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OO RAH! Semper Fi! This is an RF4-B sitting on the catapult of the USS Midway in the South China see in 1976. Sorry for the poor quality, scanned from an old slide.

I just saw a video of one witness testifying for the defense who was initially a state witness u til they tried to get him to wrongly change his police statement. To reflect something he did not know at the time he wrote it. That’s so wrong and, to me, one of the things wrong with our justice system these days. Prosecutors want a win, not justice. They form an opinion based on their politics, then try to figure a way to win, not seek out justice.

I heard some of the grilling by the prosecutor trying to get Rittenhouse to admit to using explosive hollow point rounds and Rittenhouse telling him they were not explosive and did he mean expanding and the prosecutor saying no explosive. It went on for awhile could have almost been a comedy act with the prosecutor being the joke.

All evidence so far supports the defense, even a layman can discern that. While I also feel he should not have testified, many legal talking heads seem to think it was necessary to prove his claim of self defense. As I stated, every video shows just cause for the use of deadly force, even the remaining criminal POS says he was worried about Kyles safety, a lie I am sure, but none-the-less he testified to that.

Without having watched any of the coverage, or being privy to his lawyer's strategy or thoughts, my inclination is that I wouldn't have put the kid on the stand. He's always struck me as being a bit "off", doesn't come across as overly intelligent or able to think on his feet very fast, so there's no way I would have allowed him to testify, especially in what's likely to be the first of several trials (if he's not initially acquitted). It would be interesting to hear his lawyer's reasoning for this ...

I don't understand why they put him on the stand. That's pretty rare and usually only when the defense is desperate. This case is winnable without him on the stand.

Well, truth be told, I've never been comfortable shooting guns around anyone that self proclaims that they are an "expert" with guns.

https://nara.getarchive.net/media/general-william-r-etnyre-right-commanding-general-of-the-combat-center-and-9f8152 The link above is to the gun that I worked on in 1983. In the picture of us firing off the last 175mm gun round fired by active duty Marine units, I am the A-gunner sitting on the right side of the gun, (you can only see my helmet as I am looking down and braced for the recoil). Sergeant Stillwell, (who was a Staff Sergeant select at the time of this picture), is seen standing up and wearing a headset on the left side of the gun. IIRC, LCpl Terriault was the loader sitting on the loader's arms with his back to the camera on the left of the gun. We had decided beforehand that all 4 of the guns that were actually firing the last 175mm rounds would fire a full charge 3 for their last round. That was 99 lbs of powder behind 146 lbs of projectile that caused the whole gun to rock like you were on an angry bronco when fired off. It was common for us to draw an "X" in the sand behind the gun where we guessed that a virgin plugger would land after pulling the lanyard on a charge 3 for the first time, and a general was no different. Gunnery Sergeant Hangslaben, (the platoon sergeant for the HQ platoon), drew an "X" on the ground where he guessed that the general would land. I believe that it was LCpl Pennington that was assigned as the plugger on the gun that day. You can see his helmet and arm behind Brigadier General Etnyre who's pulling the lanyard with the gun barrel in just about full rearward travel. He was warned by Sergeant Stillwell to not let the general fall off. He failed. Shortly after this picture was snapped, the general rocked forward, (towards the back of the gun), then back, and then forward again where he did a flip off the back of the gun, (with LCpl Pennington failing to grab the general's waist), and landed exactly on the "X" with his ass first. He was lucky to miss the top loop of the spade because he'd have been seriously hurt otherwise. The general was a mustang, (prior enlisted), and true to the form of a mustang, the general got up, brushed his self off, then exclaimed "The sum-bitch kicks, don't it!" answered with the chuckles of all that were standing around. My CO, Major Schmaltz, came up and teased Sergeant Stillwell calling him soon to be Private Stillwell. Somewhere in the archives is the video of the incident, (unless the general had it destroyed). It's amazing the memories that military service can give you; both good and bad. That was a good one. EDIT: The general was extended the honor of firing the 1st 8" projectile out of gun number 5 but passed. He didn't want to have anything to do with it after his experience with the 175mm gun.

Holster from R. Grizzle, he makes a really nice product. This is a picture from when I bought it two years ago but it still looks like new and works perfectly, its my daily carry. Has a sweat shield.

The problem is that magnum powders are slower burning, thus harder to reliably ignite, necessitating a magnum primer. Follow reloading manual information and do not try to side step or improvise.

Screw your sizing die in another quarter turn and see what happens.

The kid actually had decent accuracy, under pressure too. Now they need to let him out, drop all charges, give him back his rifle, and send him somewhere else he's needed.

Removed.

I thought he did well, came off believable (to me). A jury may see differerntly of course. There is no doubt in my mind it was a valid case of self defense. An older wiser person likely would not have put himself in that position. He had as much right to be there as anyone else. I doubt that any adult would have presented himself better in either the confrontation or on the stand.

Update: Had a conversation with a very nice lady at Springfield Armory yesterday. They are shipping my order again at no charge. Got e-mail today with new tracking number and expected delivery on Friday. I've said it before, Springfield Armory has the best customer service in the business. Now if Fed Ex can manage not to lose this one.

Rittenhouse is young, stupid, and impressionable. To be expected for his age. I’ll not prognosticate on the outcome of the trial but I’d be surprised if he didn’t get nailed for a weapons charge to the extent allowable.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/10/consumer-price-index-october.html Anyone still think this no big deal?

For sure, he even has a sympathetic Judge but his answers to the prosecution's lame questions... The kid is a bit goofy, pretend EMT etc. and put himself in a bad situation. Could play bad with Jury even though shootings were justified. Won't watch more except highlights. Wife doesn't like me yelling at the TV.

