Marswolf

There is a good cut-through from Piney Flats to get to Unaka via Watauga. I'd have to send you a map. I found it with my GPS unit. Let me know if you are going in for the course and PM me your address. If you have a good road mapping program, their coordinants are N36 degrees 20.010', W82 degrees 19.000'.

I was a member at Kettlefoot years ago. Took my wife there when we were dating. I occasionally visit there with friends. Nice club, but it has the typical political problems of a couple of people who think they get to order the other members around from what I hear. And I don't understand why they don't put in an automatic gate, like Unaka. Seems like in 20 years or so they would have done that. Unaka used to be a really nice club. You could just drop in and shoot at any time. Then some jerks started firing over the ridge and for legal reasons they decided to limit shooting to when there were range officers present. The problem could have been solved with baffles and security cameras, but they didn't go that way so I dropped my membership and went to Cherokee. Dropped my membership there when I found out they have all the fiscal understanding of a rabbit, plus it's not very convenient. But you can shoot when you want and they do a lot of activities to get women shooting. People at both clubs are good folks. If I was re-joining, I'd go to Cherokee but not attend the meetings. I don't need the irritation. Wish Unaka would get its act together. It could be fixed at any time. BTW, Cherokee also has a nice stocked pond.

I can shoot out in the yard but generally go up to the Forest Service range on the mountain for plinking. I've been a member of every gun club in the area at one time or another. Not a member of any these days.

Unaka Rod and Gun Club in Johnson City: Handgun Permit Class: The next class will be on February 10th begining at 8 am. You will need a safe handgun, 50 rounds of factory ammo, eye and ear protection. Class is from 8:00am to 5:00 pm. Cost is $50.00. Contact Mike Murray at 426-3039 or Terry Dixon at 283-9972. [Terry's email is mailto:grunt@unakarodandgun.com] The class is usually held on the the second Saturday of each month. No pre-registration required. It's where I took my course. All of the money goes to the club. The club hours suck these days so I'm no longer a member, but they are good people. No reason to pay more. http://www.unakarodandgun.com/

Hey Kid, I like your style. I considered the P2000 but couldn't see any advantage for me over the USP. It does get rid of that scary hammer. The P30 looks interesting, but It's only 9mm right now. Really a European police pistol. http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg198-e.htm

I still have a P7M8 I use IWB. A USP 40 is for open carry.

Yep, they want their $10.

Hi. I'm from Blountville too.

Not much mentioned about H&Ks except by me. Anyone else around here like them? Yes...we know they are expensive.

Thunderwear?

Basically, don't sweat the permit class and range qualification. Nothing to it. Everything on the test is covered in the class and you would have to be blind and spun around three times to not qualify. Ask around at gun shops to find a reasonably priced class. In the Tri-Cities the going price is $50 up. You do not have to shoot the handgun you plan to carry. Bring a .22 to the class. Ask and the class may even have loaners. If you want training, you can take it at your leisure later. We have several people here on these forums who teach. I do too, but not the public. Just military operations and SWAT teams. Hopefully the guys here will put together a Tennessee Code section in time. Meanwhile, I'd check http://www.packing.org/state/tennessee/ and their link "Search Tennessee Law (LexisNexis)" for Tennessee code. http://handgunlaw.us/ also has some good info.

For me, the XD is a natural shooter. I can be accurate with Glocks and H&Ks but find I have to practice more often to maintain my level of accuracy. The XD and my Beretta 92SB just work well regardless of how long since I've shot them. The XD is just a really good handgun.

+1 on that. The world is full of opinions - some good and some bad. This is one of the reasons most of us have a drawer full of holsters that we haven't used in years that were recommended to us.

That is my understanding, GhostDog.

None of my carry holsters has a retention device either. But I don't chase down bad guys these days. Thumb breaks are too easy to flip for them to be an effective prevention for someone taking your handgun, although anything that slows down the gun grabber is helpful. You really need to train yourself to be aware of what is happening around you and protect the handgun. It's the old situational awareness thing.

