leroy

Interesting. leroy

Dont call. If it's important they will get back to ya. Sounds (...as several other posters have said...) very fishy. Genuine US gubmt personnel dont do this kind of thing. leroy

556:___________ RE: This I recently had an older lightweight colt series 70 commander (...4.25 barrel...) upgraded (...this one had been layin around a good while, was bought new in the late 70's...) for carry by a good friend. We added adjustable sights, lowered and flaired the ejection port, and (...believe it or not...) added an old timey spur hammer. It is a great carry gun simply because of the weight reduction. Weight is cut down with the aluminum (...or scandium...) frame about 10 or so ounces (...from about 38 or so ounces to 28 or 30 oz. ...). That is a real difference when it comes to cary.The only real difference ive ever seen between the lightweight 4 inch and the original 5 inch steel guns (...and we've shot a bunch of em over the years...), is that the lighter ones climb higher in recoil; which i view as a minor thing. The lighter weight more than makes up for this shortcomming. There are those who will tell you that an aluminum alloy frame will wear out before a steel frame will; and i completely agree with that pronouncement. It just takes a lot of shootin to wear either one of them out. I like the lightweights. I would love to have a lightweight 5 inch 38 super myself. Hope this helps a bit. leroy

quietguy:_________ RE: This I fully agree. By the way, once ya think about the "snozz" thing a bit (...and study the profile a bit...); you simply cant (...at least i cant, anyway...) get back to calling him "Bill" or governor. I just cant help it. Greg: RE: this Classic definition of a polititian. What can i say? Keep up the good work. leroy

Dear quietguy:___________ As usual, i cant mind my business; so please forgive my impertinence before this little discussion gets started. I'm an old man. Been watching politics nationally and here in tennessee since the 1960's. The problem with government and politics in general is that we all have diverging opinions on what is best from a political standpoint as well as a personal one. Haslam's problem, in my opinion, (...and in the opinions of others....) is his appearance of aloofness and lack of caring. I will grant that we simply are not in a good position to evaluate the "snozz" (...forgive my pet name...) from a fair and objective position, simply because we cant do that until this term(s) in government are over. I will also grant that it may even be a bit unfair to take up these positions and musings, but politics is a blend of both performance and perception. At first blush, "snozz" seems to be a typical blue nose, know it all old time moneyed republican, who is shy, aloof, and hard to get to know. He seems to be cut in the mold of Howard Baker or Al Gore Sr. (...the old man, not the "inventor of the internet...). He knows what's best for us "primitive, rustic" children and we simply need to trust him to do the right thing. The main problem with that philosophy of governance is that most folks dont like it. The time for paternalistic, elitist governance of the population ended with the great god Roosevelt. People who think for themselves simply resent that type approach. The second problem seems to be that "snozz" is not outgoing and gregarious enough to naturally sell his positions. He seems so painfully shy that, many times, you simply cant determine what they are. I've watched the greats in tennessee over the years. The greatest by far was Franklin Goad Clement. He was a delightful speaker and could make folks feel that they could, in fact, trust him and that he was, in fact, working for the good of all tennesseeans. Mike MeWerter's dad, the great Ned Ray McWerter could do the same thing with his homey style (...more than that, he wasn't a communist, thought a democrat...). Haslam simply does not have (...or has not yet displayed...) that ability. The people of east tennessee are typically republican (....with the exception of the usual socialist enclaves around the universities, and the inner cities...). Once you go east of the Tennessee River, most everything becomes republican territory. All tennessee polititians know this. This causes lots of polititians to either ignore east tennessee (...especially if they are demorat...) or take it for granted (...if they are republican...). Many east tennessee republicans feel they have been slighted (...and they have...). This is not a new thing. The fact is that most republicans in east tennessee held their collective noses (...especially me...) and voted for the "snozz" in the general election as the "lesser of evils". There is general feeling in the east tennessee territory that Haslam simply bought the election; and i happen to think he did. In the end, success in politics comes down to a combination of perception plus performance in the areas that most citizens think is appropriate. The "snozz" is busy doing what it would appear that influential friends want done rather than what he probably should be doing. That is not helping his image at all. I think that another of his shortcommings is that he seems to not think too deeply about issues, but he relies on his staff to "formulate his position" on issues. I (...and lots of other voters...) dont care for this trait either. It can point to a lack of core values. This is, indeed, a harsh pronouncement, but i think it is a valid one. The fact is, that if you dont articulate publically and forcefully what you believe; it breeds speculation and second-guessing as to what you really do (...or dont...) believe. This approach gives the impression that ever move appears to be a calculated political move; not a genuine "what's good for all of the citizens of tennessee" move. I would gently advise you (...if you are in a position to do so...) to give the "snozz" a brief summary of this little epistle; he could use an "executive briefing" on these issues. If you are not in a position to deliver this "executive briefing"; i would request that you think about them a bit, and ease up on us east tennessee republicans (...and libertarians...) that didn't really want to vote for Haslam for the reasons outlined above; but did so anyway to keep a socialist out of the governor's mansion in Tennessee. That was a very important service done for all the people of all of Tennessee. How's that? libertarian leroy

