btq96r

    I have considered an SOE LPAK. Would mount on the back of the carrier instead of on the front/sides where space always seems to be at a premium... http://www.originalsoegear.com/products/lpak-low-profile-aid-kit   Med and/or IFAK on the back only works if you know you'll have someone to reach it and provide aid when needed.  Unless you're always moving out in at least a buddy team, I'd want the med kit somewhere within reach, or in a bag that I can pull it from in a pinch all on my own.

  I'll do some research on them, but I really want the NRA to step up, because they already have a relationship with the Republican party and even some of the Democrats in gun friendly states.  If they decided to get involved more, they could have a helluva impact.    But you can't push fundraising after any real victory, so on the sidelines with this they sit.

  No kidding.  I'd rather the cameras focus on the anti-gun crazies for protesting businesses and entertainers that appeal to everyday Americans rather than have idiots like Open Carry Texas, or any of the window licking militias doing their "training" be on the 'C' block of the news.

  Roku/Apple TV/Google Chromecast/Whatever Amazon calls their service are all sort of the same thing, with some minor differences.  They have apps that are either free like YouTube and SkyNews, or you pay for, like Netflix and Hulu Plus.  I like my Roku because I can stream other content through it over my network or USB connection.   For recent TV shows, if you can catch it when it airs, all you need is an OTA antenna.  For watching it after it comes out, you probably need Hulu Plus.  Also HBO Go, Watch ESPN, and all the Disney channel stuff for your kid needs some kind of subscription, usually through a cable company.  Netflix also has a bunch of kid shows, so that is worth the money for you and him.

Check these threads, then come back with any questions you have.   http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/84318-anyone-use-a-roku-stick/?hl=roku http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/84195-looking-for-a-replacement-for-cable-tv/?hl=roku

  I've seen the D-ring things that are used for those.   FWIW, this is the style of hydration carrier I used in the Army.  taking the bladder in and out was a snap since I wasn't dealing with straps, buckles and what not.  Also, I could stuff the straw when I wanted to instead of having it dangling about.  There are plenty out there, every manufacturer probably has their own version. http://www.condoroutdoor.com/Condor-HCB.aspx

If what you meant by 3rd row is above what Omega found, it looks like the European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. http://www.medalsofamerica.com/Item--i-F051_Full_Size_List   Your father was the real deal, man.  But you already knew that.  A CIB with a repeat, and a Purple Heart with what looks like a silver leaf cluster means he had a helluva lot of lead thrown his way, and he caught more than his fair share of it.     I keep my Class 'A' jacket in the closet with the dry cleaning bag over it for the day where I might give it to a kid of my own when I pass on.  Glad to see your family kept his around for you.

Hard to imagine the whole situation has come to a head with guys like this on our side....   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhTw3Vq-cpk

  Leave the mags in the pouches and they will stretch out, then you will need the bungees, which will also stretch out if you leave the mags in with them up.  If you do anything that has you running around, going prone, getting back up, you'll want the bungees to keep the mags in.  Drill unto muscle memory and they won't seem as much of an inconvenience to run a mag change.   Getting in and out and sitting in vehicles were the biggest issue with the Camelbak's, but I don't think you'll have that issue.  Really any bladder on the back like that is asking for it.  You'll brush up against things more than you realize if you are running around and it will spring a leak at the worst moment, because isn't that how it always goes?   Also, as far as I can tell, it's the over the shoulder kind of system, not designed for a plate carrier/vest.  That can causes problems if it comes loose at the wrong time.  Think through how you will refill it, re-do'ing your jury rigging each time.  Then, once you're running around and shooting, the straw is flapping around with you, dripping water sometimes...I just found it easier to ditch it once I wasn't in the military and required to have it on my kit by command guidance.   If you must have some kind of water source on there, consider one of those pouch designs that attaches via MOLLE/PALS but lets you take the bladder in and out easily and will stay on the back of the vest more easily.

c.a. has very good points (especially on the sling), and I'll just add a few more.   When you do have mags in there for real, loose the covers for them.  I never saw the point for those anyway and I'm glad they ship without them now.   If that is a mil issue hydration carrier, or one modeled after them (and it looks very much like it is) I wouldn't even bother with it.  They always spring a leak at a bad time and you have to ask, will you being doing anything so involved that you can't pull a Nalgene bottle out of your bag when you need some water.

  That's a good point.  Hopefully the GA might make some headway on it, but I wouldn't hold my breath.       The system isn't broke, it's working just as intended.  Legislatures love to vest power in agencies and they have done so in alarming fashion.  Less time executing the functions of government, means more time raising money, which they're all about.  When a politically charged issue presents itself, no matter what decisions are made by these agencies, one side can say government is looking out for the people, while the other can say they either grabbed power they shouldn't have or won't use their authority for the interest of the people.  Both sides get to rally their base and the cycle begins anew.   Legislators, federal ones especially, don't want to be held accountable for what happens with agencies like BAFTE, they want the buffer they provide.  To actually take part in the decisions they make would do things like interrupt their three day work schedule and that dog won't hunt.   BAFTE has become the perfect case example of how legislatures have absconded their oversight roles and gun owners are on the thrusting end of the shaft.

