know all about the cost of research, but many of these medicines have been in common use for many years. They paid for themselves decades ago. So why are they still so expensive? After my little event back in 2019, my Cardiologist put me on Xarelto just as a precaution. Even with good insurance, this is expensive stuff. There is no generic either. Then two things happened. 1. I fell into the medicare "Donut hole". Basically, that means that they had a limit on how much they would spend on this stuff and I hit it. Rather quickly I might add. 2. Due to the high cost of Xarelto, my insurance just decided to drop it all together. The monthly cost of this one pill jumped to $280 for 30 pills. Lucky for me, I had a long talk with my Doctor and he decided I didn't really need it after all. My oldest son is diabetic. He has a good job and makes good money. Yet he struggles due to the high cost of insulin. Dammit! The government gives free meds and needles to junkies. Why the Hell do legitimately sick, but productive citizens have to suffer? The cost of insulin seriously needs some government control. But big pharma OWNS Congress, so don't expect any change. The cost of insulin amounts to a huge racket!

I agree that the cost and stress of trying to source components is frustrating and has led me to drop my consumption. I have a lot of components but I hate to eat into my supply if I can’t replenish. I have a hard limit I’ve set where I will stop to guarantee a reserve. I’m not there yet but I’m slowing everything so I won’t approach it as quickly. As an alternative, I have shifted to bolt action center fire shooting. It allows me to shoot less while sharpening a different skill set. When that hits the limit, I’ll do black powder for awhile. Meanwhile I am doing more reloading to refill my ammo cans. Also, experimenting with powders I haven’t used before but that I have been able to source since this lunacy began.

Beltfed I too probably have more ammo than I will shoot up, but I am trying. My kids and grandkids will know what I have done with all the spare time when then look into the ammo cans!! To those that don't reload, it sure is comforting that if I decide to go shoot 500 or 1,000 rounds just go do it and come back and reload for the next outing. When I competed in USPSA pistol I would shoot no less than 500 rounds per week in practice and matches and I wouldn't have been able to afford it if not for reloading. Plus it is a great way to get by yourself and getting your mind right. If nothing else I remember of the Boy Scouts it was to be prepared. If you need a bandaid, I have one, if you need a tool, I have one, need a bullet I have some!!

I am not shooting as much all the while trying to conserve my small stash. Didn't get caught this time and do have ammo on hand this time. Besides it is to hot today to get out and shoot outside. Just looked at the thermometer and it is 99 in the shade. Don't quit on me now AC.

Do you also not believe that it is a business' right to run their business how they see fit? For me, as long as it is not the government, a business should be able to run things however they see fit. That actually includes discrimination for any reason. (Not looking for a response to the last part as I know it would have a quick death). In seriousness though, we do too much talking out both sides of our mouth's. It sucks for some people for sure. Greg, I hope your wife does what she wants. I suspect you are in a better position than most that she can actually have a decision to make.

That stock is absolutely beautiful!

He is a retired tool and die maker. Not fun helping him build garage.