Bassoneer

Congratulations, I have some similar guns and they are a pleasure to carry. The only thing I might add is to check out some speed strips to carry extra ammo. They are made by Desantis and Tuff Products. You can do a search on Youtube and find speed strips...there is even a Masad Ayoob video somewhere on the internet that shows how to reload with the speed strips. They lay flat in your pocket. There are a couple of pocket holsters that will hold speed strips along with your gun - one of them is at the Tuff Products website...I have one made by Simply Rugged holsters. Good luck - you will love to carry that gun. B

That is absolutely awesome. I have asked that question to many folks over the last year or two and everybody had different input. I'm glad that somebody just came out with the answer...I appreciate that link. I agree, it makes sense the fishing piers should be OK. I have been out fishing before at midnight with a lantern and no gun...but these days there's no way I would be out there unarmed... Thanks again, B

I have been looking at the site and the Tennessee/Knox County government web sites...looks like I can carry in State Parks and in Knox County Parks. My question is about the TWRA fishing piers...are those considered Tennessee State Parks (I would think so)...I don't want to go out there at dusk/evening if I'm not carrying. So, Can I carry at TWRA fishing piers? Also, if I go out on my boat, can I take the gun? I have had folks tell me the TVA police say yes, but TWRA or others may say something else. Who is in charge of Fort Loudon (Tennessee River)?...is that governed by TVA, TWRA or somebody else? What about Tellico and Norris? Thanks, B

I think you're right. I got the foam at a foam and fabric outlet in Knoxville, and it is spongy open-cell foam. The closed cell stuff is stiffer and would probably be easier to cut - it is like what comes in the Springfield XDm cases. I may actually try some of that stuff in the future...I've heard the lightweight open-cell stuff holds moisture/oil/dirt and the closed-cell is the way to go. Later, B

You must be a cardiologist or plastic surgeon. My first two attempts using x-acto's are in the garbage can next to me. B

One more tip - it is hard to get the outline of the guns on the foam, so after several failed attempts, I read on one internet site about a person who took a drafting triangle and taped a pencil to one side to keep it perfectly vertical, then traced the outline of the guns on paper. After making the outline, you have to draw another parallel line INSIDE the original line 1/2 the thickness of the pencil. My pencil was a good old #2 pencil that was 1/4" thick, so I put a second line 1/8" inside the outline...that is the actual shape of the gun. I carefully cut those patterns out and used my wife's straight pins to hold them down to the foam so I could cut around them...Good luck again, B

Here's one I am working on using the hot wire foam cutting tool. I got the cutting device at AC Moore in the foam section, but it ain't the greatest...I had to rig it up on my table out on the deck with duct tape to hold it in place vertically. The best would be one of the home-made tables with a longer wire - there are lots of instructions on the internet and you need some wire and maybe a transformer from Radio Shack, but I would think that would give the best results. This little task has been tedious and has resulted in a couple of not-so-great attempts. Good luck. B

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I tried the McCormick's Montreal steak seasoning on some ribeyes last night. Let them come to room temperature, drizzled some olive oil on them, and then coated both sides with the McCornick's seasoning. They were some of the most awesome steaks I ever had. My wife loved them. I also got some of the McCornick's garlic and herb seasoning and put on a bunch of veggies with olive oil (sweet bell peppers, onion chunks, asparagus) and grilled those - absolutely awesome! Thanks for the recommendation! We will be using that many times this summer! B

For chicken, has anybody done the beer can thing on a grill? Basically, you take a whole chicken, take out the parts and pieces bag from the cavity, and stick a full beer (can) in the bird and sit him up on the grill for about 60-90 minutes on low. I suppose the beer boils/steams the inside and adds flavor while keeping it moist. I'm thinking about trying it this weekend...anybody else ever tried it? Does it work? What brand of beer should I use? Thanks, B

Rom 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

I just purchased the loaded parkerized model about 3 weeks ago. I am really liking this gun...had bad experiences with other manufacturer's 1911's, but this one is fantastic. As for the parkarized finish, I did some reading and found that what was said in this previous post is pretty much right on. I have heard it likened to seasoning an iron skillet. I am using a thin coat of grease for most of the bearing/rubbing surfaces in the gun and have been rubbing the excess from my hands all over the exterior of this fine weapon. Then, I wipe off any excess with my silicone rag. I am assuming that after doing this for a few years it will "season" it adequately. I also read where very old 1911's used to be made this way and then packed in cosmoline and brown paper, and then stored in a warehouse for a few months...the warehouse would usually get very hot during the summers and the grease would do it's trick on the parkarizing. I am not necessarily a proponent of putting the gun parts in an oven at low temps for a few hours as I have seen suggested on other forums. But, if I keep it oiled/lubed for a few years I'm hoping to get the same effect. As for shooting, it points naturally and is surprisingly accurate. I love the tritium night sights. I did purchase a different magazine, which I expect will be much more reliable...a Wilson Combat 8-round in blue with a slim base pad. Looks good and I get an extra round of powerful .45 ammo. This gun is a winner! B

