leroy

This is a great answer. I agree completely. For practical shooting an AR type rifle is ok; so is a bolt gun. RE: the accuracy question: Take the time to Google for the 1000 yd benchrest shooting records. They all use an ultra heavy, long barreled, magnum cartridge custom bolt gun. The records are very impressive. The military used to use both 300 win mag and 30 X 338 wildcat bolt guns for their 1000 yd slow fire matches. I don't know what they use now. Army and Marine snipers used to use bolt guns. Superior accuracy and bullet energy at long range is the reason. In the interest of full disclosure; I'm partial to bolt guns for long range shooting. There are those among the shooting fraternity that can make a semi type rifle (M1A or AR) do great things. My problem with it is that it is hard to do over the long haul due to all the moving parts. It's true that these rifles fire from a locked bolt; but there is lots of action going on during the firing - reload cycle. The bolt gun does none of that. It is simple and not prone to wear. AR type rifles have come a long way, but in my biased judgement, they aint in the same league with the bolt guns at long range. Hope this helps. Kind regards, LEROY

Ive got a glock 33 that ive used with both the pierce grip extender and the full size mag with a spacer. They work ok; but are a detriment to concealed carry. I use the standard short mags (the glock 33 and the 26 are the same frame size; just different calibers). This little gun is carried daily in an Allen Miller pocket kydex holster. It carrys easily and will disappear in the front or hip pocket of my cargo pants, dungarees, or overalls with no mag extension. My problem with this little gun has been mentioned by others; it is the problem of being slick. I added a set of sand textured decal grips. They cost about $10 and work great. They stop the slippery grip problem. I've got big hands and have to hold this little rocket with my second and third fingers only. I just curl my pinky finger under the magazine. The hold works well and the pistol is super accurate at any range. In the interest of complete disclosure, so to speak, i am an oldtime n frame smith, ruger single action, and 1911 guy; this is my first glock. I never thought i would own one of them. I needed a gun for concealed carry and reasoned that if (God forbid) i had to shoot someone; i wouldn't have to put one of my much loved "children" in the hands of the unworthy in the evidence room for the next twenty five years. I reasoned that a polymer and steel contraption like a glock would be much easier to part with. After all, i reasoned, "they aint real guns." The fact is that that little glock is a "real gun" and a great shooter; as accurate as any handgun i have ever used (and ive burned lots of powder over the last 30 or so years). All for about $500. They are truly a great handgun. Dont be afraid to buy a subcompact to carry or shoot with. They are a great thing. The moral of all this rambling: Get that glock 26, use the standard mags, put some sort of grip enhancer on it (decal grips, bands, or skate board tape), and shoot it as much and everywhere you can. You will be truly amazed at how great they really are. Hope this helps, LEROY

Here is an opposing point of view that i agree with. It is well written and to the point. Here's the link at Knoxnews: Cobbins deserved death penalty by jury Knoxville News Sentinel RE: The McElroy Editorial: Mr McElroy postulates that since both black and white gutter trash participated in the atrocities and attempts to cover them up -- that's racial progress. Mr McElroy further postulates that since make-up of the defense, the procecuton, and jury was multi-ethnic; that equates to justice being served and, again, the magic words: "racial progress". Mr McElroy believes that justice was served in this case. See the quote lifted from the editorial below: The fact of the matter is that there is, indeed, a double standard in our justice system that is both built into the legal system and engrained into our culture -- this double standard came out in the jury's verdict. That double standard was applied to the point that justice was not served in this case. That does not seem to trouble Mr McElroy or those who cant see any problems with his editorial. Alternatively, they may not even consciously think about it if it doesn't affect them on a personal level. I think that is a troubling point of view. The words "Equal justice under law" are inscribed over the entrance of the U S Supreme Court Building; everybody agrees with these words; but they are simply not applied in crimes where there are racial overtones. The fact that you have a justice system and a trial doesnt automatically equate to "equal justice under law". Folks everywhere should be concerned about this issue. There are people on death row in Tennessee who have been convicted of crimes that were nowhere as heinous as these. Maybe we owe them another trial. They may need to be let out. I took the time to look at the last published set of crime statistics for Knoxville. They are more than twice the national average. That says to me and many others that there are serious problems with the justice enterprise in Knoxville. These problems are spilling out of the usual problem areas of Knoxville into the city at large. I would be concerned about my child at UT; I would be concerned about my wife, mother, sister, or fiancee driving thru the mall areas; I would be concerned celebrating in the "Old City" and other locations after UT ballgames. The list goes on and on. This first verdict in this trial points out one of the root causes of the problem -- the seeming inability of our legal enterprise to punish criminals for their crimes. Mr McElroy and others may not be concerned too much about this problem, since they think justice has been served in this case. Out of town jurors may think that justice has been served because they don't live in Knoxville. They should be. Crimes like these may come to a location near them. They may need "equal justice under law" too. I and many others believe that justice has not been served and that a message has been sent to every thug and pervert in Knoxville and the surrounding area that there is no crime that you can commit here that warrants the death penalty. That offends my sense of justice and weakens any attempts by authorities to do anything about violent crime in Knoxville. More food for thought, LEROY

