GlockSpock

Among the items listed are body armor, ammunition magazines, a Bushmaster Blue Fire M9 and Bushmaster Blue Fire M-16 A4. ?? Does "Blue Fire" mean it is a trainer? Bushmaster doesn't make M9's and I assume a select fire M4 would probably be at the top of the list of his troubles. EDIT: I see... Like This: http://www.meggitttrainingsystems.com/commercial-ranges/commercial-simulation-equipment/bluefire-weapons.aspx Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well, I doubt I will ever wear out even the filter media, but I would like to have a few extra ceramic filters themselves on hand because they are ~$150 each and should store indefinetely I would think. It isn't so much as to whether I would like the Sawyer Mini, it is more as to whether I would trust it. I've always filled up a couple of bladders and carried water with me whenever hiking or whatnot. Honestly, the idea of drinking water from the source (river/stream/lake/etc) is a bit unnerving, even with a $300 filtering system. The Katadyn seems as if it will get everything but viruses and of course chemical contamenents. Drinking from a source such as the Hiwassee or Ocoee, specifically in the Polk County area, I would imagine that chemical and viral contamination would be virtually nonexistant. Guess I'll do a bit more reading on such things and then just give it a try next time I go hiking.

I saw the Sawyer mini on the market before I placed my order. I wished and hoped it was a grear product but had my concerns about a $20 purchase that claimed such a long usage life. I had found a few mixed reviews and figured I'd go with something tried and true (in my opinion). Wouldn't mind having one in-line for a bladder as stated.

Also, interested in opinions of the Katadyn Pocket vs. the Big Berkley Water Filters that are mentioned so often on here.

So, convinced myself to finally buy one of these. Katadyn Pocket It should be here soon. I have never owned a device like this but figured I would pick on up. Goes down to .2 micron and is silver impregnated. That means it should get everything but some of the smaller viruses. Biggest benifit of spending $290? 20 year warranty and up to 13,000 gallons dependent upon water quality. Of course, you can also use UV light to kill off viruses/bacteria. Guess what the sun emmits! My research though has shown in the United States viruses aren't typically something you have to worry about being waterborne currently. I bought this to mainly mess around with to gain experience in that sort of thing. Plan on taking it hiking, etc. Also, will be nice not to have to worry about carrying so much water if I am planning around being near water to begin with. All my research shows that Katadyn is built very nice. Yes, the ceramic filter inside is breakable but it should generally hold up for a very long time if you take care of it. You can go cheap on something like this, Katadyn even makes a "Hiker" that is I think $60. The catch? It is only rated for I think 200 gallons. You can buy replacement ceramic catridges for the Katadyn Pocket for about $150. $150 per 13,000 gallons is about a penny per gallon. You can buy optional activated charcoal filter attatchments that are good for around 200 or so gallons. They would be good for filtering taste/chemicals from the water. I may buy one for hiking but wouldn't plan on long term using them. That brings up one thing I'd like to discuss here; without having activated charcoal, you pretty much leave whatever chemicals that exist in the water in the water. Now, hopefully in back country mountain streams this won't be an issue, but I am interested in seeing what others have thought about. Eventually I'd like to tie some rain barrels together for catching rainwater for gardening and stuff. They would also serve as a backup water source for times such as what happened in Toledo last year. When chemicals in water become a concern, what are your thoughts in dealing with them? Activated charcoal in mass quanties? Distilling the water? Avoid the contamination and seek elsewhere? Something else?

Yep...ants here too. We typically use Borax to make super cheap ant bait:   http://www.instructables.com/id/Kill-household-ants---Super-cheaply/   For a few hours...you will see A LOT of ants running to and from the bait. Later, you won't see any. We usually have to do this several times a summer. We've had good success with it.

  They would but all of the V-MADS are en route to Texas for Jade Helm.  :rofl:

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Been a very long time since I have watched a baseball game, but I am thinking this might be one I try to find some video of after the fact. Thanks and very interesting! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not into photography, but what he can do is setup an IR mobile autonomous quadrocopter and have it follow you around. If anything, human or animal, gets within your zone, it will it will start a looped recording on the suspects Miranda rights while at the same time moving between you and the suspect while slowly moving towards the suspect with it's 10,000 rpm spinning steel props. Of course, he can also duct-tape extra magazines and a BUG to the quadrocopter. You never know when you are going to be rushed by hordes of tangos so it is literally impossible to carry too much ammo. Since it is at night, you probably should have him rig you up a second quadrocopter without Ir cam, etc and use it just for additional ammo. I think he calls that setup "The Flying Mulesack". Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  That's good...but this is better!   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ij4w7ChpuaM

Hahaha. Ok sure, I'll agree partially. The flashlight in the eye thing and the crawling inside of containers did get me a bit. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

For anyone that lets Jar Jar annoy you, I would like to see how you justify Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back. Shining a flashlight in his eye, crawling in and out of containers, and licking Luke's food. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I haven't really looked to much into Jade Helm, but with asking locals to report anything suspicious and seemingly trying to blend in to a more urban environment, makes you wonder about certain specific unstable Slavic regions we may have in our sights. Just me pondering, and I am just assuming that this is more urban training than desert training. I could be wrong even on that. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  Yeah, I guess you are right. My first handgun I ever purchased was a Springfield 1911 GI for $400. Came with factory barrel as well as a .400 Corbon barrel. Sold the barrel and a few .400 Corbon rounds for $100. It was neat but too expensive for my tastes. Never compared .400 Corbon to 10mm, but it seems you are right.

