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I have a Weaver 2X9 X40 on my Savage Axis 7MM 08. It came in the package but it is a good scope for deer hunting. Also just purchased an Vortex Copperhead while in Pigeon Forge last month. Haven't mounted it yet but have plans to mount it on a new Ruger 22LR soon. I have a Leupold 3X9X40 mounted low on my Marlin 22 semi auto that I use on grey menacing squirrels. It is cheek sensitive as I must mount my cheek low to see through the low mounts, but it is very light gathering and accurate. All these scopes will be good deer hunters, and all are in the 350.00 range. If you going to be shooting 400 yards out west by all means get higher magnification but IMO it is not needed here. Would not go above 3X14 for TN hunting.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Will be traveling from Lascassas to Cookeville for the big family dinner today, and having our family's dinner here in Lascassas tomorrow, Half of our family will not be here this year, and we do miss them so. You guys and gals enjoy the season.

Just like your dad health, Slappy, my health, in my later years, has been "somewhat" hurt with my exposure to agent orange while serving in Vietnam. I had a bad heart attack on April 15 of this year. My windowmaker was 100% blocked with a blood clot, and they took me to the hospital in an ambulance. As I left the front drive, I lost complete use of my arms/legs and started sweating profusely. In my mind I totally concentrating on what was happening to me that I forgot my wife was in the front seat of the ambulance. She spoke up and I felt guilty that I was concentrating on myself so completely. I silently said a prayer and asked God to spare my life so she would not be forced to lose me, at that time, and be forced to bury me and mourn my passing. We will have been married 55 years in February. God had mercy on us and granted my request. My feeling came back to my body and somehow, I knew I was going to come home from the Hospital. Like your dad, I have been granted some more time, through God's grace and mercy to me and my sweet wife. I am 76 and Lord willing, if I make it 77 in March. This is wonderful time for me, and all I think about now is doing whatever God has for me to do. Also, I am a Christian. As all that was happening to me, I was totally at peace with my death walk and had complete confidence Jesus Christ was going to do for me what has been promised within the pages of the Bible. I had NO fear of death because of "His" (Jesus's) promises. I told you all I felt guilty for only thinking of myself. Thank God, He has made me understand why. When we pass in the next realm no one makes that walk with someone with them. One goes to the next realm by oneself. Guys, I tell you all, prepare yourselves to make that walk. I had every confidence that I was going to Paradice at that time. You can read this for yourself if you get a Bible and turn to (Luke 16:19-31). It is not hard to understand what happens when we leave this realm (pass on). The angels came and got poor Lazarus. I was ready to meet the angels, guys. Are you? I want to be with Lazarus and the other saints in Paradice when my soul goes to the next realm. I had "Totally" no fear. As I said, I am trying to do good here. Please prepare yourselves.

My deck is 37" high.

My wife has decided she wants decorative railings installed between the deck post. We went and she decided what she wanted, so I need to go back to Lowes, in the morning, and pick it up. That women can spend money!

I too have many fond memories of hunting and fishing with my dad and his friends. Sorry for your loss Slappy and Dave. Lost my dad in 1991. The pain of loss gets better with time, if that is of any comfort.

My S I L took the Remington 1911 A1 to a smith and he cleaned and lubed it good, and it runs very well for them now. He has shot every box of ammo I gave them and both SIL and Grandson love the 1911. He told me they purchased 10 boxes of practice and all of it is gone, so they now have about 800 rounds through it. They say it is reliable. I am not a 1911 man. I have 2 SW MP 9MM C 2.0 and an MP 9 MM EZ. These are my 3 fantastic plastic alternatives for CC. I also have a MDL 23 Glock 40 cal and a Model 19 Glock 9 MM Gen 5 but never carry them. Safe queens. The slab sides are too large for a large guy. Edited to add; EDC around home is a pocket carried 7 shot Taurus 38/357 Revolver with a 2" brl. I really like revolvers even though they are limited by round count. Pray often I never am forced to use it in an emergency, but I had too a few years back in the front yard while walking to the Mailbox and back.

Come on guys, deck jokes, "Really"? Be glad to get mine finished, and then my Sweetie can set on my little Deck.

Just received my Black Friday circular from Bass Pro. They have a Benelli Nova 12 ga 28" brl 3.5 chamber, pump shotgun for 299.00, a Stoeger Condor Field 28" brl 3" chamber 12 Ga "over and under" for 249.00, a Winchester SXP 12 Ga Pump 28" brl 3.5 chamber for 349.00. Winchester SX4 Hybrid "Semi-auto" 12 Ga 3.5 chamber for 749.00 which isn't cheap but marked down 250.00. Sale ends Dec 1st. Might interest you. These are the cheapest they have advertised.

My deck is a little out of square (1") but I hid it well. Did not make too many mulligans either. I built it heavy because I did not want it to be unsteady. I installed a stringer inside the post and also outside. It is solid as a rock. Small decks can be a tad wobbly/shaky.

