leroy

daddyo:  Pick yourself up a machete from here:  http://www.machetespecialists.com/imacasa-machetes.html. The Imacasa's are as good as ya can get and cost next to nothin.   Be prepared to spend about an hour (...unless ya have a belt sander...) sharpenin it and straightening up the handle.  I've done a couple of them and they are great; but they need the handles sanded (...and trimmed...) down to keep from cutting your hand up.  You'll need an x coarse diamond stone if ya want to straighten up the edge quick (...and it will need straightenin up...)by hand.   I dont like a file to do this with; they dont cut quick enough for me.   If ya dont want to do that work; pick one of these guys up:  http://www.knifeworks.com/eseekniveslite-machete.aspx   They are a bit above your limit of 50 smacks but all the work is done.  They come sharp as a razor and have micarta handles added.  They are first class.  I've got one myself.  By the way, the blades are made by imacasa too.   Hope this helps, leroy

Law:  Thanks for providing us all this insightful service.   leroy

STI is a helluva choice.  If i wuz gonna buy a 45 acp today; it would be an STI.   leroy

Like Robert says, a 10 mm of any flavor is hard to beat if ya like a semiauto.  I carry a short barreled ruger sa in 357 on up to 44 depending on what is handy in the gun safe, simply because have 'em handy.   If i wuz gonna buy a semiauto today to "walk around" with, it would be a glock 10 mm of some sort.  In my case, it would be the cheapest one i could find.  They all work real well.   As to the 45 acp.  It is ok for 2 legged varmits; but i dont think it has enough punch for 4 legged ones.  Ya need plenty of muzzle energy for 4 legged ones (...and some 2 legged too...).  Heavy 357 loads, 44 special at over 1000 fps, 45 colt at over 1000 fps, 44 mag, any flavor; ya get the picture.  Nine millimeter bullets aint heavy enough for big critters.   leroy

Its sad the the real people of Kalefornia are reaping the bitter harvest of letting the ultra-rich leftist and euro-weenies run the state.  I'm like some other posters; this couldn't have happend in Klalefornia; it is a peoples paradise where utopia and nirvana have been attained.  How then, could a nice guy like this "John Samir Zawahri" do such a heinous thing to such nice people?     Could it be jhadism?  Is there trouble in the "people's paradise"?    My bet is that we'll never know,  The kalefornia statists cant afford to tell the truth about this one.   I say (...like one of my 24 year old's buddies is fond of sayin...) "....If you like that, keep right on likin it.  Get all of it ya can stand...".   No wonder that folks are leaving there.   leroy  

The NSA guy did us all a favor.  He confirmed what lots of folks thought.  Now the "overlords" are gonna have to explain it, and those who say they believe in the Bill or Rights are gonna have to fight it.  We'll see what happens.   leroy

Sam:  I dont think they will damage the house; but they will make a helluva noise in the mornin.  My father-in-law had them at his house up on Kentucky lake; in the woods of course.  They would get up early in the mornin to go to work, and it would sound like a machine gun.  I've seen 'em thump the steel can of a pole type power transformer.   They are persistent  and they do make a helluva noise.  I dont know of anything that will scare them, but i couldn't bring myself to shoot one.  Ya might call the ag extension agent in your area.  He might have some words of advice.   Good luck, you'll need it to run these guys off.   leroy

Started with one myself about 35 or so years ago.  Still usin it.  RCBS makes good stuff.   Enjoy. leroy

Tempest:  What a great thing!!  Tell him to keep up the good work!!!   leroy

Kevin:  As others have posted; take a look at the springs, or better; change them out.  I would also take a look and see if the nose of the round is hanging on a rough place on the barrel hood (...top of the barrel where the round starts in the chamber...).  Clean it up real well with some powder solvent and look at it closely (...a magnifying glass and a light would be great...); if it is the least bit rough, it needs to be polished.  Try some hard ball (...round nose, no lead exposed...) rounds and see if they work.  Also, dont discount bad magazines.   Hope this helps. leroy