I like it!! Great idea; I'll file it away. Kind regards, LEROY

Thanks for posting it. Interesting reading. More agenda driven deception by the "big" media. Thanks to the Washington Times for having the backbone to point it out. Kind regards, LEROY

I dont need to say anything else. As you have opined; it doesnt really make any difference. I suspect that there will never be enough evidence to convince you in this issue. My opinion is, indeed, different from yours; thats the reason for the reply. I have no problem in saying what i think; and neither should you. I'm never offended by the foolish. Mr McElroy knows better. You must not. You are not being attacked; your judgement is being questioned. By the way, I'm always DISMAYED by childishness, not offended. Maybe you will grow up someday; Mr McElroy probably wont; he is bought and paid for. Nobody needs to buy you. They already got ya. As Sean Connery so famously said in the movie "The Untouchables": "Thus endeth the lesson." LEROY

You may want to give these guys a shout. They are the premere colt guys in the country. Cherry's Fine Guns Home Page Commemorative Firearms Hope this helps, LEROY

I like Mark's answer better than anyone who has posted to date. No one is even close to the USFA stuff; and it can be found in the $500 -- $600 range up. The USFA stuff is everything that the original colt saa should have been and more. To add more fuel to the discussion; I really like and also have several of the "old" (read that large frame) vaqueros; both bisley, birds head, and plow handle grip. They are great; and as Mark said; almost indestructable. The USFA and Uberti saa's are copies of the original colt; including the old type springs. These springs tend to break after a few thousand rounds; but are easily found and installed. I am sure Rugers give out too; just never seen it happen. The 45 colt is a great caliber. It was the official cartridge of the us military from 1873 until 1898. A young lieutenant named George S Patton used an engraved 45 colt saa to dispatch two or three of Pancho Villa's lieutenants during the Punitive Expedition with General Pershing in 1916 -- killed them grave yard dead when they charged him on horseback. The 45 colt was the most powerful handgun cartridge there was until 1935 when the 357 magnum made it's appearance. The 45 colt is the father of the 45ACP of 1911 fame. They are great guns. We have loaded everything from black powder to near magnum loads in our old 45 colts. They are accurate and powerful. My advice after all this rambling; pick out the one you like most now, shoot it a while, and pick up a bunch of others that you find interesting. My last count of 45 colts was seven. You cant have too many 45 colts!! Kind regards, LEROY

