JAB

I think it will really start once the dust settles in the Repocrat primary. We already know that the Dempublican incumbent opposes our gun rights but Romney isn't exactly the poster boy for the 2nd Amendment, either. As Garufa says, I don't doubt there will be a run on guns/ammo, either way but if Romney gets the nod for his party's nomination, I expect such things to get real scarce, real quick.

Piss off. If someone doesn't want to live where others have the FREEDOM to safely target shoot when they want (and I saw nothing in the linked article to indicate that the neighbors weren't shooting in a safe manner), that someone can live in the city rather than bitching and moaning and trying to create laws that impact everyone.

Man, I'm lucky. When I have such dreams, not only do I always have my firearm and not only does it always function properly but, when called upon to do so, I always make the extremely difficult shots that I know I probably wouldn't make in reality.

Folks who have commented negatively about a lever action 30-30 and the like have failed to consider one, important thing. You say that ammo for the 30-30 will be scarce, etc. but believe that you can pick up 5.56 ammo from 'the battlefield'. What such comments fail to consider is that, if a fallen enemy is well stocked with 5.56 ammo then that enemy probably also has a weapon that will fire said round. Therefore, the person carrying a 30-30 only needs to drop one enemy then, if necessary, he will have a firearm that will chamber/fire the supposedly ubiquitous 5.56 round. Personally, though, I'm not buying it. One reason I wanted to have a couple of 9mm guns is because all the talk about how that round would 'always' be available. The recent ammo shortage proved that to be false as everyone else was, apparently, thinking the same thing. So, when you guys are done raiding Walmart and the gun stores, fighting over that last box of 5.56, the 30-30 guys can stroll in there and stock up on that 'useless' 30-30 that no one wants because it will be so hard to find.

From the article that Bert linked, above: So? A firearm secured in a locked vehicle is no more going to jump out and start shooting simply because the vehicle happens to be parked at a school, etc. than if it is parked anywhere else. Just because a person works at a school, government building, etc. doesn't make their lives worth any less nor does it make their right to be equipped to defend themselves during their commute any less valid or important.

I was mostly following up on Lester Weevils comment about hitting a plastic hammer against concrete. It just 'seems' funny to me that pulling the bullet with that setup requires using a hammer. That said, although I haven't actually started loading yet, one of the things that convinced me that I can safely reload my own ammo was a video on YouTube focusing on Pakistan's 'illegal' gun market. They showed a guy sitting in the dirt on the floor of a cave who was hand building guns with just hand tools. These weren't just zip guns or the like, either - they were largely clones of existing, factory guns (the one they showed was a 9mm pistol that looked similar to a full-size, HiPower type and went for $50.) Then when they showed a couple of guys handloading multiple rounds of ammo per minute with a hammer and some simple tools (actually looked like it might have been something like a "Lee Loader"), I decided that I could probably manage to do it with a press/kit without blowing myself up.

Sorry to hear what happened, Jonnin. Glad everything worked out as well as did.

I have no idea about the HST but isn't Winchester's PDX1 simply RangerT in 'civilian packaging'? I think that is right. I can buy PDX1 locally, even at most of the local Walmart locations - not hard to find, at all. In fact, that is what I carry in my Ruger P95 (124 grain 9mm +P) and my S&W 642 (130 grain .38+P.) Of course, my understanding is that the 'advantage' to buying Ranger is that it comes in 50 round boxes for a few bucks more than what PDX1 costs for a 20 round box. That said, like the OP I am hesitant to order online. I figure that, after confirming function/reliabilty in my guns I am not going to be putting thousands or even hundreds of rounds of this stuff downrange. Probably no more than a box or two a year while doing the bulk of my practice with cheaper range ammo. Therefore, it is worth it, to me, to simply buy the smaller packages in a store and not hassle with online ordering.

Not having gotten started reloading, yet the part of the whole thing that sounds weird, to me, is that you are basically hitting a live round with a hammer. Just makes me think of the old Bugs Bunny cartoons where one of the characters ends up with a job testing for dud missile warheads by whacking them with a big, wooden mallet.

