leroy

I've loaded a goodly amount of 380 for my little sig.... It's kinda like loadin a short 9 mm (...which it is...)... The only thing ive noticed is that i needed a short reloading block to stack the cases in... I wouldnt worry about brass reloading life with this little cartridge... The brass ive used (...all of it; mixed domestic and priv...) looked plenty strong and well-formed....  My guess is that it will load as many times as ya like... Remember, the secret to the brass holdin the bullet is complete resizing of the case and just expandin the neck enough to get the bullet started... If ya do that ya will be ok... I use about a .002 crimp on all my semiauto loads...   leroy

The fact is that for a long time (...since the civil war; and even before...); insiders have been cuttin deals and makin money with gubmt connections... We can quibble about who the latest one is; but it's all the same.... The fact is that insider deals are a part of this country's political history; and part of most every other country's political history as well...   Folks need to think thru these things very clearly and soberly... The truth is that there is no "threshold of dishonesty and insiderism"... You either make the decision to be honest and ethical in all your dealings; or you make the decision to do the "insider" thing...    This whole thing, at the end of the day, is a personal ethical decision... Honesty and integrity at the individual and corporate level are a personal choice... You are either honest or not...   Sadly, a goodly portion of folks of all political stripes and positions great and small; make the wrong choice...   We cannot as an individual, a society, or as a nation say one thing and do the other... When you do those things, you put on full display the fact that you are, in fact, a hypocrite without honor...   If you worship the god of money, you can be bought; the only thing left to haggle about is the price...   Could it be that one of the roots of our nation's problems is this very issue?... I think it is... Do not expect your brother, your spouce, your trading partner, your child, or your local politician to be ethical if you, yourself are not ethical....   leroy

It pays to have well-connected friends in high places (...especially in gubmt...)... If you are on the inside it's "good business".... If you are on the outside; its "crony capitalism"....  If ya are like us ordinary citizens and are footing the bill for it; its fascism.... Obama, the dems, and the blue nose establishment republican "opposition"  aint socialists; they are fascists.... It's the "Chicago way" in action....   Remember, there's an election soon... Vote early and often... The dems and the establishment republicans will....   libertarian leroy

Tempest in a tea pot....   leroy

I seem ta remember that the old time (...think at least 100 years ago or so when feathers were a real commodity in commerce...) "punt gun hunters" who killed geese by the hundreds used to use big bore shotguns... Some of 'em mounted like deck guns on boats to shoot geese and other big birds on the water... I would bet that the "4 gage" is a variant on that old time practice....   leroy

Decisions have consequences....  Looks ta me like they shoulda left this guy alone...   Thanks for takin out the trash...   leroy

