JAB

Glad you found something that works. I have an F.E.G. SMC-380 that is my 'car gun'. As such, I sometimes just need to put it on and go. I don't carry IWB and don't want to have to undo my belt, etc. to put an OWB holster on. I have a conceal carry belt pouch (fanny pack) that works okay but I am not just wild about using it. I've decided to make a belt slide type holster for it that, in addition to the traditional 'belt slide' setup will have a removeable, metal belt clip on each end. My hope is that, with those clips, it will still 'ride' more or less like a regular belt slide but will be relatively easy to put on and take off when needed without having to unbuckle my belt, pull it out of half my belt loops, thread the holster on then put the belt back on..

Don't have an LCP but do have a Kel Tec P3AT. Since the LCP is essentially a copy of the P3AT, I'll chime in. I carry Federal Personal Defense HydraShoks in mine. I have found that it functions reliably in my gun. Some of the 'newer' ammo designs might function just as well but I don't really care to sink more cash into shooting several boxes of SD ammo through it to test (although I do plan to test PDX1 for functionality, eventually, because even Walmart stocks it so it is easy to find.) Also, while the tests I have seen (mostly individuals testing with wet pack, etc.) indicate that while it doesn't give huge expansion results, it does generally show some expansion and, as also indicated by the tests I have seen, it seems to consistently penetrate to 11.5 - 12 inches or more. Some have said that there can be a problem with the jacket separating from the lead core. However, even in such instances the lead core seems to still penetrate to nearly 12 inches so I don't see that as a big deal, myself.

Personally, I think the article left out the beginning of the guy's story. My thought is that his account actually started out with: "I was just walking along, eating these funny looking mushrooms I found when..."

Even though I have a couple of semiauto .22 rifles, I have been kind of wanting a 10/22 - for no, good reason. Even though I have no real need for one, I have kind fo been wanting a take-down .22 - for no, good reason. That said, I'm not paying $300 or more for a 10/22 even if it does come apart in the middle. Of course, maybe that is because I don't have a real use for it, I just want it - for no, good reason.

And Zimmerman would certainly have strictly observed that law and not allowed his weapon to show, even just a little bit. Just like he'd never have the poor judgement to get out of his vehicle and, without any legal authority to do so, follow a person who was not doing anything illegal or wrong.

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No - but then I would not be unarmed. I would probably call 911 on my cell phone, inform the operator that I was being pursued by an unknown, armed individual and request police response to sort out the situation. If the guy pursuing me caught up with me before the police arrive, I would likely do whatever I felt was necessary to respond to someone I perceived as presenting a possible threat of death or serious, bodily injury to me. In other words, I would stand my ground. We all talk about 'situational awareness' and I have to say that having some unknown dude obviously following me would off some warning bells, with me. Of course, if I were unarmed and afraid he might follow me all the way home, I might try to evade the guy and then get the jump on him. Of course I wasn't there and can't know for sure but would not be surprised if that this is exactly what Martin did. Maybe - but in such a situation you would be well within your legal rights to stand your ground, correct? And the person who got out of his vehicle to follow you on foot would be in the wrong and would deserve whatever measures you took to defend against a reasonably perceived threat of death or serious, bodily injury.

Any way you could post details and maybe even pics as you go through the grip making process? Cutting and shaping the grips should be pretty simple but I can't figure out how in the heck to mark and then cut the inlets, grooves and so on that are on the interior side (the side that faces the gun) that I see on most handgun grips. IIRC, the grips for the 82 have some, such features.