Triune saddle shop has been my go to for the past couple of years.

Outside of proving bonafides in a legal context, self declaration of expertise is a red flag for me.

I've got to admit that I'd forgotten that one!

In 1993 when I left, I never saw any other officer that was an expert marksman with a pistol. But I have pretty high expectations out of anyone referred to as an expert in anything. Today's standards are even higher with the new types of shooting competitions out there that the average cop would fail at miserably. I shot quite a bit, and I would not consider myself as an expert with a pistol. Now the rifle is another animal. Back then I could put a bullet in the pupil of a target at 100 yards on command. Today I'm too round to shoot that well again.

The base looks smaller because that round is further from the camera than the other two. I’m pretty sure I can make out 223 REM on it.

I load mixed cases that I've picked up at the range, and have never had any difficulty with them. Be that as it may, if the dealer told you this was Federal ammo, he lied to you. It's not legal to advertise an item as being brand-name when it isn't, but you wouldn't have a leg to stand on as the box isn't a Federal box. Chalk it up as a lesson learned. Do you really have three different calibers? A lot of us think of 5.56 and .223 as the same. (Defender's comment noted.) I couldn't read the third case you pictured, but the base does look a little smaller. I know I'd be pretty ticked to buy a box of .223 ammo and find some oddball rounds in there, especially at today's prices.

Elk is a "bucket list" item for me. Let us know details if you go, always like to hear about elk

No shooting report to offer. That's not mine, we got some in at work and I was able to handle it and take the pics. My initial impression is that it looks good, and feels good. Trigger is better than the standard mag disconnect safety guns . Cycling the slide was just a little grittier than I expected but it probably just needs to be cleaned and lubed up.

Same here. I have some ancient reloading manuals, and they're still valid, but it's always wise to keep an updated manual on the bench. I found the information in the Lee reloading manual to be very valuable when I started playing with reduced loads. Just be sure to understand signs of overpressure and to start at the low end of the suggested load range for the ammo you're reloading. Have fun! I probably enjoy reloading more than the actual shooting. Good luck finding primers, though.

Since you're just getting "into" reloading, go by the load data in manual you are using, don't vary from it until you have some experience under your belt. Having several different reloading manuals is a good thing, some, if not most are available thru an app for your phone/tablet which is pretty handy at times, but the old school version book is good as well.

I've never understood the need for a flashlight on a carry gun. To a limited degree, I get their purpose for a house gun (which, I admit, may sometimes also serve as one's carry gun), but can you explain the difference between or give examples of these two scenarios while carrying in public? A couple friends think I am a Neanderthal because I refuse to put one on my carry gun, but they haven't yet convinced me I need to do it.

Your observation must have been limited.

Only if we let them! Let’s lead the charge!!

Pawn shop guys aren’t always the most honest folks available. Could be this guy didn’t know what he was talking about. Could be he’s just dishonest. Could be you misunderstood. Nothing illegal here. To be honest, it’s partly on you. New Federal ammunition should be packaged in a Federal box. It’s likely decent ammo.

Yeah. There are companies that make remanufactured ammo from range brass. These will have varying headstamps. I expect that’s what you have there. If so, it should be safe to shoot. Tennessee Cartridge Company has a website.

No it doesn't-I don't like the guards because they normally dig into my side-

Yeah, that was funny to watch. A real "DOH!" moment.

"He also said that even though he was armed with a handgun, he did not intend to shoot Rittenhouse." If a stranger was pointing a gun at me under these circumstances I wouldn't care to try to decipher what his intentions were. He'd be dead meat. There would also be a small "YES!" if I later found out he was a commie.

It’s absolutely on purpose.

There shouldn’t be any laws so unclear the average person isn’t sure what it means. If we can write technical manuals for the military to service aircraft at a 6th grade reading level, we can write laws at that level as well.

The media is going to portray gun owners as bad no matter what. I certainly not going to change how I carry because I am concerned about the media. If he was targeted because he was open carrying then others should be able to learn if you attack someone open carrying you have a good chance of dyeing.

Oh come on. There is no way to know that he was targeted because he was open carrying. There were plenty of other guys open carrying that were not targets. I think this guy looked young was by his self at the moment he was attacked by someone that had told him he was going to kill him if he was found alone. I know you guys are against open carrying but that is a reach.

Bellshire Hardware & Guns is the only store a buddy uses for FFL transfers. Edit: Phil is apparently a very good guy to work with there.

I will check it out for sure. I plan on going to all the ranges in my area.

UPS surprisingly has the best delivery metrics right now. Like many things right now, it is a labor story - just not the one the companies and the politicians would prefer you hear and believe.

This

I would try small base dies.

You might wanna check case length. Some of that brass may need trimming. Also possible that the barrel has a short throat and tight chamber. You may need to adjust OAL accordingly. Third possibility is that your over crimping and slightly bulging the shoulder.

Yes, I'm doing my part to beat inflation. I've already saved $230 this month (with taxes, more like $250) I bought a guitar earlier this month and a week later the prices were $100 higher. I then focused on a new amp and after I bought one, the model went up by $130. Next, I will start stockpiling strings in various gauges - lol!

1911. Doesn’t really matter which exact one. I just love the gun. Not always that practical to carry, does not hold many rounds, it pretty low-tech by some of today’s standards. But I have always loved the 1911. I don’t carry a 1911, and I love my P365XL/507K for that. But there is something about the 1911 that is just so….. right.

That is totally fake.