vu:  I'm like the others.  I would up the powder charge and use small base dies to resize the brass.  I've shot lots of rounds thru a 223 bolt gun with a 1 in 12 twist with 52 to 55 grain bullets and 26 grains of H335.  No problems at all with great accuracy.  Greg is right in that semiautos tend to like the ballistics of whatever factory round they are designed for (...semiauto pistols as well...).  It's an impulse-pressure-time thing that cycles the action per the original design and makes everything work together.  I always take a look at the actual ballistics from factory rounds and look to the reloading tables to get close with the semiautos.  Take a look at the load tables for the AR in the Serria Loading Manual. If ya dont have one; you can probably Google and find them. They will give ya some guidance in your quest for the "right" load.   Good luck. leroy PS -- The comments about a chronograph are good advice too.  Take a look at a Crony. They are good and they are very inexpensive.

Got:  RE:   If it's lead bullets; the "smoke" thing is most likely bullet lube.  If they are jacketed rounds; most likely its a light crimp and Alliant powder (...unique, bullseye, 2400...).  All reloads (...especially pistol rounds...) need a good, heavy crimp. It helps ignition and improves accuracy.   Hope this helps. leroy

Very sad.  One life ended, another ruined.  Prayers for the family.   leroy

OS:  I like your analysis above; it's another possible branch of the democrat strategy political tree; and i think a good one.  It makes perfect sense.  As to the Christie thing; i think you well could be right on switching parties.   The sad truth is that as Archie Bunker said one time:  "...No matter who wins (...either democrat or lots of republicans...) I (...we...) loose.....".   Keep up the good work. leroy

Mike and OS:  My opining is the result of wonderin why a complicit bunch like the NYT and other democrat outlets are doin what they are doin.  When i wondered about that a while (...like the great indian character, Lone Waddi, in the "Outlaw Josey Wales"...), i came up with the obama equals satan; hillary equals savior thing; and declared war on both of them.    In my old age, ive come to believe that in politics, especially, nothin happens for "no reason", especially when it comes to the democrat party.   I understand it could be looked upon as nutty; but i wanted ya to understand the rationale for the thinking.    Here's a bit more idle musing to ponder on this subject:   I think that there are lots more "True Believers" in the democrat socialist utopia thing in the democrat party in relatively high places within the ruling class and the bureaucratic class who want to stay there.  I really believe they are worried about the political landscape and what could come.  I also believe the democrat party is just like the republican party in that number one, they believe they should "rule over us"; and number two, there are factions which fight for supremacy within the political machine.   I think there are two pretty big democrat factions now;  the obama faction (...brought to you, i think, by the kennedys...) and the clinton faction; with, of course, the "true believers" in the utopia thing that im talkin about (...think head office bureaucrat and democrat party officials in washington pukes here...).   I agree that it's a given that the democrats have a political advantage; they give away stuff.  I also believe that there are plenty of complicit republicans who believe the same things as the democrats; that is, that, they ought to "rule over us" and have a piece of the pie; job security so to speak, that keep helpin them (...Some of them must be on the mominating committee of the republican party ALA Romney....).   Look at the historical significance of the Obama presidency thing; he is the "new Abe Lincon"; the first black (...sorta...) ever to hold the most powerful office in the world.  Why, then, would the democrat machine throw him under the bus?  The only answer i could come up with wuz the "re-branding" thing.  The point is, that there's somethin up, and it's unusual.  Think about it a bit, and see what ya can come up with.   PS:  Just found this.  Check it out.   http://hotair.com/archives/2013/06/07/poll-hillary-clintons-favorable-rating-still-sinking/     Wonderin leroy

  I believe you are seeing the lame duck phase of the Obama legacy; and im all for that --- HEHEHE....  I believe the democrats are "re-branding" to try to save their collective stinkin hides and to try to stay in power.    They know they cant win in 2016, or hope to keep the status quo in 2014 without drastic action. The Obama scandal-mania thing is the vehicle for re-branding and selling the new democrat party line to the "low information voters" and the blue state children; its more "how can we fool 'em again today" stuff.   The mainstream media is makin Obama satan; and is getting ready to proclaim that Hillary (...who is just as bad, if not worse...) the savior of america and the democrat party.  Remember, Hillary, the anti-Obama authoritarian she princess empress savior of America.   Let's watch this on closely.   leroy