Ever seen a .400 Corbon? http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/.400_Corbon Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ended up just winning an apparent like new ST-E2 on Ebay for...$75.01. I sniped the auction within the last 10 seconds or so and $75.01 was my high bid. I just had a feeling that someone else would bid $75.00. I guess I was right:) I feel that is a pretty fair price considering that a lot go for $100 or so. Hope it is like new and works well. This was my first Ebay bid win in a long time. Typically I have just been buying new via Amazon/Adorama/etc, but I couldn't pay new price for this seeing as how much it sells for. This seemed the perfect Ebay item to bid on. It was thrilling and I remember how easy it is to get "hooked".

Yeah those Tennessee Statues are tough! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow. That's proactive. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  I think he had stolen the rifle and had fired at least one round into the sky as a sort of intimidation tactic. He was asking for trouble of some sort.   From the article the Devil's Advocate did not read:   Tucson Police Sgt. Pete Dugan told CNN that Valencia was involved in several incidents in Tucson the day he was struck.   At 6:45 a.m., Valencia robbed a 7-Eleven in Tucson with a metal object in his hand. Authorities said he was dressed only in his underwear. He was charged with theft.   A little more than an hour later, police said, Valencia set a fire at a church for which he was charged with arson of an occupied structure.   Just after that he entered a home and stole a car, police said.   Authorities said he drove to a Walmart where he stole a .30-30 rifle and ammunition. He fled the store with Walmart employees in pursuit.

Ha. Not quite. Not trolling. Just a difference of opinion. Sure, perhaps one of the big changes that they should not have made was Solo shooting second/same time. I get that Solo is supposed to appear neutral, selfish, etc. we see that when he at first leaves instead of joining forces towards the Deathstar. If I had a choice, yes I would watch the unaltered originals. I guess Jar Jar just isn't too much for me not to ignore. Sure he gets stupid silly, but it is what it is. Again, not trolling. Just saying that I love the entire series and given the choice of watching the edits vs not watching them at all, I will always choose the edits. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  Oh great! You are in Hamilton County. Do you own any of the Yongnuo Speedlites? If so, which ones? If you'd be willing, perhaps a meet up this weekend for some hands on experience, chat and advice on what would be good purchases and why?

  Already technically done, in a way.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_Edit

  :dropjaw:   Maybe I should start reading those books. Any suggestions on how or where to start with those?

So, not really seen any good talks around here about Star Wars. I have to say, I have always enjoyed Star Wars. That being said, I was 9 when The Phantom Menace came out so maybe that causes me to see the prequel trilogy entirely differently that most. I bought the whole saga on iTunes last Friday and so far have watched I-IV again (watched IV twice in the same day).   Sure, the digital versions are of course the "redone" editions that so many on the internet hate (want proof, look at the Blu-Ray Saga on Amazon). But hey, I'm here to ask what the big deal is. This may be bigger than Glock vs. 1911, AR-15 vs. AK-47, or 9mm Luger vs. .40 S&W (items in bold to show they are clearly superior).   Jar Jar Binks - So many hate him. Maybe because I was 9 when I first saw it, but I think he is exceedingly funny. Annoying? I'll tell you who was annoying -- Luke Skywalker. "Hey, why aren't we going? Why is that light blinking? Hey, I don't wanna stay here ON Tatooine and help I wanna PAARTY!".  (Ok, the last one wasn't 100% accurate). Comedy - So many hate that the prequels have some comedy in them, such as Jar Jar. Well, the original trilogy was filled with lots and lots of humor. R2 and 3PO were always causing a good laugh back in the day. Solo Shoots First - Sure, I get that maybe that is what original happened. But really, which is more stupid, Han Solo shooting second (or now at the same time) or the fact that a galactic bounty hunter is foolish and lets Solo shoot him at all. CGI - It does annoy me that some things, such as Atilla have been replaced with CGI or Hayden Christensen's ghost in Return of the Jedi. Hey, one thing I really liked about the original trilogy is how much can be done with lots of time, puppets, and models. CGI, although impressive, just isn't as creative to me. In Episode III, I think they did very well in showing the emotions -- jealousy, fear, hate, loathing, etc -- that pushed Anakin to the dark-side. Hayden Christensen on the other hand was mostly lousy. His best parts were becoming Vader. I guess he plays a better bad guy than good guy?   Ultimately, I am so glad I bought the digital copies, even if they are the edited versions. They are still WONDERFUL, and all of them will always be some of my favorite movies. I think V is my favorite, if for no other reasons than AT-AT's winy Luke getting his hand cut off.