I gotta hand it to Sig.  They made a pretty penny from this whole thing.  The brace retails for what, $125 or thereabouts?  That's only $75, give or take, from what people would have to pay anyway to get the NFA tax stamp.  By offering a cheaply produced piece of plastic for just enough less than a gun owner would have to spend anyways to go through the SBR process, they have made a killing off of folks who want to cut a corner, save time and some coin.  I concur fully with Dolomite that there is no reason any use of the SigBrace should be illegal.  But I'd ask anybody who bought one to think if that extra $75 might have been better spent on just filing a Form 1, trust or no trust.   David is spot on with his assessments.  Taking money from the self licking ice cream cone that is the BAFTE was bound to draw negative attention.  The only answer to his question of how they let it go on this long I can think of, is maybe they had this in mind all along, and are now hoping a lot of those guys who bought a brace will panic and drop a Form 1 riki tik.  Who knows.

When I got my Nexus 5, I just bought it flat out. I grabbed an unlocked 16GB model for ~$330 and now I have no contract with AT&T, get a lower monthly rate since I'm not dealing with the company recouping the promotional cost of a new phone, and can switch service or just cancel it anytime I want. Something to consider if you don't want to be a slave to the TELCO. With the N6 rolling out, you can pick up an N5 at a decent rate I'd also double check if the Nexus 6 is what you like in size if you haven't already. The N5 is perfect for me, any bigger and I'd probably be complaining. I have no desire to switch to an N6 based on it's size. Here's how the N6 looks compared to a Nexus 5.

  You really think they're that good?  I've never had one, but find it hard to believe.

Congrats on getting an N5, I love mine.  I also didn't know Magpul made a case for the N5.  Might have to pick one up.   I always root just to have full access to my device.  Too much control can be built in that benefits the maker and I want the ability to change that if I want.  I love CyanogenMod because it makes the process stupid easy and has good reviews.  There are risks with any open software, but the community would sound off on any problems fast enough.  I also wait until a build is stable, usually, but with Lollipop I'll be tempted to update early.

I had a very persistent cough that lasted over a week.  I tried a variety of over the counter meds to handle it, but it wouldn't go away.  With the holiday, my doctor wasn't working, and I didn't think it was bad enough to warrant an ER trip.  The worst parts were the headache and nausea it brought on, but thankfully, I'm over the worst of it.

2014 was a very good gun year for me.  Coming home after about five years of working overseas and being away from all things guns, I got busy making up for lost time.   In 2014, I was able to... Was able to pick up my Walther P99, Kel-Tec P3AT, and Mossberg 500a from a friend who kept them in his safe for me while I was overseas Bought a GSG-522 for fun shooting Bought my first AR; assembling the lower myself, then later SBR'ing it Bought a 2nd AR; currently have a 16" barrel and the Bushnell scope as mentioned in a prior thread under Gear and Accessories for it Take my girlfriend shooting for her first time; she enjoyed it a good bit and had fun shooting the .22LR and my Walther, not so much the AR, but that's my gun anyway :) Last but not least, I found TGO; you folks are good people :up:   Goals for 2015 Finish building that 2nd AR into a long range gun; that means a 12" or 15" free float handguard, under a low gas block, which means I'll have to get the FSP block off Get some quality range time in the spring before the hot weather takes a lot of the fun out of shooting outdoors   Dreams for 2015 and beyond Buy an M1 from the CMP Buy the SA 1911 TRP Do some research & planning to decide if a can for the AR's is right for me (ie: $)

I definitely slacked off on getting things together after about Week 2 or 3 this season.  If enough people still want to chip in after the fact, we can see about getting jtmaze upgraded to a lifetime membership. Might need David's help on that one.  I already set everything up for him to have a year long membership, so he has that at least.   Next season, I'll get all this knocked out in advance.  I'm also going to think about alternate prizes, since a lot of us were already benefactors of TGO. 

  Funny story.  When we were leaving to Kuwait to stage for the invasion in 2003, for some reason defying all common sense, we had to take the BCG out of our M4's.  Spent the whole flight with a BCG in our cargo pockets, tied off to our belt loop with 550' cord. 

  Dude, I've zeroed with that technique before....at JRTC with MILES gear.  :rofl:

The video is funny.  I can sort of see having a small one for extreme close range, quick draw and shoot, self defense scenario training, though.  Do it enough and it will be good for muscle memory.     As to any real debate on the size of a target for practice, my HCP instructor had a good point when he was going over how the qualification would work before we moved out to the range and someone asked why we were using the smaller targets (B-29) instead of the bigger ones (B-27).   He said no matter the size of the paper, your target- the X in the center- is the same size.  Mind over matter.

  Emergency situations I get, but it's not a situation of immediate response every time a cop goes to a place of business.  Often it's just a routine call, courtesy patrol or them coming to take a statement after something happens.  You mentioned official business being okay for them to use the HP spot.  Official business covers a lot of daily activity and more often than not I'd wager, there isn't a time sensitive need for them to be in the HP spot.   Not saying all cops do this, in fact, I can only recall seeing a cruizer in a HP spot a few times, but wrong is wrong no matter how often it occurs.

  But why would they have to park in a handicap spot to begin with?  If it isn't an emergency, why couldn't they just park in the regular spots that are open?

Congrats to our league champion, jtmaze.  Since I was lazy about collecting any payments, I went ahead and got him set up with a gift voucher for a year long benefactor membership.  jtmaze, you should be getting an email with the redemption code and instructions to claim the gift voucher.   I'm game for another season next year.  Hopefully I can be a better Commissioner!

Accidentally left a pocket knife in my bag one time while traveling through Indianapolis airport.  I was more upset with myself than I was with loosing the knife.  They offered to let me pay to mail it anywhere in the US I wanted, but the cost was pretty high for something so small and the knife was only a small Gerber folding one, no big loss, so I declined.  Nothing further was made of it and I went through the gate.  Lesson learned.