Sounds like a cool project. I have also been thinking about building something like that out of block or brick - although my mansonry skills are pretty much non-existant. It sounds like you are thinking along the same lines as me - that it would be cool to build it as an 'offset' so that the fire source isn't directly under the meat. That would allow for long, slow smoking. Of course, for that I would want the meat to be in a space that could be enclosed and vented - complete with an exhaust pipe/chimney. At the same time, though, I think it would also be cool to build another cooking unit - more like an oven than a grill - right above the fire source so I could cook bread, etc. in it, too. If one were to design it so that a fire/coals COULD be placed directly below the grill grid, too, then it would work as an outdoor oven, smoker and grill. Pretty awesome. My big concern is how well the building materials would stand up to wood fire - which can generate some high temperatures, at times - without cracking/busting and so on. If I build such a project, I will probably use mortar, etc. to make it a little more 'sturdy'.

Hah! Good point, though. Honestly, I am not sure the clerks who would be running the registers, taking the payment, etc. would even notice or pay much attention. If they did, it would probably not make much of an impact. The people who set corporate policy and who would be the 'target audience' for such a campaign likely never even see the actual cash that goes into the till. They'll never know if a customer paid with a $2 bill or a handful of half dollar pieces. Instead, they deal with electronic numbers in corporate bank accounts. To me, it seems like a lot of effort to go to for a message that isn't likely to reach the intended audience. Also, as for stamping some kind of slogan onto the $2 bills, isn't it illegal to alter or deface currency? I know people do it all the time but to do so as part of a campaign where the goal is to promote the participants as law-abiding citizens who carry firearms would probably leave the campaign open to all sorts of (legitimate, if nit-picky) attacks from the opposition. Would make us look a bit silly, too. Just as an aside, part of the reason $2 aren't more popular is that they were once (still are, by some folks, I guess) considered to be bad luck (I am not sure of the reason.) Apparently, it was once fairly common practice among the public to tear the corners off of $2 because that was believed, for some reason, to cancel out the 'bad luck' effects.

My first thought, too.

From the Tennessee Department of Safety website: Notice it says any full service Driver Service Center. I don't think that county matters. Do notice, however, that it says full service Driver Service Center. Not all Driver Service Centers are full service. For that matter, there might not even be a full service center in your county. I believe the Drivers Service Center link may actually be active in the quote, above. If not, go to the TDOS website and look at the Handgun Carry Permit FAQs, the above is the first in the list - click on the link to be directed to a page where you can find a list of full service centers.

I have said before, in another thread: Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett and a whole host of other 'real men' carried 'possibles bags'. These bags were more or less leather pouches, slung from a strap over their shoulder. I doubt anyone would have wanted to tease them about carrying a 'purse'. I really doubt anyone would have wanted to do so twice. I still haven't found a good EDC bag. I want something big enough to hold the crap I want/need to carry but not so big that it gets in the way all the time. I've actually considered making a 'replica' of one of those old 'possibles bags' and probably will, one of these days.

From the article: I love revolvers. In fact, although I have and sometimes carry semiautos, I still prefer revolvers. My bedside gun is a .357 revolver and, generally speaking, my 642 has become the gun I carry most often. That said, the above statement overlooks one, important aspect of a revolver - cylinder gap. I have a couple of small .380 semiautos that I trust to 'get the job done' in most situations. That said, I am much more concerned about ammo choice, etc. for them than for larger calibers because I believe there can be a lot of difference between the 'best' and 'worst' performers. Even the 'best' performers aren't necessarily powerhouses, although I think they are generally adequate. Subtract the energy/velocity potentially lost through the cylinder gap of a revolver, however, and it could make a difference. Enough to make the .380 markedly less effective? Who knows - but it is a factor to consider and might mean that, contrary to the implications of the above statement, .380 might be less 'adequate' from a snubbie revolver than from a small semiauto. Of course, there is also the fact that my P3AT carries two more rounds in a flatter package (which is why it is still, sometimes, a better choice for carry than my favored 642.) That doesn't even take into account that Kel Tec now makes a 9 round mag for the P3AT. As far as .380 in a revolver, I think I would prefer the Charter Arms approach of building a 9mm revolver that can also chamber/fire .380. As others have said, though, I am not the target audience for the Taurus M380. On the flip side, if such a revolver means that some folks would have or even carry 'something' where previously they had or carried 'nothing' then it could only be a good thing, IMO.

This. I really have no interest in an AR. None. Period. Honestly, I think I'd rather have a mini 14 if I were going for something in .223. Then, again, if I had a 10/22 and were going to get an aftermarket kit, it would end up wearing on of the M1 carbine clone kits. Those are just my tastes. Build something like an AR in .22WMR, however, and price it at a reasonable price point and I'll be likely go through all kinds of mental convolutions to try and justify 'needing' one. Heck, for that matter I'm not that interested in a PMR-30 but if Kel Tec ever releases an RMR-30 (carbine version) and if such ever find their way to a place where normal humans can buy them, assuming they work well, I'll be very tempted.