Mike:___________ I know exactly how you and your dad before you feels. The Knox News Sentinel is a dispicable bunch; and always have been. They are part of the Scripps- Howard syndicate. All noted socialist wags. leroy

I agree on the "sowing and reaping". I voted against McWerter. leroy

Ya need to remember that the Knoxville News Sentinel is a rabidly Socialist Demorat rag; as are most all the other newspaper outlets in the state. They will never pass out any "attaboys" other than those that make Haslam or any other Republican look like a moderate, or even worse; a Demorat. The most you can expect from them is to "urge" the governor to do the right thing; the usual socialist drivel. That actually makes it hard for Haslam to develop any platform or "voice" from which to make any pronounce that smacks of a "less government, more freedom" type platform. There is no doubt in my mind that Haslam is working overtime not to offend any constituency, from the rabid socialists, to the radical libertarians. That is exactly what his mentors (....Baker and Alexander...) would do. There is nothing charismic or statesman like in Haslam. He couldn't even bring himself to denounce the Christian-Newsome murders very publically when he was mayor of Knoxville. Haslam is no more a statesman than i am an aviator. His dad has evidently bought his political seat to get him out from under foot. The good news is, at least he is a capitalist. I firmly believe that you will have to wait another gubanitorial term or two to get a real "pro Tennessee" candidate. leroy

Sadly, there is a lot of truth in this post. My take on Haslam is that he is continuing the Howard Baker/Lamar Alexander school of political correctness; working this way to the senate. Dont expect Haslam to do anything that smacks of favoring any one citizen group (...unless you have lots of money to pass out, or favors to grant...). He will travel around as the opportunity presents it's self, make a few platidudinous remarks, and move on to the next photo op or place where there is a handout or favor. Remember, upper east tennessee is a traditional Republican stronghold; no need for him to show up there. With all that said; i still prefer Snozz to socialists like McWerter. Remember, everything is a deal and an opportunity to a polititian. That's exactly why statesmen are so scarce and valuable. Cheezy polititians are a dime a dozen; and we've got plenty enough of them to go around. Libertarian leroy

Sorry to hear of your loss. It's always sad to loose a dear friend and family member. leroy

Sent a note to my representative (...Harry Brooks...) regarding this issue. Polititians, we are watching. Watchin leroy

John:_________________ Since ya brought this up: Back in the "old days" before anyone other than Bar Sto made good 38 super barrels that headspaced on the case mouth and were fully supported; we used to "hotrod" the super in our Colt government models by using a heavier bullet with a longer nose (...usually a 140 grain 357 bullet...) and seat the bullet out so it would just touch the lands of the barrel to correct the "headspace problem" with the super. The problem was just as you have said. You had a bit of a support problem with the old time barrels; plus a super hot load (...that one was our --rather "my" fault...). You could shoot the hot rounds in the super for the first load if you used new brass. They were accurate and powerful loads. We could shoot across the river (...75 or 80 yards...) with a "dead on" hold. Generally, the second round of reloading would result in a case rupture right at the unsupported location; sometimes they would blow out the side a bit and spray either the shooter or whomever was standing to the right of the shooter. Once we learned that; we just tossed the once fired brass; unless we were feeling lucky. You are exactly right in cautioning to "regular" super shooters not to "hotrod" the super like the comp. guys do. If you do, you can soon find out what a ruptured case looks like. We never hurt any guns doing this foolishness; but we sprayed ourselves and our buddies pretty well before we figured out what was happening. Lookin back on it; it wasn't too smart; but then we werent too smart either!! God keeps His hand on the foolish many times. Hope this gives a bit of a new perspective on how dangerous the unsupported thing is when the loads are hot. One person's ok load may be another person's "kaboom" load. It all depends on the equipment. leroy