I simply cant let this one pass. If one cannot see that this editorial was conceived to smooth over the racial overtones of this crime and dismiss the heinous nature of these crimes, i believe that your glasses need changing and your sense of justice recalibrated. Here are some points to ponder: 1. This crime is, in fact, a black on white crime committed against two college aged kids that were kidnapped within a stone's throw of the Knoxville Center Mall. 2. This crime is, in fact, the most heinous, brutal crime ever committed against a group of persons by others in the history of Knoxville. Knoxville was founded in the 1790's. 3. The fact of the matter is that there is a sense of outrage among many of knoxvilles citizens that those charged could be a participant in the kidnap, rape, brutalizing, and murdering of two human beings and not get the death penalty. You would do well to read some of the comments regarding this editorial. I also urge you to read the details of what was done to these two kids before they were murdered. Most people, in fact, do not believe that justice has been served in this case. 4. The apologizers would have you believe that just because the perpetrators of this crime were drug addicts, children of single parents, out of poor neighborhoods, etc., etc,; that they should be excused of this crime. That is exactly what was stated by the defense in the sentencing hearing. That is wrong; and anybody with an ounce of intellegence and any sense of justice knows that. These people were willing participants in the kidnap, torture, rape, and murder of these two kids. The fact is that Jack McElroy and folks like him would have you believe that justice has been served because of the racial makeup of some of the players in both this crime and it's subsequent trial; that is a childish pronouncement at best; and an evil, cynical, political adgenda motivated lie at worst. Either way, it is an idiotic premise. He would also have you believe that justice has been served. Justice has not been served -- because many people, me included, believe that the participants in this crime should get the death penalty. There are people in this community who believe, like i do, that justice has not been served in this case. If this crime does not warrant the death penalty, no crime will --- that's why many are offended at this. Jack Mc Elroy is an educated man, he is a newspaper editor. He full well knows everything that has been said about this and what the reaction of the local polulace is to this crime. Why then, would he presume to write an editorial whose thesis is that justice has been served because blacks and whites happened to come together to "bring justice" in this case. Jack McElroy is a committed liberal bought and paid for by the Scripps-Howard Corporation who happens to be a bunch of east coast liberal self-loathing trash who do, in fact, have an agenda to prusue. He was hired to pursue that agenda; and that is just what he is doing. Dont be fooled, the Knoxville News Sentinel is just another liberal rag actively pursuing the leftist agenda. I hope that some of what has been pointed out in this little epistle has caused you to think about what has really happened here in knoxville. Hopefully, it will cause you to think a little bit about whether justice has been served in this case and what the positions and motives of some of those who seek to influence opinion and lecture the local populace truly are. I don't believe that all blacks are thugs, nor do i believe that all whites are paragons of honesty. I do believe that anyone with any sense of justice and compassion for the victims of this crime and their families should be outraged at the outcome of these cases so far -- being black or white should make no difference -- you only need to have some sense of justice. I do believe that there is a clear double standard concerning black on white crime. I also believe that Ray Charles (if he was still here on earth) can see that double standard has been scrupulously applied here. Finally, I believe that there are folks in this community that are actively trying to alter the facts of this heinous crime to advance their own disgraceful political world view and agenda. If you believe what Jack McElroy would have you believe in this editorial; It is working. LEROY

This photo says gazillions of words!! Thanks for sharing!! What a treasure! Keep up the good work! Kind regards, LEROY

Great truth here!! For what its worth; I keep mine fully loaded, one in the spout with the hammer down -- "...ready to void birth certificates" as Punisher so elequently stated ... , I know this has fell out of favor; but in the old days it was common. All it takes is to cock as you draw and you are ready to do business. Others may prefer the "cocked and locked" method. Same thing; newer day. By the way, dont worry about springs. They are plenty good nowdays. Hope this helps. Kind regards, LEROY

Dear folks:____________ The following article was posted in Knoxnews (the internet version of the Knoxville News Sentinel) today by the editor of the Knoxville News Sentinel. In my judgement, it points to the childish mindset of the worst of the leftists and racial appologizers in Tennessee (and this country). It proves once again that no issue transends liberal politics or racial pandering. Here is the link: McElroy: Cobbins case about overcoming racism Knoxville News Sentinel LEROY

Great advice!! I heartily approve!! Keep up the good work and your magazines loaded!! LEROY