Folks, there has been some interestin things said in this thread; and lots of them touch around the issue of how we see ourselves as a nation...   I'm kinda like Dennis, im seeing things today that i've not seen in my 67 or so plus years of bein an american and watching the political and cultural scene...   One of our brother opiners talked about having black friends that they lived with and served with in the military; and how he viewed them as true friends and fellow americans... That used to be the cultural norm; contrary to what the race baiters and political class would have you believe...   I also grew up with black friends who were, in fact, descendants of slaves that worked one of the few "plantations" in the east tennessee area that wuz big enough to have them...  They were our neighbors and friends... We worked, played, joked, and visited with them and called them friends... They had no "chip on their shoulder" and they full well knew that their white friends were not guilty of ownin slaves... They were good, hard workin, complete families; complete with fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, grandparents, and friends of all colors....    Above all, these folks were productive members of society that went to work every day and were contributors to society... They would be offended to be thought of as incapable of making a living or being on the dole.... They were, indeed, true friends ya could call on when times were bad or even perilous and that you could risk your lives and fortunes with... They were, in fact, true friends...   Fast forward about 45 or so years, and look at what we have now... It's polarized in many of the ways that Dennis described... The race baiters, the hippies, the government, the political demagogues have done their work well...The fact is that we cannot continue to sustain this massive de-constructing of what it means to be an american and preaching this venomous divison between "tribes" without it finishing the country from a fiscal and cultural standpoint... The logical end result is a group of "warring tribes" with no cultural or national identity... It looks far more like darkest africa than the United States...   People who work for a living are tired of being put upon and called names for things they did not do; and im one of them...  My cup of sympathy for my would be brothers and sisters on the dole is run completely dry; and i do not believe that im the only one who feels that way... We have de-constructed, tribalized, and destroyed the unity of the nation that was the norm for over two hundred years and have wiped out any judeo-christian compation we might have for our fellow citizens; and the race baiters, the political demagogue class, and the hippy philosophers are largely to blame for this devolution in what it means to be an american and to be concerned for your neighbor...   I think the political class and the liberal intelligentsia has incrementally polarized our society to the point that we basically are at the same point that this country was at on the eve of the civil war...   The good news is that i dont think we will get another civil war as a solution to this problem...   What you are seeing with the individual states pushing back against the federal gubmt is what i think the end of this will be... Citizens of like views will congregate in states that share those views... The individual states will politely say "no" to things they dont agree with as to federal "mandates"...   In the end, the country will return to what i think the Founding Fathers envisioned to begin with; a confederation of individual states, each with it's own particular governance...I earnestly hope that is what happens... The other solution is totalitarianism and oppression...   Someone has wisely opined that we have turned into an "empire"... I think that observation is well founded... We need to be less an empire and more a nation... We need to mind our own business and leave the rest of the world alone... We need to quit havin an political demagogue class trying to rule both the world and this country like the Caesars did in the Roman times...   Above all else, we need to believe on an individual basis that work is honorable, that the dole is bad, and that no one has stolen anything from his, her or its brother citizens, and that all of us are on an equal footing here in this county...   We need to, in fact, believe that the Constitution means exactly what the plain reading of it says; and that government is the problem and not the solution to many ills this country has and is facing...   These sorts of things are the things that the race baiters and the "status quo" career political class is fighting so hard against... The reason; they like the "status quo"; they have profited from it and have been enriched by it...They like being a special patrician class instead of being mere citizens...They see the populace as a rabble to be controlled and lead around like children...   That, my friends, is where the fight is; and that is why the stakes are so high...  This country has never been where it finds itself today... It's at a crossroads as to its identity, beliefs, governance, and even its continued being... I think that is a very serious state of affairs indeed...Here's hopin that we come to our collective senses as a nation and return to the principles on which this nation was founded... The alternative is too terrible to contemplate...   leroy

Ya dont have to look very far if you are intellectually honest to see that on the whole; we are bad and not good....   As others have wisely opined, that, my friends is the problem... Havin said all that; i do believe that over the years, the cultural norms (...world view, religious dogma, etc....) have been distorted and de-constructed to the point that lots of folks are believing a lie and ignoring that which is right in front of their eyes...    The black family wuz destroyed by the War on Poverty when we told the black father to get lost and made the black welfare society a matriarchal society.... That's a fact.... The same thing is goin on now in the the poor white family unit... I think the last data i saw was that approximately 78% of blacks were born out of wedlock and about 29% of whites are born out of wedlock...   We have long known that if ya want to be poor; just have a child as a youngster, have no education or job skills, and live by yourself...   I think this fact alone is, in fact the biggest problem that we face as a society...    The fact is that governmental policies have created a "plantation" subclass that has finally gotten big enough to be a danger to both society and country... More than that, we are also seein for the first time ever, a main line political apparatchik (....the Obama administration and his enablers...) who are going straight to that demographic to gain political power... Said another way, this is the first time in american history that the "non-producers" were given preferential treatment over "producers" in political strategy calculations by a legitimate (...or illigitimate, depending on your view....), main line political party... This action, alone, is unique, because it smacks of "third worldism" ALA bananna republics and african "democracys" like Angola, South Africa, and Zimbabwe...   It's against this background of "plantationism" that i think is drivin this "race war" rhetoric... The fact is that it aint a "race war"; its a class war with the demagogues of both political stripes vying to pass out largesse that is causin lots of friction now in their machinations to stay in power...   In some quarters, this "friction" is emboldening some of the nuttier elements to shoot and pillage; but as others have wisely opined; you will always have some fraction of the population that is willing to do these things...  Havin said that, i do believe that, on the whole, there is a "chip on the shoulder" of the black population that has been put there by their race baiting handlers, the democrat party, and elements within the black church (...ala Jeremiah Wright, and other "Black Liberation" theologians and socialist apparatchiks...)...  Like everything else, there are some notable exceptions to this generalization.... We all can name some...   As to the "chip on the shoulder" thing; it's always easier to blame some faceless, nameless monsters (....whitey, the latinos, the asians, the gubmt, the Builderburgers, the Zionists,etc, etc, etc,,...) for your problems than to face them... If ya face them, ya have to decide whether to fix 'em or not... Lots of people would rather not face that decision, therefore ya have what ya have...   The fact is that until we believe as a people that you are to work and not be "on the dole", that ya have to be personally responsible for your actions, that you are to work for what ya have and not covet your neighbors goods, that you believe on a personal basis that "whitey" or "blacky" or "browney" (...your neighbor...) hasnt stolen anything from you and that you are justified in takin it from him either by the force of the government bayonet or with your own gun, that gubmt is the problem and not the solution, that you have a responsibility to your brother (...and sister...) to threat them as you would be treated, and that you create your own opportunities, this situation will only worsen...   I think you are seeing more and more people waking up and seeing the sobering fact that we are rapidly rapidly heading toward something that we do not want in this country... There is a political war goin on between those who want a two class system (...rich and poor...) and a socialist welfare state and those who think america should be democratic, free, and prosperous, and that folks should make their own way.... Everybody needs to take a side in this "war" and fix this problem; or there will be a "real war"... I think that is what Thomas Sowell is really talkin about...  My advise is that we all need to be thinkin and doin something about this ourselves....   Food for thought... leroy