Makes perfect sense!! Do ya reckon you could just take a hard arkansas stone and just touch the last set of lugs in the slide and knock the square edge off of them? Thanks for this excellent observation. I figured there was a burr on the slde somewhere (...or a tiny bit of trash...); but i didnt take the time to picture what is really happening as the barrel unlatches from the slide. Thanks again! leroy

Ebow:_______________ I believe they (...Taurus...) are too; especially today. There was a time when it wasn't so; but the CNC revolution put that one to rest. The fact is that most every gun built today (...with the possible exception of freedom arms, and the semi and custom 1911 builders...) is pretty well the same. There are those who will disagree with that opinion, but i believe that if ya look at a real statistical samples it will be born out. There are a million good 1911's around today that are the direct result of the CNC thing. When i was shootin 1911's; there was one --- Colt ----. To get one to shoot better than stock, you had to wrap your colt up in about as much money (...or more...) than what you paid for it, send it off to a custom guy, and sit around a few months and get it back. Today, all you need to do is go down to the gun strore or to the net and pick one out. Every one of them from Taurus, to the phillipine springfield, to the phillipine rock island, to the kimber, to the smith, to the colt shoot the same now; and that is better than about 95% of shooters can hold. I think you are exactly right. Shooting sports today has truly been blessed with the explosion of this technology. All the old time names bring to the party today is bragging rights (...and im ok with that...I got a pile of them myself...). For $600 dollars today; you can buy what it used to cost a $1000 and a custom gunsmith's time to do. I say your excellent observation is dead on target!! Keep up the good work! leroy

The super is a good choice for the following reason: Recoil is mild (...in the full size government frame...) and accuracy is good. The super will do anything that a 9mm will do and do it with a heavier bullet at a higher velocity. Having said all that; handloading is the way to go with the super (...or any other caliber you shoot a lot...). The super is a good choice for defense if you like the 1911 platform. I'm getting a bit older, and not as tolerant to recoil as i one was. I would like to have a super myself. Make sure that you find a super that headspaces on the case mouth just like a 9 mm and 45acp. The old ones headspaced on a small ledge on the barrel face. Accuracy with that system was off and on. Hope this helps. leroy

I like it!! There are lots of goodies out there for an 870 for this sort of thing. Plenty of stuff to pick from. The finish looks great! Everybody that is a gun person needs a good alley sweeper. This on is a great one!! Have fun. leroy

I like it!!! Keep up the good work! leroy

Cant buy this one. Sounds to me like the old time 'union drivel". "Living wage", why do the "rich" do well; "they aint any better than anyone else" (...they most likely work harder than others, however...), ect. etc. I'm old enough to remember watching both my parents work "just to make ends meet" and to give me a couple of pairs of blue jeans (...cost about $5...), a couple of oxford shirts, and one pair of penny loafers. They worked hard, but it never occured to them that working 40 hours a week was a "right". Theirs was more in the 70 to 80 hour range. I well remember going to school and working in the quarry. By wednesday evening, we usually had our 40 hours in; then we worked the other 40 from thursday thru saturday; sometimes sunday if the equipment would hold up. Otherwise we did maintenance on sunday. It can be done. It never occured to me either that just working 40 hours was an option. I was thankful to get all the hours i could work. I've got a dear friend about my age that came over from Greece in the late 50's. He couldnt speak a lick of english when he got here, nor did he have any "special job skills". He promptly went to work (...at least 2 jobs; probably 70 or 80 hours per week...), saved his money, brought his family over one by one from Greece to this "land of opportunity" and now is a millionaire. He didnt belong to the union, nor did he apply for a "handout", nor did he bitch about working. He simply went to work. The Vietnamese did the same thing down on the gulf coast. They now own the shrimp fishing industry in Lousiania. They and my buddy did it all in one generation. Interestin aint it? leroy