I dont like this either.  It is as Anit-American and authoritarian as you can get.  It presumes that everybody needs watchin ALA the old soviet union.   Havin said that, my guess is that if a US citizen is charged and brought to trial (...guilty or not...) with evidence gathered here; it will be thrown out due to the Fourth Amendment.  Let's hope it gets tried real soon.   leroy

Richard.  Your points are well taken; and i understand the viewpoint.  I hope im right too.    Im a relatively old coot (...66...).  I watched as they reported JFK's death and saw LBJ declare "War on Poverty" and the beginning of the "Great Society".  I saw Viet Nam, and watched Nixon wave goodbye.  In my lifetime; government has gotten bigger and bigger and more intrusive and corrupt just as you suggest with the "soft tyranny" thing; all in the name protecting us from some nameless, faceless, monstrous implacable enemy (...first the russians, then the communists in indo china, then the red chinese, then sadam hussein, then islamic terrorist, now domestic terrorists....) or helping more people who "are less fortunate than we are" by picking the pockets of those who work instead of wait for the "dole"..   The present regieme has taken that even further and kicked the can way down the road toward authoritianism, added a good dose of high handed, "in your face" distain for the citizenry, and has managed to make everyone who wuznt payin much attention; start to pay attention and get madder.   I've never seen folks more polarized than they are today.  I've also never seen them more informed.  The internet blog thing has (...i think...) made it impossible for the gubmt to lie to the total population with the help of a complicit media as they did in FDR's day and in Viet Nam.  Someone is always watching, calling their hand, and publishing the news for the world to read.  That's why you see statist idioits like Linsey Graham and other old time polititians breathing out threats and musing aloud about "First Amendment Protections" for internet bloggers.  They are gettin caught red handed right and left.  If they lie about somethin; someone in the bloggisphere calls their hand.   No one under the age of 60 or so pays attention to the big media; they know they are lyin about everything anyway.  I've got a 24 year old son that never has watched the evening news or read a newspaper except to sneer at it; and he is not alone in that.  His news comes from the bloggisphere.  I count that a good thing.   On the state political scene; state legislatures are talkin seriously about nullification of federal laws.  Nullification threats and actions have not happened since before the Civil War.  Youve got sheriffs of every county in Colorado (...except two, i think...) saying they wont enforce state laws that conflict with Constitutional rights ALA the Second Amendment.  The federal government growls and barks at the states, but they aren't doin anything. I think the federal government, for the most part, is all schoolyard kid bark and no bite.    I think you are seeing and will continue to see a weakening of the federal government's power; with a corresponding increase in autonomy of the individual states (...just, i think, as the Founding Fathers envisioned...).  The red states will get redder and the blue ones will get bluer.   Again, i hope and pray im right.  The alternative is too terrible to think about.   leroy

  I simply cant let this one go any further.   I want to say this as kindly as possible; but I simply dont believe that a "historical blueprint" of any kind that follows some european or chinese model is applicable to the USA.  I will grant that those in power would like to apply it; and we can quibble that there are areas where it has been applied (....think the ultra blue northeast here....); but it cant be applied everywhere.   Here's why (...i think, anyway....):   The "Soviet" and "Chinese" historicity is one of "serfs and masters".   It is completely different from the American mindset of liberty and freedom.  The difference between europe (...the old world...) and china (...the real old world...) is this "serf and master" thing.    When Peter the Great built St Petersburg, he killed his own people by the thousands doin this work.  They did it because they were cowed from the "serf and master" fiefdom thing.  Later when "Uncle Joe Stalin" ran things; the ruskies would die in droves at the hands of the 'aryan supermen" in tanks because they were more afraid of Stalin than they were the Germans; and i think that shows a real, abject fear...  The same thing went on countless times with the chinese dynasties and the chinese people.     The difference between the "old world" and serfdom (...which, by the way; i will grant that, the current crop of democrats and some willing republicans in power now, are trying mightily to bring to the new world --- the USA...) is that the original settlers to this country rebelled against serfdom and came to the new world (...later to become the USA...).  We are used to freedom here; we are the most free country in the world.  That's why everybody wants to come here; includin the muslums of the world.   Dont worry about "historical blue prints" that fit the "old world" mold.  They wont work here; thankfully...  Look at the hell that was raised at Manchester the other day when a US attorney had little enough sense to poke a few "delightful rustics" and constitutional government minded citizens the other day.  There were more protesters there with signs than there were members of this "supposedely put upon and persecuted" religious sect.   For the duration of the Obama administration, there have been approximately 47,000 NCIS checks on gun purches every day; hardly the mark of a "cowed population" ready to become serfs.    I say watch what they do, and keep the pressure on.   The "old world" blueprint aint workin too good here (...thank God...).   Remember, there is a presidental election every four years.  Vote early and often.   "new world" leroy

