JAB

I don't think the monkey head experiment was Russian. The scientist who did that was named Robert White and was in Cleveland, Ohio.

Yep. Bars could take a huge step toward contributing to public safety and making sure they aren't named in lawsuits for over-serving patrons who get into wrecks on the way home by posting: NO OPEN CONTAINERS OR CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL ALLOWED ON PREMISES. For that matter, hospitals/doctors' offices could probably cut back on malpractice suits (legitimate or not) by simply posting the following at their entrances: NO SERIOUSLY SICK OR INJURED PEOPLE ALLOWED. IF THERE IS A CHANCE YOU MIGHT DIE OR SUFFER OTHER, LONG TERM EFFECTS FROM YOUR INJURIES OR CONDITION, PLEASE SEEK HELP ELSEWHERE. THIS FACILITY DOES NOT ACCEPT PATIENTS WHO ACTUALLY NEED MEDICAL CARE. In both cases, though, it would kind of go against their whole purpose for existing and they probably wouldn't get a whole lot of customers. In other words, some types of businesses come with certain risks and if gun store owners want to totally avoid those risks then maybe they should be selling hypoallergenic pillows, instead. Again, I agree. A blanket ban and justifying that ban by saying that a few might use guns improperly sounds like a fitting tactic for the Brady bunch not someone who wants to make his livelihood by selling me one of those guns. Ban the person responsible and don't punish a whole group for the stupidity of a few.

For me, there would have to be a gunbuster and/or verbage either exactly like that in the statute, verbage that specifically mentions the statute number or at the very least something that mentions 'state law' (and I am not sure that the latter two would still be technically 'legal' but I wouldn't want to risk it.) Beyond that, I think I have a slightly different opinion that some folks on here. It doesn't mean that they are wrong, simply that I am of a different mindset. Personally, I couldn't give a crap if, "It is our company policy not to allow..." as (per the question posed in this thread) I do not see that as a legal posting. I care about not breaking the law. As I don't work for their company, however, and as they obviously don't honor my right to be equipped for self defense, I couldn't care less about their corporate policy if it isn't backed up with signage that at least attempts to meet the minimum, legal requirements. It is my personal policy not to enter a business open to the public unarmed based on signage that doesn't pass legal muster so that I can give them my business/money. Usually that simply means I will avoid the place but if I had to go in there I wouldn't feel 'badly' about what I still see as legally carrying. To me, a posting of any kind is a 'screw you' to people who have gone through the trouble of obtaining a permit to legally carry so I have no problem giving a 'screw you' back to them by staying concealed and walking right past the sign if it isn't a legal posting if for some reason I go in, at all. Generally, though, my 'screw you' will be in the form of not giving them my business, legally posted or not.

I had the original. I ended up trading it for a used TS stocked model at my favorite LGS. I had thought about ordering a TS stock to put on my old one, instead, but with my trade the difference I paid wouldn't have covered the price of a TS stock with shipping, etc. - not to mention it saved me the aggravation of swapping the stocks out, which I have read can be a PITA. Honestly, I liked the old one just fine. The only reason I even wanted a TS stock was so I could mount a laser/light combo easily. They are/were both great shooters. I do wish there were factory or reliable aftermarket high cap mags for them but ten rounds isn't too bad, I guess. One of these days I'll get around to ordering one of the factory mag holders that mounts on the skeletonized buttstock. Then I could at least have 30 rounds on board and ready to go.

Hmmm...that does look like a 'mean' little fellah. I have to admit that the reason I went with the skinner version is that the blade style closely resembles that of the old Schrade Sharpfinger - one of my favorite fixed blade designs. Yeah, the Myerco certainly doesn't feel as 'substantial' as the Mini-Tac. I like that it is lighter, less obtrusive and I can still get a pretty decent grip on the handle. I've got the single-edged version. If I'm ever called upon to use a knife for SD then I'm already in trouble. That said, when I am carrying the Myerco instead of the Mini Tac I am usually also carrying a Kershaw Crown (in addition to my SAK.) I'd be more likely to grab the Crown than the Myerco for defensive use if I could get to it.

Kind of a 'trick question', huh? The direct answer is, "Not if they posted to prevent legal carry, no." Of course, my suspicion is that they wouldn't post as they didn't post, before. Therefore, if the 'old owners' were still there then there likely would be no gunbuster sign (and no reason for me not to go there) - hence that being a trick question.