Maybe but my opinion carries more weight with me than anyone's - and I just plain like .357/.38 better. Like I said, though, I don't foresee my .44 Super Blackhawk going anywhere. I wouldn't even trade it for a .357 Super Blackhawk (although I do want one in .357.) A bit of an endorsement for the .44: I have a buddy whose only firearm is a .22 rifle. He is certainly not an 'anti', he just doesn't own any others at this time. He has a spot on his property where he can shoot so I recently took some of my guns over so he could shoot them. He is a History teacher so I wanted him to shoot some of mine that have some 'historical' significance. As such, I took my Nagant revolver, my Mosin-Nagant 91/30 and used my CZ 82 for my carry gun that day so he could shoot all of them. Just for cheap plinking (no real historical significance), I also took my old H&R 9 shot .22 revolver and my S&W .22A. To round it out, just because it is my 'hand cannon' and because it is single action like the revolvers used in the 'old days' of the American West (even though the actual design and cartridge are more modern), I took the Super Blackhawk. He shot all of them and, I think, enjoyed them all. The one that most piqued his interest, however, was the big ol' .44. He shot it more accurately than either of the other centerfires and just about as accurately as the .22s. I told him that it looks as if, like me, he is more of a revolver guy. He answered that he does, indeed, like revolvers better and that if he gets something else it will most likely be something like the .44. I gave him my opinion that a double-action would probably be better as an all around gun, including home defense, but that a single action could certainly work. I also told him (as he isn't likely to ever reload) that .44 ammo is a bit expensive. Next time, I am going to take a couple of my .38s and my .357 to see if he likes them as well as the .44. Also, while my SBH can be a bit of a 'beast' as far as beating up my middle finger with the back of the trigger guard when firing 240 grain loads (which has more to do with the gun than the chambering), it isn't nearly as much of a handful with lighter loads. With Remington UMC 180 grain ammo, my 61 year old mother can shoot the SBH, handle it easily and get pretty good hits on the target. Then, again, despite her problems with arthritis in her back and a couple of replacement joints, my mom is not exactly a physically weak woman. I also have an old box of Remington LRN .44 Specials that belonged to my late father (no telling how old those are - he passed ten years ago this year and I don't even remember him ever having a .44.) When I got the SBH I fired a few of those through it. They were very soft shooting and amazingly accurate from the 7.5 inch barrel - but I imagine they still hit pretty hard on the 'receiving' end. That is why, when I finally start reloading, most of my .44 reloads will probably be more in the .44 Special range. Of course, that isn't to say that (once I gain some confidence in my reloading abilities) I won't churn out a few 'barn burner' full power loads just for fun.

Dave, you and I don't always see things the same way. In this case, however, I believe you are spot on.

All this was only after Zimmerman got out of his vehicle and followed the kid on foot. I don't know about Florida law but TN law (the same part that contains our version of 'stand your ground') states that lethal force is not justified to defend against violence if the person using said lethal force provoked the other party into the use of violence. If I am just walking along, minding my own business - say walking back from the store - in a place where I am legally allowed to be and some stupid SOB I don't know gets out of his vehicle and starts following me then I am going to feel pretty darned 'provoked'. In fact, if I see that he is armed (as Zimmerman was) I am going to start feeling a reasonable fear of death or serious, bodily injury. Eventually, I would feel the need to 'stand my ground' against my pursuer. Regardless of what Martin did, the conflict would never have happened if the Zimmerman hadn't, without any justification or authority to do so, gotten out of his SUV and started following an unarmed teen who was doing nothing wrong. My stance is that, by so doing, Zimmerman became the 'aggressor' and provoked Martin to attack him out of fear for his own (Martin's) safety. Further, my stance is that - put in Martin's position, i.e. being followed by an armed stranger - I would be in fear for my life. I believe such fear would be reasonable. Were it me that Zimmerman was following, I would call 911 and inform the police that I was being chased by an unknown individual, especially if I ascertained that said individual was armed. I would probably try and keep the 911 operator on the line and would take whatever action I felt the situation and my safety warranted, believing my actions to be justifiable self defense.

My favorite in K-Town used to be Tomo when it was downtown and 'mama-san' was the sushi chef. It moved from downtown to a location in West Knoxville and I think she retired or something. I've heard it is still pretty good but not as good as when it was downtown and she made the sushi. I haven't eaten there since it moved. Recently, I've mostly had sushi at Kanpai of Tokyo. The sushi is actually pretty good and they have a certain night (Thursday, I think) when they have specials on a lot of their sushi. We sit in the 'sushi pub' area and just eat sushi and appetizers (like edamame and gyoza) rather than sitting in the main area. In general, my favorite types of sushi are unagi ('barbecued' freshwater eel), spicy tuna and tako (octopus) in that order. I also like futomaki and rainbow rolls. Kanpai has a good one called tako yaki which has chopped octopus and something that makes it crunchy. I don't like California rolls because I don't like cucumber - although caterpillar roll is pretty good (for the uninitiated, no it doesn't have caterpillar in it but is called that because of the way it looks - plus I find California rolls to be kind of boring/bland. I don't care for the roe types of sushi or 'stronger' tasting fish such as mackerel but will eat them if they come on a 'sushi platter' with things I do like. I don't usually dilute the wasabi with soy sauce, preferring to put a small amount of straight wasabi on each piece of sushi.