Welcome to TGO KTown B

I just purchased the Springfield Loaded Parkerized a couple of weeks ago. I used to have a Colt Combat Commander...comparing between those two, the Springfield is about 100x better. I have held, but never shot a Kimber...I was actually looking at Kimbers also, but got the Springfield. If I had it to do over again, I would still purchase the Springfield. It feels great in my hand, shoots very well, and I'm looking forward to shooting it more. It has all of the upgrades you would ever want on a 1911 and I got mine for exactly $800 out the door, including tax and background check. Good luck, B

That is a neat looking gun. I've always wondered how hard they would be to hold when shooting, but with that kind of grip it looks like I could hold on to it fine. I also think it is super neat and super functional the way it folds over on itself. I see them at gun shows from time to time...I might need to pick one of those up. Very cool. B

I've been thinking about a SA Loaded 1911 for some time now, but I thought they were all either 7+1 or 8+1. How many are in the high-capacity model you refer to? Thanks, B

I traded my last semi-auto for a rifle at the Knoxville gun show today. Now all I have are S&W revolvers. I just like them... B

Oh, and I have been treated bad when I was the only one in the store. Many times. The last time was when I asked if they had a $100 Galco holster in stock (that I didn't see hanging up on display) and they said they had a new shipment in and there was probably one in the shipment, but that they didn't want to go look for it. That is not just poor customer service, but laziness. I bought the holster somewhere else. I do shoot there from time to time, but I won't buy anything from the store. B

Like I said before, at first I thought they just didn't like me. But I know now that they don't like anybody. B

I got two "Simply Rugged" holsters for my S&W revolvers, along with a belt slide that holds five rounds of .357's. Also got a few gift cards and miscellaneous items including a huge bucket of Double Bubble Bubble Gum (I love that stuff). My best gift was the fact that my dad had back surgery on Monday and I got to bring him home from the hospital (Parkwest) last night on Christmas Eve. He is 79 years old and feeling much better since the back surgery. Merry Christmas, B

The people I work with, 99% of them, are what make the job fun. You will always have oddballs that are ugly people and days that you would rather forget, but what I will remember most about my job is not the projects we did, but the great people I worked with. B

Actually, I've never had that exact thing happen, but here's a good one. I was with a bunch of friends from work eating lunch at a Mexican restaurant in Oak Ridge about a year ago. There was a guy that somebody brought along who normally doesn't run around with these guys and when the conversation turned to guns he found out that I had a carry permit. He said "you mean, you actually carry a gun around with you in department stores?". He just stared at me with his mouth open. What he didn't realize was that he was surrounded by about 8 guys that all have HCP's. Ha. By the end of lunch we almost had him convinced that carrying a gun was a good thing. Maybe, maybe not...but at least he stopped his silly questions. Oh, and by the way...when he asked why I carry a gun, I repeated what a friend told me one time... "because I can". Later, B

I have a Vizio Plasma and a Vizio LCD. Both work gread and they were much cheaper than other brands. I got mine from Sam's Club. B

Mine list is close... 1. it goes BANG every time all the time 2. I can conceal it with what I am wearing 3. it goes BANG all the time every time 4. it is preferably a .357 Magnum or a .45 ACP 5. it goes BANG all the time every time 6. it shoots reasonable size groups 7. it goes BANG all the time every time As you can see, I am big on reliability. I know #4 says .357 or .45, but sometimes I do carry a .38+P airweight because it is so light and easy to conceal. Ballistics are OK, but not as good as the .357 or .45. Just depends on what I'm wearing and where I'm going.

I've got a satin nickle Colt combat commander from 1974 that I recently purchased and updated. I had a gunsmith throat and polish the barrel, add an extended ejector and tune it, adjusted the extractor, and added a full-length guide rod. All in all, it is operating great. I have put about 200 rounds through it since I had the work done, and the only problem I had was with one round of WWB Hollow Points. I tried cheap stuff (Blazer w/ aluminum casings), Remington UMC, Remington Golden Saber, Winchester PDX1, etc., etc., but the WWB Hollow Point hung up for some reason. I am going to chalk it up to that ammo and avoid it in the future. Later, B