I was actually going to post that I have a cousin (on the paternal side of the family) in Georgia who apparently hunts wild hogs with dogs and a knife. From what some of my uncles tell me, his dogs corner the hog and he comes from behind and slits its throat. Yes, there is a strong 'crazy' gene on my dad's side of the family. I guess I got a bit of it, myself, but not nearly as much as many of my male (or female, for that matter) relatives.

There were a lot of rabbits around where I now live back toward the end of Autumn. After I ran over a rabbit coming home one night (I hate running over an animal - and I had already narrowly avoided hitting another just a few seconds before) I decided that I would probably hunt some of them this year. I remember, as a kid hunting with my dad and uncles, that it seemed like bagging a rabbit or two was a lot easier/more likely than getting a deer. I have a pet rabbit so hunting them would take a bit of a mindset change but there were so many around that I figured it would be for their own good - rather see them go in a quick and humane (not to mention ultimately tasty) manner than from starving. It has been years since I have eaten wild rabbit. Heck, I was honestly going to dress out the one I ran over and cook it but, well, let's just say simultaneously bagging and field dressing a rabbit with a full-size Dodge 4WD pickup isn't conducive to good eats. Lately, I've only seen the same one or two rabbits hopping around. I imagine the coyotes have thinned them out so I probably won't end up hunting them, after all. Guess I should hunt the coyotes, instead.

He and Bob Munden are two of the 'exhibition shooters' that are regulars on the show 'Impossible Shots.' You are right, Miculek is absolutely amazing. Also, I remember seeing an interview with him, somewhere, in which he talked about setting that record. He actually said it was partly luck - that he just sort of tossed the reload at/into the cylinder and it landed just right. This is another shooter who has also been on 'Impossible Shots'. He is into cowboy type shooting and uses single action revolvers. Talk about some folks thinking they are boring, antiquated and stupid - and I wouldn't want to come up against him no matter what I was carrying at the time. His cowboy handle is 'Cisco Kid' and in his everyday life he is, of all things, a hair dresser.

I don't really like my eggs to get crispy. I do like to eat them much the way dad used to. Two eggs, fried over easy (with the yolk still runny, for me - although dad didn't always like his runny.) Split a biscuit (or two) and lay the eggs out on top of the biscuit(s). Cover the whole thing with breakfast (white) gravy. Hit it with some Tobasco sauce and enjoy! In fact, that is one of the few things I really still like regular Tobasco on. Generally, Tobasco/Texas Pete/etc. isn't spicy enough for me and it is has too much of a vinegar taste and too little 'pepper' flavor. It still goes great on that biscuit/eggs/gravy concoction, though!

I've had to cut back on the bacon since I'm having to watch my sodium intake. Some of the 'lower sodium' bacon varieties are pretty good but they are usually sliced so thin you could almost read through them and they are still only 'lower' sodium, not exactly 'low' sodium. I still have to have a couple sliced here and there, though. My version of 'bacon fried bread' is to mix up cornbread batter, heat a mixture of bacon grease (strained - I also have one of those 'bacon grease' containers on my stove) and real butter in a skillet until the butter melts and blends in with the bacon grease. I then commence to frying some cornbread. Forget crackers - fried cornbread is the best thing to have with chili. For that matter, if I make regular cornbread I still use an [iron] skillet (cornbread ain't square, it ain't super-fluffy and it definitely ain't sweet - we are talking cornbread, not cake.) I put the same type of mixture - butter and bacon grease - in the skillet and heat it on top of the stove until it just sizzles. Then I dump the cornbread batter into the skillet. Sometimes I let it stay on the eye for a few more seconds before putting it into a 350 degree oven. Doing all that gives me a good, thick, crunchy crust - my favorite part of cornbread. I then like to cut the cornbread as soon as it comes out of the oven/turns out of the skillet because I like to fix up my bowl of cornbread and milk while the cornbread is still extremely hot.

Present!

I sometimes wonder if there aren't extremist antis who would take loaded guns in on purpose hoping there will be an accident. An 'accidental' shooting in a gun store being all over the press would have to be good for their 'cause'. I am not saying that the guy in this incident wasn't just a garden variety idiot. It does make me wonder, though.

Me, too. Would such a state law do any good if it actually came down to enforcement? Maybe, maybe not. Does it have more potential to do some good than if the state simply did nothing in response? Yep.

This.