My wife and I have put together a new deck 6' X 8' at my mud room door. We only had 5 steps to enter and really have not used the at all. She has asked me to build her one or hire someone too. I started last Monday and just finished the floor today. All we like now is the guard rail and handrails beside the steps to get on the deck. It is about 36" tall and an additional 6" step to enter the mud room. Guys, I found out I am not as young as I once was, and it has been slower and hared for me to accomplish since my heart attack last April. Hope to finish the first of next week if the weather doesn't get in the way. Also had a 15' X 65' concrete patio/deck poured across the back of our house a few months back. Went to Lowes and made a deal to have 2 new Larson full view Security Storm Doors installed, one in the garage door entrance and the other at the Mud Room entrance. They are expensive and I am having them installed which is costly also. That will have good safety doors on all 5 of my house entrance doors. Both these door has double pain glass with the 3M shatter proof plastic in-between. They are guaranteed that no one can penetrate them with extraordinary effort. I seen a door where a guy run a forklift into the glass and it shattered but the sharp fork did not penetrate the plastic nor did the cracked glass come out. Convinced me they were tough. They will use extra-long screws that will go into the door casing studs so no one can yank or pry them open but will make them extremely hard to get past. They also have extra heavy metal frames also with 3 point locking lugs on them that extend through the metal frame and into the door frame surrounding the door. I have had 3 other Larson security door on my house for 10 years. I feel comfortable leaving the wood doors open all day long to allow much more light into the rooms. IMO, they are well worth the money. The doors are heavy, however there are tradeoffs when you beef up entry doors. It takes 2 closures on each door to operate them and keep them from slamming into one who enters or leaves. Edited to add; My goal is If someone try's to breech the doors, they will make enough noise that it will give us time to prepare ourselves before the make entry. That is all one can really ask for.

Dad's friend was in a small patch of brush trees and the thugs could not see him. The shotgun's slide locking back into battery really got their attention. When they were trying to see where he was, then dad came out with the snubby, and it was over. They turned and left without saying a word. I will say, in the dark the sound must have been frightening for them. There is no mistaking that sound if you have ever heard it before. I learned a lot, that night. I have a Mossy 12 Ga riot shotgun loaded with 8 00 buck rounds, with 6 extras in the side saddle. Edited to add; Pray, often, I will never need it in an emergency.

Don't purchase China tires. They are trash. All my blowouts, on my RV, have been from mostly new China tires. Goodyear are the best, but you know it when you pay for them. Put all 4 on.

I also have had a Maverick, and it was very serviceable. Cheapest gun I know of and Stoger double brl comes in second if you can find one. I traded the Maverick for a youth model Mossberg model 500 20 Ga priced at 350.00. It had an 18 1/2 inch brl so I ordered a hunting brl with 3 screw in chokes for it from Mossberg and gave it to my grandson. I decided to thin my collection so my wife will not be bothered with them should I go first. He and his dad hunt with the 20 ga with the 26" brl often. He is 16 now and has his own car, and him and 3 of his buddies spent the night in a National Forrest, near Charleston SC, last week and he had the 20 with him on a duck hunt. They got 4 ducks around first light. They can only hunt until 10;00 AM. Oh, the memories that brings back to me hunting and fishing with my dad. We were trot-lining on the Licken River located in Eastern Ky and camping in a big tent. The river is now under Cave Run Lake as they dammed it and put in an electric power station. We traveled to a close by market and purchased some Ice as our food was in a cooler, which needed the ice. We were out there deep in the country. The man at the store asked my dad what we were doing, and dad told him we were camping in a tent up the road. As it turned out we did not know it, but 3 thugs were listening to the conversation. Well, they got liquored up and then we had uninvited guest show up at our camp site later that night. They were there to rob us. Scared me to death as I was around 12 Y O at the time. As the old truck speed toward our campsite dad to his friend to get a shotgun and step back out of sight. I didn't know the even had a gun. Dad and I was sitting next to the fire and the driver got out and grabbed a tire iron out of the back of the truck and the other two guys got out one with a long piece of wood or a ball bat, and the driver came strolling up and told dad they were there to relieve us of what they needed. I could smell liquor on them. Dad pulled a SW snubby out of an ankle holster and dad's friend racked the slid on the shotgun then the guys stopped in their tracks. Dad told him it was time for them to leave and so they did. It was good training for a 12-year-old kid. Like I state, OH, the memories. I am sure you guys have the memories also.

train 45, my smeller doesn't work very well now so the smell never gets to me. I know one thing the CLP and oiling has fixed the model 60 Marlin. It is cracking them off well now. Thankfully, I have thinned them down very well. I am only getting one ever 3 to 4 days now. That is the way I like it. They are not swarming my automobiles now and climbing underneath them like they were a month ago. I am having to thin them about 3 times a year now. When they get overpopulated, they start messing with my garage, cars, RV, and truck. I have had to get all of my vehicles and RV repaired from the damage they do to them. I would estimate around 3,500.00 in the past 3 years not to mention the hassle with loss of use and time it takes to get them repaired. If I keep them thinned, they leave us alone. I don't know anything else we cand do, so I decrease the population from time to time. My neighbor says he knows when they get overpopulated also. He has had damage from them, and he thanked me for thinning them. His wife will not let him shoot them, but she tells him she doesn't like having to fix things around their house. They're both retired and on fixed incomes and needs to be conservative with their money. Edited to add; the $3,500. is damage done by the squirrels to my autos and RV.