  I've tried to stay out of this turn in the thread; but i cant help myself.  Chuck is exactly right here.  With regard to our "intervention" in wars.  We can do as much "armchair quarterbacking" as we want; but there are some things to consider here:   Number One:  Mindin your own business aint a bad idea and it was the original constitutional doctrine of the original Founding Fathers.   Number Two:  We pretty well minded our business except for the barbary pirates until the Mexican war.  That seemed to work pretty good.   Number Three:  The two most unpopular wars we fought were the Mexican and Spanish-American wars.  We can quibble about what started the Mexican war as a "just war"; but the Spanish-American war wuz an imperialistic, aggressive war pure and simple.   Number Four:  The First World war should not have been paid for in american blood (...i think...).   We had no strategic interest in WW1.  There was a pretty powerful isolationist sentiment which should have stopped our entrance into the war for a long time.   The zimmerman telegram and the sinking of the Lusitania by German U-Boats stirred up public sentiment that Wilson (...a liberal or "progressive"...) needed to persuade congress to declare war on the axis.   There are those who believe that the germans warned the USA not to provide arms to the Allies and posted news articles saying to stay off of ships bound for the allied powers' shores.   Number Five:  Bananna wars in central america.  Pure american imperialism.  See Smedley Butler's book: "War is a Racket"..   Number Six:  WW2.  It can be argued that onerous WW1 reparations placed on Germany paved the way for WW2 in europe; and i think that there is great merit to that arguement.  The Japan thing has been discussed fully, but it would have dragged us into war anyway.  WW2 was pretty much avoidable; but look at the causes in europe especially.   Number Seven:  Modern "police actions".  Korea, Vietnam....  We can sure quibble about them.  Aint gonna go there.   Number Nine:  The "middle east".  I want to say this as kindly as possible; but exactly what "strategic interest" does a rich, mostly energy self sufficient nation like ours have in the "middle east"?  Set the old notions of patriotic pride aside for a few minutes; along with the notion of the "worlds policeman" thing and think about that one a bit.  That's what i had to do.  Once i did that (...at the behest of my 23 year old who is a history student himself...); i came to some sobering conclusions.    Could it be that we are not "protecting freedom" (...which i contend, like Chuck, that we shouldn't be doin anywhere except on our shores...); or are we, as Smedley Butler opined, being guards for the military-industrial complex, and the bankers using american treasure and blood to do so?.  It is, indeed, a sobering thought.  That is why i have become a militant isolationist in my old age.  It took me over 60 years to get there, but ive finally arrived.  Minding your business is the best option if you are not seriously threatened.   leroy

  Thanks Ted!  Interestin read.  Looks to me like there were more "First Amendment" supporters there than muslum faithful..  It looks to me like that Mr Killian got a dose of "First Amendment" speech.  Lots of it painfully true.   A special thanks for all of those who passed out the lesson.   leroy  

All:  Check this out: http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20130602/NEWS01/306020065/Rash-of-Kentucky-lawyer-suicides-concerns-colleagues?odyssey=underbox|text|Home&nclick_check=1   Very interesting read.  Could it be the result of a steady diet of conflict between knowing the truth in your "heart of hearts" and doing all that is in your professional ability to exhonerate the guilty?  Real food for thought.     leroy   PS -- I know that my musings are cold and unkind...  Could they posibly be right?