Another vote for 2400... It's hard to beat in magnum cartridges and long barrel lengths...   leroy

I kinda think it would be cool for your pistola to "double" ever now and then... I've got an old winchester model 50 semiauto twelve ga that will do it once in a while... It's worn down from shootin about a million AA trap loads thru it.... Looks ta me like the XD guys are makin Glock and Smith and Wesson folks out of XD affectionados pretty quickly....  I dont blame ya either...   Heree's hopin your pistolas will come home soon.... leroy

Looks like a real "buffalo gun" ta me....   Congratulations!!   leroy

TMF:  I pretty much agree with your assessment RE "shiftin blame and shirking of individual responsibility"; its one of my great concerns with society as a whole... All that bein said; i always look for a "drug connection" with these young (...14 yr old, i think...) perpetrators...  Your point is well taken and very revellant... The drug thing shows up way too frequently to suit me... I'll agree that ya can make a case for poor parenting and/or individual "bad behavior"  and idiotic society being the catalyst for this kind of bad behavior.... I think that ya can also have a corollary of that that says "...I dont want to be bothered with this brat at the school and parent level, therefore, ill give him drugs..."; and that's what society has done in many cases....   I fully agree that the individual is responsible for his, her or it's behavior; i do believe, however that there are some enablers out there that are causin trouble where none should exist and that these actions are being covered up... I know that no one likes to hear about the "good ole days"; but i never remember a juvenile shooting anyone else in school makin the news before the seventies.... Remember the "drug culture" started in the early sixities... I think that is significant...If i remember right, this kid wuz an 8 th grader; or about 14 years old... I'm willin to bet there is a drug connection... We can quibble about the individual responsibility thing here; but this one smells rotten to me... If i remember right; the kid that did the shootin in kentucky wuz a ridlin user...   leroy

My question would be has the kid that done the shooting been takin Ridlin or one of its brothers prescribed to calm down hyperactivity...   No one seems to want to talk about that one; but i think (...as some others do....) that it's a real problem that aint gonna be fixed; because it implicates the medical, physiological, pharmaceutical, and education enterprises equally......   Food for thought... leroy

RE:  Restoration... I think it would devalue the pistol; especially if it's an older one...   leroy

I like what Jay posted above... For what it's worth; if i wuz healthy and strong; i would invest in an ASP baton and carry it in some sort of a bag so i could reach it easily... I know it's "semi-illegal" to carry a "club"; but it might come in handy sometime.. Another great low cost alternate is a 6 cel aluminum maglite...   Food for thought... leroy

Lumber:  I've got a Dillon too... Works like a charm...   leroy

rl:  Just saw this... Not that i know of or would trust...  Sadly...    Ya might talk to Bob at Predator (...the ar guys...)... He might have some thoughts on it... He has seen lots of handguns...   leroy

Thanks for the info guys; i appreciate it... David and 6.8 confirmed my intuition regarding AA#9; as it works well in 357 sig and other high pressure cartridges...As to Zombie's recommendations; Longshot makes sense too...Power Pistol makes plenty of sense for "mid range" and even high velocity loads as well...   Has anyone tried 2400 with hard cast bullets in the 200 to 220 grain range?....   Thanks a bunch, leroy