All:______________ To add a bit to lester's observations here" We've used the Rainers in 357 sig shot thru a glock 33 with good results and absolutely no leading. Chronograph velocities in the 1275 to 1325 fps vicinity. They are extremely accurate. We have also used Missouri Bullets in 380 and 44 special loads in the 900 fps or so range. Very good bullets too. leroy

Greg and Crimson:_______ Thank you both for the kind words. I am humbled by them. Many thanks, leroy

I'm going to take a crack at answering these two questions: RE: cost of healthcare. I'm retired and i pay 100% of my healthcare. It costs $1400 per month for family coverage and does not cover everything. I know i pay 100 percent of it because the program is defined that way; with BCBS only managing the program (...for a fee...). I'm 64 years old. When i was in my 30's and 40's (...from 1970 until 1980's...), family coverage was from $300 to $400 per month. It has grown to what you see today. The main reason for that growth is government meddling in the healthcare industry and in the pharmaceudical industry. I well remember when health insurance was non-existant. You simply went to the doctor or pharmacy and paid your bill. The government went to meddling in this industry in the late sixties. Look where it is today. You may not agree with my assessment of this; but it's the truth. The fact is that insurance is a luxury, not a "right". You have no "right to healthcare"; it is something you pay for. It aint a right, its a commodity that you pay for. The damn government has convinced too many people that it is a "right". It simply aint so and never was. RE: Your second question about "banks making money" being equated with "welfare queens". The fact is that banks risk the money they are trusted with (... investors dollars, your dollars, my dollars, as well as the bank's dollars from "interest...) in order to make money. They get paid in "interest". It's the same thing as investors in a company risking the dollars they put in in order to make a product or provide a service that can be sold at a profit. Sales minus expenses equal profit. That is the underlying principle of the capitalist system. If a bank makes a bad judgement on a loan and the borrower does not pay the loan back; the bank is obligated to make the investors whole. The bank is also obligated by law to make the deposits that you and i make good as well. That's the risk they take. Welfare doesn't work that way; the "welfare queens" simply harvest the largesse without any risk. Companies that do not make money go out of business (...unless they get special treatment thru cash infusion like General Motors did; its called union payback; all at your expense (...if you pay taxes....)...). Banking is simply another form of business, the banks lend investor's money and make interest. The product is the loan. The profit is the interest harvested. We can quibble about all this; but that is how the capitalist system works. Neither you nor the company you work for can make it without the bank at the start. We all need loans. Are there "insider deals'?--- of course there are and always have been. Are there abuses? -- you bet; and there always have and will be. Is there such a thing as "corporate welfare"? -- you bet -- look at General Motors and General Electric. Corporate welfare at its worst. Should we do away with the capitalist system and adopt the "...To each according to his need, from each according to his ability..." like the great god Marx said: ... NO...!! We need to clean up the system we have and go on about our business. To clean it up; folks are going to have to decide to be self-reliant, get off the dole, live within their means, and to hold the "ruling class" accountable. Otherwise, you will get what we now have and the whole system will collapse under it's own debt load. The fact is that "there aint no rainbow stew, nor is there any free lunch...". The other fact is that there will always be rich and poor; there always have been. If there are no rich people or corporations; there will be no jobs and no work for us less affluent folks. leroy

Amen brother!! Right on target. The sixties hippies made it ok to disrespect everything. Now they have cut off their stinkin greasy hair, took a bath, and raised children. They have replicated themselves. Dont worry about it; make them irrevellant at the polls. Keep up the good work! leroy

Amen brother!!! You are exactly right. Keep up the good work!!! leroy

Interesting read. Thanks for posting it. Have bookmarked it for future reference. leroy

Interesting read. We'll see. Watin leroy PS- Thanks for posting the link.