We only did the D&D thing for a short time back in middle school. A very short time. Then the guy who was usually the 'Dungeon Master' of our group discovered Call of Cthulhu. Based on the Cthulhu Mythos from the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. We started off playing it pretty close to the 'rules' then ended up just using the rules and mythos as sort of a jumping off point. I loved playing CoC back in high school, all the way into college and, admittedly, for a little time after. We even got together to play via the 'Net occasionally once some of us moved to different states, etc. after college. Eventually, though, all good things must end and I now haven't done any RPGing outside of RPG video games in years.

Some say this was propaganda and simply a hoax intended to make it seem that Soviet science was more advanced than it was. Others say it was real (and there are apparently serious medical papers written by some who considered it to be real.) The film clip is not for the squemish and parts of it are somewhat disturbing. It shows a severed dog head being 'reanimated' and kept alive by using an artificial circulatory machine. It also shows a dog being bled to death, complete with heart and respiration monitors going flatline, only to be revived by a similar machine (after what appears to be at least one full minute of respiratory and circulatory death) and then surviving after being taken off the machine. http://archive.org/d...ls/Experime1940 I am not sure this is all that far fetched, especially the second part. I remember seeing a report on one of the news shows about a procedure intended to save the lives of people with dangerous brain aneurysms. The idea was that any attempt to fix the aneurysm would cause it to rupture and the patient would die on the table. One doc came up with a procedure wherein the patient is prepped as normal (skull cut open, etc.) then the medical team uses ice packs to lower the patient's body temp until the patient's heart stops. At that point, pretty much all of the patient's blood is pumped out and collected. This removes the pressure from the aneurysm. The doc then has a very small window of time where the aneurysm can be fixed (in the story I saw, the surgeon bypassed the aneurysm with a section of a blood vessel from elsewhere in the patient's body.) Once that is accomplished, the patient's blood is pumped back into their body and warming pads are used to bring the body back up to temp. They said that sometimes the patient needs help from a defibrillator or something similar to get their heart started again but that often (as happened in the specific case that was being covered in the story) the heart starts back on its own once the body temperature has come back up closer to normal. I also came across a story similar to the above about a scientist who transplanted a monkey's severed head onto a different monkey's body (and the head lived for a few days.) Of course, the host body was only providing circulatory support, not full nerve function but it seems the nerves/muscles above the neck still worked. That would fully jibe with the idea of the severed dog head still being able to move/respond in the film, above. http://news.bbc.co.u...lth/1263758.stm

From the article: Not to mention that damned, pesky zombie virus. From what I understand it's not "natural" pot that's causing this but a form of synthetic pot called "K2" that these people are using. I forget the article but there was a story about a man that started eating his dog and displayed all of the usual "zombie" symptoms that's been occuring lately. He was using that "K2" stuff. edit to add: quick search and here's the link - http://news.yahoo.co...-012100376.html Apparently the toxicology tests in this case came back negative for synthetic marijuana, too. Just the natural stuff.

Wow, that Ramber is nice. I thought hard about a 'Minimalist'. I was going back and forth between that or a Cold Steel Mini-Tac. I decided to take a little trip to Smoky Mountain Knife Works in the hopes that I could find an example of each to handle. Luckily, not only did they have both there but they were both in more or less the same case (it was a corner case so the CRKT was around the corner from the Cold Steel but the same guy was working the whole counter) so I was able to do a true side by side comparison. The Minimalist seemed really nice but I just didn't feel like my mitts could get a good grip on it. After having a second back and forth between the Mini-Tac Skinner and the Mini-Tac Beavertail, I went with the Mini-Tac Skinner and really like it. I may still end up with a Beavertail one of these days, too. The funny thing is that I also picked up a Myerco Necklance just because it was cheap (under $10 and I'm thinking closer to $5.) Turns out I like the cheapo Necklance better for EDC than the slightly heavier/more bulky Mini-Tac. I do carry the Mini-Tac on the weekends but I carry the Necklance through the week. That said, as I am in positions to need a knife on the weekends more than through the week the Cold Steel has probably seen a bit more actual use. I wouldn't say that either truly gets abused and both have held up very well, so far.