I see your point. However, I have read more than one account of people downloading LRN .38 and using it to hunt small game such as rabbits, etc. I would think it would be good for other types of small game (birds, squirrels) at very short ranges with shotshells. Load it with anything from standard pressure .38 (with a good bullet) up through .38+P and I trust it for defense against anything in our area - two or four legged - short of a black bear or wild hog. Load it with a 125 to 158 grain .357 defense load and I'd trust it even more. Load it with 180 grain hardcast and I will trust it for last ditch defense against (but not hunting of) even the two, latter critters. After all, a .357 that I'm probably not going to get a shot off with before I get mauled is just as good as a .44 that I'm probably not going to get a shot off with before I get mauled - and if I get a shot or two off and manage to place them right, either should work. There are also people who successfully hunt deer with a .357. Pair that .357 revolver with a .357 carbine and the versatility only grows. Now, if I were in grizzly/kodiak/moose country then I'd lean more toward a .44 Mag - maybe as a BUG. For carrying purposes, a .357 would be easier to conceal and lighter to carry, IMO. Not that carrying a .44 would be impossible (for some reason I can't explain, I have a remote hankering for a .44 Special Bulldog) and there are certainly 'easier' guns to carry than a full size revolver in either caliber. Factory ammo availability and prices also play a role. I have the supplies to reload for .357 and .44 (the only two I really plan to fool with reloading at this point) but haven't gotten started, yet. I do not order ammo online therefore cost and local availability are also important factors, for me. There may be every type of bullet/load available for the .44 that is available for the .357/.38 but good luck finding much of a variety on a shelf anywhere - and when you do plan to pay 1.5 to 2 times as much for the .44 as for comparable .357. Don't get me wrong - I see what you are saying about how the .44 could be just as versatile. It is just that, for me, it isn't.

I wanted (and eventually got) a .44 Mag in a Super Blackhawk. I honestly haven't shot it all that much but have no interest in getting rid of it. .44 Mag certainly hasn't replaced the .357/.38 family as my favorites or my idea of the most versatile. That said, I also know it would do things solidly that my .357 might just be 'marginal' for. Mostly, though, I have to admit that it is just that it is a .44 Magnum. It is kind of my 'extreme' handgun while still possibly having actual, practical applications whereas anything 'bigger' would be getting into the realm of the ridiculous for me.

Has anyone seen anything concrete or at least fairly reliable about when Season 2 will be released on DVD? I have read everything from this month (March 2012) to October (when Season 3 is being predicted to start.)

Thanks for the info and offer, Dolomite. I do want to get into casting, eventually, but want to get started reloading in general, first. I have the equipment to start reloading .38/.357 and .44 I just haven't managed to get one of those round toits, yet. Having buckshot/ball/slug loads for the Stevens isn't imperative but it is nice to know that casting for it could be a relatively inexpensive project, eventually.

As if Romney would be any more gun friendly than Obama. I don't want Romney to be president any more than I want Obama to be president and I don't want Obama to be president [again] any less than I want Romney to be president. So, since Romney will likely be the Republicrat candidate, just voting Republicrat isn't a solution, to my mind. After all, the Republicrats we put into office here in TN last time have pretty much shafted us on expanding gun rights. No reason to believe that Republicrats at the federal level would do any different.

Back in high school I was at a buddy's house and we were playing with those 'glow stick' chem lights like kids sometimes carry at Halloween (or used to, anyhow.) He had his own bathroom and we decided to cut one open and pour it in his toilet, thinking it would look funny. We did so but when we turned out the lights we realized that we had spattered the stuff all over the place. I told him it looked like a Predator had been shot in his bathroom. Dolomite, do you cast those round balls, yourself or do you buy them somewhere? I have an old, single shot Stevens 20 gauge that does really well with low brass hulls but after a few shots high brass sticks and will not eject (have to pry them out.) I've thoroughly cleaned the gun and even tried chucking a brush into my cordless drill. I got a lot of crud out but the problem persists. It throws the short brass hulls over my shoulder and a few feet away so I don't think it is the spring or anything. Anyhow, I don't really 'need' to be able to fire slugs or buckshot from it but would like the option as it is relatively short, light and handy and has no sentimental value (I just bought it at a gun show a couple of years ago) so would make a good kick around/truck gun. Thing is, I can't find any low-brass 20 gauge slug or buckshot factory loads (kinda doubt there is such an animal.) I've thought about trying pretty much the same thing you do - maybe just prying open the star crimp on some low brass #8 and replacing the shot with a ball, slug or buckshot. Problem is, the only thing I have ever seen for sale is bags of smaller shot. If there is a source where I might find balls or slugs for a 20 gauge or maybe some loose buckshot, I'd like to know about it.