Farm Bureau told me a shooting is a "willful" act, and they only pay for accidental happenings, accidents (falling) or acts of God(hail damage or tree falling, tornado etc) fire or theft. My guns are covered, for theft, up to 2,000.00. Guys that is 2 to 5 guns. Not much coverage. To my knowledge, they don't have any additional writer policy for Self Defense coverage. Will say I haven't talked to them recently; this was about 5 years ago. They called me in for an insurance overview and to tell me they no longer pay full amount on roof replacement, and they depreciate the value out over time, plus we have a 1,000.00 deductible as of then. Also, my premium went up. I had a nice day, that day! Edited to add; If you are involved in a S D shooting, at church, home, or on the street, "If it is not cut and dried S D", most probably you will end up losing about everything, for sure if it gets blown out of proportions. Even if you have one of the big 5 S D insurance programs. Very serious business. Total Last Resort! Do not be trigger happy guys.

I am a S W guy also. Have an older Diamondback in 38 Spl with 2" brl. Just never became enamored with the snake guns. Had a buddy that had a 4" 357 and we shot it some.

I don't know any homeowner's insurance that will cover liability for a self-defense shooting either on your property of off your property. If you are sued, you are on your own the way I was told by Farm Bureau here in Murfreesboro TN.

I used Break Free CLP. If I spray lube I use Remington Graphite based spray lube. it is dry also. This time I just used Gun Oil. The rifle is cycling now. Just needed a good cleaning. The operator needs to watch the trigger jerk. Can't blame that on the Model 60 Marlin.

Your picture is quite funny. I felt the same as the red squirrel looks in the picture. My thought was dang Pop Pop, get it together! I have 2 pairs of fox squirrels that never bother anything. My problem is the little gray squirrels. Them little rats with long bushy tails are swarming sometimes. Got to thin them down a tad.

If something happens on church property it will come back to the church, so I have been told. I started a Safety Team, Unarmed, at my last congregation several years ago. We had to remain unarmed for insurance and city requirement purposes also. If armed, the City had regulations we had to meet and other restrictions on bonding and liability insurance. The City had off duty Police officers one could hire but were 100.00 per service (approx 1600.00 per month) years ago. We were a church who our leadership did not have the money to do that. The congregation was paying for a newish building and supporting other preaching in other places, and did not decide to curtail either for an armed team. We had 17 members to start, all volunteer, and several concealed carried. Had one member open carried on occasion. He was not on the team. We handled several occurrences and disturbances during the 8 years I was there. I have since moved to a church nearer to our home and we now have 2 who stay in the hallways and lock doors after services start and keep watch in the halls and out the doors to our parking lots, one on each side of the building. I am either an usher or greeter in my rotation. We have about 180 to 200 who attend on a regular basis and several men do conceal carry but have no organized team. The deacon in charge of the duty assignments knows I church carry, so I guess that is why I was drafted, at age 76, to stay in the entrance from time to time (once a month for 1 week). I just pray if I ever need to rise to the occasion, God will be with me, and I will be successful. Good luck your team and I will pray they won't need your services but do know a team of some kind is sure needed in every church. Thats a sad sentiment for our day-in-time guys. Edited to add; I am a member of Armed Citizens Legal Defense Net. 360 978 5200

Went to J Floyds in Sevierville a couple weeks ago. Their nice used guns were within 75.00 of the prices of a new gun. Rough used handguns were around 350.00 +?-. My latest experience. Edited to add content; They had several brands of 9 MM practice for 13.99 for box of 50. Best prices I have seen lately in local gun stores. Have not ventured to big box stores as of late. Buds gun store was higher.

Shot the 22 twice this morning. Missed the same squirrel twice. Rifle did fine but the operator needs to stop rushing the shots. Hope the rifle continues to cycle after the cleaning and lubing and the operator settles down and uses better skills.

My students always sit down and go through "thorough" safety training, and gun manipulation, before any live fire takes place. Usually takes about an hour with families and 30 to 40 min with individuals. We start live fire with a 22 LR revolver and 22 semiautos then work up in caliber, but don't go over short time with a 38 Spl or 9 MM for first few times. Just want them to feel the recoil from traversing upward in calibers. I feel they need to go home and think about their experience, and then have a good first time out. Always stress they need safe practice upon safe practice afterwards, should they choose firearms ownership. They need to handle the chosen handgun until it is almost like an extension of their hand while always thinking basic safety when the pick it up. I have found most people will not be like the majority here on this forum. It cost a lot to get proficient, as most here know. Depends how proficient they want to become. Gun ownership doesn't make you a proficient shooter. It takes "Time", "Practice", and lots of "Money" now to arrive there. I will submit a few have purchased a gun, and the first time they pick it up use it to "successfully" protect themselves without a lot of training. I wouldn't want to face that myself, so I stress safety and practice with your final choice.

I purchased Winchester W Box 115 Gr RN from SG Ammo for 1000 for 259.00 but had to pay TN Tax with free shipping.