Dear NASCAR:______ We had a similar situation with an old Remington Side Hammer double with fluid steel barrels that was used for cowboy action shooting. We used the MAGTEC brass reloadable shells and black powder. You can find the MAGTEC brass shell casings at Midway. The beauty of using these brass shell casings is their reloadability and the ability to customize your load. We used black powder for the shell propellent to make sure we didnt damage this old gun (probably over 100 years old). Black powder is messy but great. You get this throaty kaboom and big white smoke cloud that you dont get with smokeless powder. This is a thrill that has to be experienced to be appreciated--- its great!! However, the real, practical reason to use black powder is that it is a low pressure propellent and will not damage the gun when used in reasonable quantities. You can also use black powder substitutes like Pyrodex or Triple 7; although it aint nearly as much fun to shoot. The big problem with black powder is the unusual cleanup of the shotgun and cleaning of the cases. I use a mixture of windex without ammonia and drugstore hydrogen peroxide (what you buy in the drugstore -- cheap) and water The ratio is equal parts of windex, hydrogen peroxide, and water. I believe the recipe came from the North-South Skrmisher blog; as they use black powder muskets in renactments. I make it almost by the gallon (one quart windex, one quart drugstore hydrogen peroxide, and one quart water -- cost about $5 dollars) you can buy "black powder" solvents; but they are basically the same thing as this recipe; and cost 20 times as much. To clean the cases, deprime them and wash them in soapy water and allow them to dry. They will turn black, but that doesnt hurt anything. Black powder fouling is water loving; so the gun needs to be cleaned up before you put it up or the barrels will draw moisture and rust(you aready know you should do that with any firearm anyway). Another little tid-bit is that if you choose to use black powder, you need to wipe the barrels down with alcohol to clean out all the petroleum based oils that may have been used in the barrels before shooting black powder shells. The black powder residue along with those petroleum oils turns into a tough, gummy, tar -like residue that is hard to remove with anything-- dont neglect this step!! After you clean the barrels with alcohol, you can use any synthetic or vegetable based oil to swab them down. I used CLP Breakfree (synthetic) or Balistol (Vegetable based) to oil everything down. All you cowboy action guys feel free to jump in on this one and help with reloading data and cleaning tips All this seems more complicated than it really is. Once you get the shotgun ready for black powder; it is actually easier to clean up than when using smokeless powder. Just swab the barrels and wipe the action with the cleaner, dry the barrels and action with a clean patch, then re-oil. The black powder fouling simply dissolves when the cleaning solution hits it. This is a great way to enjoy your vintage double barrel that is almost exactly the way that your grandfather or great grandfather did it. Black powder is a great thing and is extremely fun to shoot. Have fun with your shotgun!! Kind regrds, LEROY

There is much truth in your post. I am 63 years old; and have been a student of politics since the LBJ era of the sixties. It is my firm belief (as it is yours; i believe) that there is an ongoing war between a small, powerful group of political elites in government, academia, and the "mainstream" media against capitalism and the people who make this country work. These people worship the god of power and covet the ability to control the citizens of this country. Foolish people in the strong democratic regions of the country, the inner cities, the heavy union territories, as well as the socialist nut fringe locations such as california and parts of the northwest have listened to their lies and have elected them. The locations (with the exceptions of the west) are strikingly similar to the civil war alignment. They see the people of this country as serfs to be told what do do and when to do it. They see the citizens of this country as incapable of managing their affairs. They see the money you make and your property as theirs to manage as they see fit. They know best and will tell you exactly what to do and how to do it. They will give you the money you need and distribute it as they see fit. It is a disgraceful socialist, totalitarian world view that no free people should tolerate; nor any polititian dare to try to impose on any free people -- but it is happening now with great rapidity. It is an atmosphere where polititians are openly paying back their constitutiencies, persecuting their political enemies by criminalizing legitimate governmental acts, use the power of the state to intimidate law abiding citizens, and make the dregs of society, the non-productive, the foolish, and the criminal in our society the beneficiaries of government largesse -- buying and selling them like cattle. Sadly, it seems that whenever you elect a pretty good guy and send him to Washington; it doesnt seem to take long for him or her to begn to take on these autocratic traits that you see prettly regularly in polititians. Many of them seem to forget all too quickly who sent them there and why they were sent. It takes someone who knows who he or she is to resist the temptation to join with this autocratic trash and do the right thing anyway. I firmly believe that this country is at exactly the same juncture as it was just before the Civil War. Those with a vested interest in subjugating certain sections of our populace are once again trying to impose their will on the unwilling. People need to quit voting with their pocketbooks and start examining the policies and the ends of those policies that are being hoisted on the american people and hold their elected representatives accountable for their votes on these policies. That is why that character and core values are so important when folks evaluate candidates and incumbents in politics. People who have no character and core values can be bought and sold just like what you are seeing now. You can count on them selling you out. You are exactly right in believing that the enemy is within today. It is dead on. The danger aint the taliban, dirty bombs, suitcase nukes, or militant islam -- it's politics of the brand that is spreading now. The latest group of this trash that is actively trying to divide the country are in the Democratic party. The "black- white" guilt issue; and the "have-havenot" issue is directly related to Democrat politics and the help of their willing accomplices. This lie has been peddled for the last 80 or so years. It is continually recited in the socialist union ranks and in certain areas within the black community. It is a lie. This baloney; along with a pitiful campaign by a weak, RINO Republican has given us the most leftist, devisive, overbearing congress and presidency since the Civil War. Elections do, in fact, have serious consequences. Thankfully, i believe that people are waking up and i hope they will take action at the polls to stem this tide of idiocy and treason. If you want to fix this problem, hold those in authority responsible for what they do. Character does matter. Let your elected officials at every level know you are watching and are holding them accountable for their actions. If you dont like those actions, vote them out. Remember the words of Ambrose Bierce: "There are four boxes protecting America, the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box." People need to use the first three we wont have to use the fourth. Keep up the good work, LEROY