My EDC SAK is a tinker. I got it 'on the cheap' at Walmart last year. Mine didn't come with a sheath and Walmart was apparently doing away with the non-sheath version and switching to stocking the same knife but with a sheath included so mine was on clearance. I like it a lot and am only mildly disappointed that it doesn't have a corkscrew (can't remember the model but my last SAK did have a corkscrew and yes, I did use it - more than once.) Lately I have been thinking strongly of investing in a Forester One Hand. They make a Forester model with a more 'normal' looking SAK type blade but I think I'd like the one-hand opening version better. Apparently, it is also a lock blade which I also like as the middle knuckle on the middle finger of my right hand is a bit 'wonky' due to a razor sharp, non lock blade pocket knife closing on my hand under pressure some years ago. One should never see one's own knuckle bones except in an x-ray. A non locking blade isn't a deal killer but I sure do like lock blades.) http://www.victorino...-One-Hand/54849

I'm not so sure about that. I have my own example to lend credence to my doubt. The liquor store at Dixie Lee junction has long been my libation provider of choice. I might go to another store here or there but in the 20 years that I have been legal to purchase alcohol, I would hazard a guess that 85% to 90% of such purchases have been made in that store. I like their setup, selection and so on and continued shopping with them despite the fact that there are now liquor stores much closer to where I live. Recently, however, I stopped in there intending to make a purchase and was greeted by a brand, spanking new gunbuster sign next to the front door. Judging by the fact that I didn't recognize any of the folks behind the counter (I could see them through the front window), I'm guessing they have new owners, new management or something to go with the new sign. Well, upon seeing that sign I turned right around, went back to the car and drove to a different liquor store. I have not set foot in the Dixie Lee store since and will not unless I hear that the sign is gone (I will not even go so far as periodically checking, myself - they have lost my business at this point.) Now, not being an extremely heavy drinker I don't know that I was ever a 'major' source of profits for them even before I had to cut back even further on my alcohol consumption due to non-related health issues. However, being that I made the majority of my alcohol purchases at that store for nearly two decades, I would say I was a TRUE customer and I WILL NOT be going back. Just saying...

Thanks. That is what I was wondering. So, for those guys who need to 'clear' all of their gun purchases through a significant other, they could do a project like this and, with a minimal investment in a small part here or there, pretty much build a 'standard' 10/22 from the original Ruger take-offs. Something like, "New gun? What - you mean this thing? Naw, that's the 10/22 I bought a couple of months ago. I just customized it a little with a few aftermarket parts. Then where did that other 10/22 come from? Oh, I just put it together from some spare parts I had laying around."

If that was a response to my query, maybe I wasn't clear in what I was asking. I wasn't intending to call into question why you would build such a rifle and I'm sorry if that is the way it came across. What I intended to ask was: what are the benefits to starting with a 10/22 for such a build rather than simply ordering a serial numbered receiver along with all the other parts (if that is possible) and building entirely from scratch?

Before your vacation ends, try King Neptune's. Little hole in the wall type place that I think must have started life as a Dairy Queen or something. Great food. Taking a drive out to Fort Morgan and looking around the fort is pretty cool, too - at least I like it. Gulf Shores has become a lot more touristy in the last, few years and is now more like Panama City Beach than the 'quieter' yet still tourist-destination town it used to be. Still a lot of fun, though.

What I don't understand is how people who obviously don't have jobs, claim they can't function in 'Babylon' (what many of them apparently call society) and probably aren't going to be too high on anyone's list to hire for odd jobs yet seem to have money for food, drugs, coffee and other sundries not to mention the funds to pay upkeep on vehicles and keep those vehicles' tanks full of gas for driving from one hippie-fest to another could possibly be in any way, shape form or fashion 'self-sufficient'. If they were living off the land, etc. it would be different but they aren't. Maybe they barter within their group but the goods have to be purchased from somewhere to begin with and that means money. Also, I doubt Papa Moonpuppy has a gas station where they can get a tank full of gas on the barter system. I can't help but think there must be a lot of government checks involved.

That is a nice looking rifle. Having no experience whatsoever with custom builds, I hope you won't mind my asking you, Dolomite and some of the other folks a question: If you are going to replace the stock, barrel and receiver - and I know that some folks also replace the trigger group and many (most) other internals, as well - doesn't that mean there is really nothing of the original 10/22 left? What I am wondering is, why buy a 10/22 in the first place rather than simply building the same custom rifle 'from scratch' by ordering pretty much the same parts and putting them together? Please don't think I am criticizing or anything - I honestly have no idea, have often wondered this very thing and would really like to know. Is the 'host' 10/22 simply for the serial number? Is that the only way to get a serial number for a .22 (as in, at least the way I understand it, when you build an AR you can order just a lower that has the serial number)?