Swim:  RE: Yep... The bare carbon steel is close to the color of the nickle plating, especially when the bare steel has been rubbed a bit... When i wuz a boy (....55 or so years ago...); it wasnt unusual to see these older firearms with the blue worn off down to the bare steel... It will take on a silvery finish where it has been rubbed... It also wasn't unusual to see nickle plated handguns that were re-plated; some at the factory... There used to be a lot of re-plating done; but lots of it wuz pretty poor...   leroy

Thanks to our buddy Robert; im the proud owner of a Glock 20... Do any of you all have any pet loads that ya like for the 10 mm?  I'm thinkin 180 and 200 grain jacketed hollow points here and 200 grain or heavier hardcast shot thru a aftermarket barrel...   Think about this a bit and let me know what ya think....   Thanks in advance, leroy  

swim:  I believe that the finish has rubbed thru... See the coppery color that is fanned out between the bare spot and the nickle plating... What you are seein is a spot worn thru to the bare steel, a ring of copper plating, and the worn area of the nickle plating--- three distinct rings...   My guess is that the pistol originally wuz carried a lot in a holster (...think sheriff deputy, policeman, or other everyday carry over a goodly period of time here....) and the movement between the gun and the leather holster over time has worn the finish off... I would just keep the worn spot clean and rub a bit of hard finish paste wax on it from time to time... I've seen several older nickle guns that have been carried a lot in a holster with wear spots on them similar to what ya get with a holster worn blue gun... When they plated the gun, they plated the copper on first to hold and smooth the nickle plating on...   Ya cant fix this sort of thing easily, and it hurts the collector value a bunch... The only way is to fix the spot is to strip the plating and re-plate, and you never get a good job with re-plating... I kinda like the "well used, lovingly cared for" look on these older  nickle pistols... I would just watch the spot and keep a coat of wax on it... It adds character to these old guns... We've got several nickle plated colts and smiths that show similar wear... Nickle (...believe it or not...) is soft and will scratch a bit... I think that contributes to the surface wear on the nickle guns...     leroy

rl:  The frame marking (...lack of the "government model" inscription above the s/n...) is givin me trouble too... The "C" could have well been an armory remark for repairs at the factory; but i dont know that for sure...  The fact that the gun is blue and looks as sharp around the stamping leads me to believe it's a commerical model; or a real old military (...the very first ones were blue...)...I'm not too much of a colt 1911 student... We need some real "expert opinions" on this one... I do thrust these guys at Cherry's Fine Guns:  http://www.cherrys.com/   I would recommend that ya send them a bunch of pictures and they can probably tell ya exactly what it is; and give ya a ballpark value... My intuition is still that the value will pleasantly suprize ya...  Any colt before the seventies is a pretty valuable commodity... Ya probably be pleasantly surprized at the value of the "put togethers" as well...   PS: Try running the s/n without the "c" and see what ya get... I got a production date of 1918 that way....   leroy

Thanks to Mac and CMT for doin this service for our brother and sister opiners here on TGO...   Thanks again, leroy

Hold on to that pistol... Check this out and run the serial number thru here: http://www.coltsmfg.com/customerservices/serialnumberlookup.aspx ... I think (...i dont know for sure....) your pistol could be a 1918 vintage commercial model... Take a look here for some additional info: http://www.collectorsfirearms.com/colt-pre-war-automatics/   Another thing is that it looks to have (...from the picture...) a straight backstrap... If it does, my guess on the vintage is right... I think (...i dont know for sure...) that the colt backstraps were straight until 1926... By the way, the "correct name" for the backstrap is the "mainspring housing"... It forms the lower half of the back of the grip...   The grips are not original; but that's a nothin.. The originals were plain double diamond walnuts (...i think...) without medallions...   Havin said all that; the one thing that bothers me about this one is that there is no "government model" stamped above the S/N; and no "C" to start the S/N...  Ya usually see that on the colts.... The down side is that it could be a "put together" (... orphaned slide and orphaned frame; think springfield slide, colt frame, etc here...)... There were lots of 'em done that way...   Anyway, it's a neat old pistol with a great story to boot... Ive got a much less nice put together military that i've left "as is"..I think they are too nice to shoot, so mine stays in honored retirement...They are a great piece of history...   Maybe some other colt students will chime in... I'm interested in their opinions too...   enjoy!! leroy

Hate ta hear it... I'm like others have posted; i hate a thief...  My bet is that they wuz watchin and saw ya leave with the wife... I understand the need ta leave a vehicle in an unfamiliar lot from time to time; but there are lots of thiefs out there lookin to steal somethin for the next hit of dope or to buy meth feed materials...   leroy