Dear TNTitan:__________ The cautions you normally read about primer changes are really geared to rifle loads; although the reloading components guys wont readily say that. Don't worry about primer changes on pistol ammo if it is a standard to standard primer switch (like yours). That having been said; always look for signs of high pressure when working up a load for the first time. They are extremely flattened primers, pierced primers, primer flow back into the firing pin hole. Also, watch out for too little pressure too; they usually produce a squib load that just pops. If you hear one; be sure to check the barrel for a lodged bullet. When working up a load for the first time; I always look at as many reloading manuals as i can and compare the data for the load i am interested in. It is always good to do what you are doing and go the the powder manufacturers data also. Standard velocity loads are pretty tame as to pressure. Problems with individual pistol loads start showing up when you start loading for magnum velocities. That having been said; my problems with overpressure generally came from too much powder; not a change in primers. Hope this helps. Kind regards, LEROY

Congratualations!! Everybody (especially in Knoxville) should be armed!! Check these holsters out from Allen Miller; they are great and reasonably priced: http://www.lefthandholster.com/holsters.html Also, if you like leather; check out Andrews Custom Leather: Andrews Custom Leather I have several of both. They are great. Andrews is probably the greatest leather holster maker i know of. They are right up there with the Milt Sparks stuff and it doesnt take a year to get them. Again, congratulations! Hope you enjoy!! LEROY

They are all good. Get the ones that are on sale. Kind regards, LEROY

You'll learn to love it; but get a good pocket holster for it. That will fix the "Glock leg" thing. I carry my glock 33 in an aholster kydex pocket holster made by Allen Miller in Greeneville, TN. The holster is great. Will work in your front or hip pocket. Here is the link to Allen's site: Holsters and accessories By the way; I fully agree with those who disparrage the addition of the finger rests on these little guns. The whole idea of concealing them is to make them short. If you make the grip longer; you just as well get a bigger gun. My Glock 33 is a 357 SIG (which is; by the way, what the 9mm was PURPORTED TO BE). It has a very loud bark; but is very controllable without the grip extension (and i have big hands). Just add a set of the sand type decal grips. They help greatly. Have fun! LEROY

This is great advice. It's always better to have a gun than not to. As to the 45 Colt; Its a great cartridge. The 45 Colt was the cartridge that finished the indians and filled the old cowboy's hands. It was the official cartridge of the US army from 1873 until 1898. It is a powerful cartridge on which the greatly admired 45 ACP was modelled. Before 1935 and the advent of the 357 magnum; it was the most powerful handgun cartridge available. I've shot bunches of 45 Colt loads. They are powerful and accurate. They are a great choice for self-defense against man and beast. Kind regards, LEROY

Dear folks:______________ Just came into possession of a removable choke shotgun and several choke tubes. The original tube with the shotgun was evidently an "aftermarket" and a little bit short in length. When i traded it out with another choke; the new choke tube was evidently a little bit longer and seemed to jamb into the thread area before threading flush with the end of the barrel -- my guess is that it jambed on powder residue and other stuff in the end of the thread area. Looks like the choke is standing off about 3/32 or so. The big question is: How do i go about cleaning up the thread area and what do i use to do it with? Thanks in advance, LEROY

Amen!! Great idea. Kind regards, LEROY

Muttling: Many thanks for the scholarly research and information. Kind regards, LEROY

Amen!!!

I have wondered about this wording too. It has been around for a long time. I would almost bet it is from the Reconstruction Era right after the Civil war. My guess is that it was INTENDED TO PROHIBIT civilians from going armed, by making it a "crime" to be caught out with a gun. Said another way, only law enforcement and military could go armed. I would love to hear a history/law scholar weigh in on this subject, as it is a direct suppression of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Food for thought, LEROY