I understand that with a 1911. I normally carry a USP 40 for urban use. Most of the time I de-cock it before holstering unless there is a reason to not do that. I cock the piece long before un-holstering under most circumstances, but that's an option with the USP. It's a variant 3, BTW - no lever safety. Only carry handgun I have with a safety is the Beretta 92SB and the safety never is on except during de-cocking. Then it's immediately returned to DA mode with no safety on, ready to fire. The XD is a car gun and stays in the side pocket. I do the thumb thing with it if for some reason I have it on my side. You just have to develop the mindset to treat each handgun differently. Of course, if you keep things...away from the trigger, it really doesn't matter. I basically try to assume that things will go wrong for some reason - mechanically, fatigue, whatever - and add an additionally habitual safety factor when possible.

I like the XDs as well. Most people I've seen don't use the grip safety to its best advantage. If you learn to holster the XD by placing your thumb on the slide, your hand automatically stays off of the grip safety.

Of course you need training. But some guns are more dangerous than others. Glock isn't a religion, it's just one of many tools.

I think I hit a nerve or two. I have pretty good credentials too. I'm not sure how you are supposed to pre-judge whether you are "worthy" of carrying a Glock. This silliness about how someone shouldn't have a handgun if they can't handle a less safe weapon is nonsense. Just recommend a reliable safer weapon. That's all I'm saying. Glocks are just one of many possible tools. They have good applications and they have less good applications. There are just better tools for personal protection than a Glock for the public to carry in my experience.

I had a German made 38 spl derringer for a while. Nice little piece and better made than ones I've seen recently in local gun shops. What I found was I had to trust the sights rather than trying to sight down the barrel. It actually shot nicely but I prefer more than two shots.

Notice that there is no one from Tennessee? Not even the lawyer who heads the TFA.

I think this is an excellent topic. Wish I had a good answer for you.

Virginia Beach is known to be un-gun friendly. Until the state legislature slapped them down, they had a bunch of local ordinances against guns. Just be careful and make sure you can't be accused of brandishing.

I have carried Glocks, again for "business" purposes, but don't use them these days. I think it's worth adding another couple of hundred dollars and getting a USP. But the USP does have that scary hammer to frighten the public. That's their problem.... There are other lower priced alternatives if you can't afford the USP. I know a number of local LEOs who use Rugers and some of the Taurus's work OK too. Oddly enough, while I wouldn't recommend it as a carry gun, I've always found the Hi-Point to be reliable, if pretty clunky. I have a retired LEO friend in Pigeon Forge who keeps one as his truck gun. Says he trusts it and wouldn't cry if it got stolen from his truck.

I knew that was coming. Let's face it, there are more accidental/inadvertent/whatever discharges with Glocks. They are so common that we have coined a name for them over at HK94. We call them "Glockings". In my little area alone, we have had at least seven people shoot themselves in the butt or leg with a Glock in the past three years. It's not the gun's fault of course. Something hits the trigger (their finger normally) when they remove or replace their Glock from the holster. There are just other guns out that don't seem to have this "problem." I think Glocks are very good duty weapons. They are very highly reliable and don't have a safety that you need to fool with to fire it. Occasionally a cop shoots himself with his Glock while qualifying or practicing. I think the last I remember in Tennessee was in Claiborne county, but it's normally the public that has the problem. For most people who carry for self-protection, they just don't have the training or mindset to carry an easily discharged handgun safely. Yes...I know...none of you have that problem. So, I always recommend a gun that can either be de-cocked and re-cocked and fired either SA or DA, or one with a good DAO action. I find that most people who carry Glocks want a reliable handgun and choose one "like the cops carry." Problem is, there is a good reason for cops to carry a Glock, or other reliable handgun that is always ready to quickly fire. But that doesn't mean a handgun like that is the best one for the public to carry for protection. The public needs a gun that can always fire, but not one so easily fired that they significantly increase the danger to themselves in carrying it. That's my position, and I'm sticking to it.