[sarcasm] I call BS. I mean, we all know that bears are more afraid of us than we are of them. Certainly people who go into National Forests and the like have nothing to worry about from the bears - especially the really docile black bears. [/sarcasm]

Great job by this young man. People talk of 'standing in the breach' and it sounds like that is exactly what he did. Many grown ups might not have the courage to stand and deliver with an armed intruder pointing a firearm at them. Heck, I certainly never want to be called upon to do so but if I am I hope I acquit myself as well as this 14 year old. This is an excerpt from a 2001 article entitled "Of Kids and Guns' by Massad Ayoob:

If this kid can accidentally overthrow a ball (or even throw it on purpose) and do $150,000 worth of damage at the distance from a bullpen to a picnic table outside the fence then MLB should probably just go ahead and sign him. Then he won't have to worry about the lawsuit because 150 grand would be 'chump change'. Sounds like a B.S. frivolous lawsuit, to me.

Unless I am mistaken, a .380 is the largest caliber handgun a 'normal' citizen in Mexico can own without special papers, permissions, etc. Beyond that, I think you get into the Mexican version of Class III - you can own it but there are regulations, applications, and probably fees (and bribes) that must be taken care of, first. For that reason, much like some folks say that European .32ACP ammo is more potent than American .32ACP (because the Europeans take that caliber more seriously), I wonder if Mexican .380 ammo is more potent than American .380 ammo, being that is the most powerful handgun caliber they can readily own - and if maybe these guys were shooting some 'hot', Mexican .380 ammo. All speculation, of course, but it does make a bit of sense.

Well, crud! I looked again when I got home and, although I had intended to get Accurate No. 5 when I bought my reloading supplies, I apparently picked up No. 7, instead. I doubt I'd find any load data for standard pressure .38 Special using a non-magnum small pistol primer and Accurate No. 7. I don't have any magnum small pistol primers, just the non-magnum ones as I wasn't planning on doing any .357 loads to start with. I did get some magnum large pistol primers for the .44. I also got some 'premium' (Hornady XTP) bullets for the .44. I might stop at Gouger Mountain on the way home and see if I can get some magnum small pistol primers and maybe some different bullets in 158 grain and start out with loading .357 (I already called GM about Accurate No. 5 and they are out, right now.) If not, I guess I might end up reloading .44 Magnum as my first effort since I have everything I need to do that. At least I shouldn't have any trouble identifying a good 'recipe' for those. I am still planning to buy some No. 5 for reloading the .38s but just in case I can't find any in a timely manner, what powders do you guys like for 'middle of the road' .38 Special loads? Oh, and I also wonder if I will need to lube the Hornady bullets. The SWC I have for the .38 are apparently 'pre-lubed' and have a lube band but I haven't opened the XTP box, yet. I am using carbide dies so I shouldn't need to lube the cases.

Cool. The biggest thing I was worried about was going so low I ended up getting squibs. It sounds like that isn't as likely as I had thought - thanks for easing my mind on that.

Thanks, Jonnin. I am actually using a semi wadcutter, though. It has a cannelure and part of the bullet (including the tapered, blunt 'cone') protrudes from the case. I was guessing, however, along the lines of your logic that the 'whole bullet in the case' and no taper thing is why the charge in the load data for the 148 grain full wadcutter is so much lower than the 158 grain semi wadcutter. This is the bullet I am using: http://www.sportsman...01332/cat100140 Although the crimping grooves on the ones I have are better defined than the bullet shown in the picture.

Thanks for the response. I have a couple of reloading manuals and I printed the load data PDF from the Accurate website. I just couldn't find anything specifically for #5 and a 125 grain LSWC. Accurate has the start load for a standard pressure load using a 158 grain LSWC at 5.3 grains with the max at 5.9. They have standard pressure using a 125 grain Hornady XTP starting at 6.1 grains with 6.8 as the max. For a 125 grain frangible bullet, standard pressure starts at 5.4 grains and maxes out at 6.0 (strangely, the XTP - for the same weight bullet with a higher powder charge - is shown with a lower velocity than the frangible.) In .38+P, using a 125 grain frangible bullet, the starting load is 5.7 grains with a max of 6.3. Thing is, they list the starting load for a 148 grain full wadcutter at only 3.6 grains with a max of 4.0. Kind of all over the place. But, based on that data and what you said in your reply, I am feeling more confident that 5.3 to 5.4 grains should be plenty safe as a starting point. ETA: I found the 'contact us' link on their home page (I was going straight to the load data from Google and not seeing the home page then thought to check the home page for a 'contact us' link. Duh.) I sent them a message asking about the load data so maybe I will get something specific from them.