  My hilite.   Hersh is exactly spot on on this.... He is dead right....  It is designed and contrived with the intent of scaring the citizenry and chilling dissenting speech and other protected activities.    This is nothin more than a potential (...and i repeat, potential...) method to harass dessenters from the "pathway to utopia" via the "chicago way" carried out by an arm of the Executive Branch of the federal government with arrest power and a de facto license to shoot the citizenry if it resists during official visits. The power to use the courts to harass "political enemies" (...read that as citizens who wont bow down and dont agree with the regieme's policies and actions....) and to use federal officers armed with the power shoot interviewees in the performance of these "official intervews" and harassing legal proceedings is the big concern.  That's why this is a potentially serious thing; despite our giggling about it.  It is, in fact, government out of control.   The actual issue, whowever, is more "Gibson exotic wood raid" and "IRS audit" stuff.  It is malicious investigation and harassment of political enemies.    Our esteemed U S Attorney for East Tennessee full well knows a citizen cannot be prosecuted for expressing their views that meet the "protected speech" rules under the First Amendment.  If ya dig around in these court rulings you will see the justices refer to issues of a public nature (...that is, issues such as questions as to the conflict between people groups as to religion --- Muslum vs Judism vs Christianity; theoracy vs republican government; shria law vs constitutional law, taxes, potential questionable biological heritage of polititians and bureaucrats,  ... bla bla bla... ya get the picture...) as "protected speech".  He has to know that.   leroy

Thanks for posting this Tanker.  I saw it the other day and chortled a bit.  Ive got zero confidence that a university tenured journalism puke is gonna do anything; but i gotta admire the style. Their problem is they aint very credible as "death angels" to their imagined enemies. I simply cant imagine these university types as SS "death angels"....   He aint gonna take up his sword and carry anything out.  It's the usual statist, elitist windbaggery.   By the way; i wonder if this "threat and exhortation to do bad things" can be prosecuted under the "insightment to do violence"  statute ALA our great US AG for East Tennessee's intrepretation RE: the muslum community....?   Maybe he will stand up for the NRA members in Tennessee and interview and fully investigate this potentially "dangerous" person.  How about a civil rights seminar and meeting for us "Tennessee NRA Rustics"....RE:  our rights...?   Typical empty, childish, school yard hyper-speech for the nut fringe wing fringe of socialist academia i say.  Red meat for the "low information children" and statist weenies.   I'm kinda like Grand: i say: "....come on down any time ya feel like startin the extermination.  Why wait?  No better time than now...".   NRA leroy, gunowner

I'm not as kind and reasonable as some are.  Frank Lautenberg was a grandfatherly old man and grandpaw to someone who loved him; and i'm willing to concede and accept that fact.  He was also one of the most dangerous statist sons of Marx that made it way too entirely long (...in my view...) into the twenty-first century.  He and others like him have done this country and its citizens great harm and no one who loves freedom should be sad that he is gone to his reward.   Frank Lautenberg was a thoroughly dangerous opportunistic man; and was no friend to this country, freedom, or the Constitution. He could have just as well been decorated with the Order of Lennin for his service to socialism, as he could have been a WW 2 veteran.  As others have opined; i wonder which side he fought on....?   His votes, "public service", and belief system gave us people like Barak Obama and this pseudo socialist government we have today. He has pillaged the pockets of citizens, taken their rights, and enriched himself and his sorry associates for many a year.  People like Frank Lautenberg believe that folks like us "delightful rustics' are a rabble to be controlled and serfs to pony up whatever the "ruling elites" demand.   Frank Lautenberg (...and others like him....)  brought old world belief systems and serfdom to the new world.  They believed that they were the "best and brightest" and that the citizenry was a rabble to be controlled and to be made to bow down to these "ruling elites"; just as they have been made to do in New Jersey and New York.  If he had have had his way; the "New Jersey and New York" way would have been made the law of this entire land.   Dont be sad that he is dead.  You can be polite to the family; but dont gloss over the truth.  Remember this; everybody blesses us in some way; some by staying and helping, some by leaving.  Thank you Lord that You have called this dangerous man to his reward.   leroy