The Glenfield (Marlin) 336 30-30 that I inherited from my dad came new with a factory scope mount already installed and a factory scope was included. He got the rifle new back in the '70s (I remember when he got it - I was just a little kid and thought it was the coolest thing ever.) When he started letting me shoot it a lot in my teens (I pretty much learned how to shoot a rifle on that gun as both of my early guns were shotguns) I took the scope off but left the scope mount on it. I have a love/hate relationship with scopes as I find them slow to use/acquire a target but have come to appreciate them more now that my eyes are 40 and not 16. Anyhow, I still have the original scope that came with the gun and it is actually back on it, now. It even says 'Marlin' on the scope tube in white lettering and their usual font. When dad would let me carry it when I went deer hunting with him as a teen, the one thing I always thought I would change was the fact that it didn't have a sling. We always went down to Lookout Mountain where he grew up to hunt and mostly did ground/stalk hunting. Walking all over the woods and hills of Lookout Mountain, crossing creeks and so on for miles and hours at a time, I always thought it would be handy to have a sling so I could use both hands to balance myself when needed. When the gun became mine, one of the first things I did was install sling swivels. I used the 'ring' type that mounts to the barrel/magazine tube for the front but had to drill/tap for the rear. Snapped a drill bit and didn't do the best job. In the end, it has a rear sling swivel and wears a leather thumbhole sling that I think looks 'right' on it but I did bugger the wood a little and wish that I had just gone with the leather buttcuff/sling like pictured above. Unfortunately, at the time I had never seen that type of sling. FYI for those interested, I have seen that type of sling at Outdoor World/Bass Pro in Sevierville. IIRC, they weren't very expensive for what they are - maybe $40 or so.

I got my Victorinox SAK - The Tinker - at Walmart toward the end of last year. They had it on clearance because they had just gotten in Tinkers which came with a belt pouch. Mine didn't come with a belt pouch and, on clearance, I got it for (iirc) $17. I was also going to suggest making a visit to Smoky Mountain Knife Works but figured that would be quite a drive, for you. It surely is a fun place to look around, though. I went there to pick up a Cold Steel neck knife so I wouldn't have to fool with trying to order it online, etc. Then, again, living just west of Knoxville it is only about an hour drive for me. Is there still an Outdoor World/Bass Pro at Opry Mills? Do they have much of a SAK selection?

If nothing else, those should be some fun guns to shoot while you and your group are practicing and becoming familiar with them.

Maybe - but my feeling was that they don't know much about the subjects of guns and hunting and think that learning anything about guns and hunting is 'beneath' them. Not knowing about guns, hunting, etc. certainly didn't stop them from thinking they were qualified to write a two page piece about the subjects.

I don't own an AR or anything else in .223 - nor do I have a strong desire to do so. In fact, if I had the cash to drop on a semiauto .223, I'd be much more likely to go with one of the various Ruger Ranch/Mini 14 rifles. If I decided I just wanted 'something' that would shoot .223 right now then I'd look really closely at bolt action hunting type rifles so chambered. This one from Academy, for instance (although I really don't like rifles that don't have at least some type of iron sights): http://www.academy.c...1_-1?N=39632024 Not a bad price. I'd still rather have a .357 lever as I think it would be more useful for me. That said, if going for a bolt action/scoped gun I'd probably lean toward something in a heavier caliber. Maybe something like this: http://www.academy.c...1_-1?N=39632024 I don't know anything specifically about the above, two rifles. Magazine capacity isn't very large for either but for defending at longer ranges it might not matter. I was just thinking that, based on your stated budget per person, this 30-06 might be a good candidate for longer range work. Just a few bucks more than the .223 and this one comes with a scope. If there is anything in this area that a 30-06 can't handle, I don't want to meet it.

This is the Taurus .22 I find interesting: http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=764&category=Revolver&breadcrumbseries=&search=992 The 992 convertible - a 22LR/.22WMR convertible double action revolver. Being the MSRP is $545, though, the chances of me actually buying one are slim and none and slim just left town.

I think that if an HCP holder is planning to travel to another state then he or she should make at least some effort to know what the laws of that state are. With the Internet and a few, reliable sites it isn't that hard to do. That said, a large factor in this whole fiasco is the fact that NY does not recognize the TN carry permit. I think, then, that our state should return the favor and not recognize violations of their (state) gun laws as a reason to pull HCPs or interfere with gun ownership. Seems only fair.