JAB

Okay, joking about hamsters aside, with a power inverter from Walmart and a deep cycle (marine) battery, you can easily run a CPAP all night. My wife uses a CPAP (I am supposed to - and do when I can stand it - but generally can't sleep worth a crap with it on which creates a whole, new set of problems.) When we go camping at Tellico where there are no utility hook-ups, as the camping trailer doesn't have a generator and runs off of one, deep-cycle marine battery as a 'house' battery, we always take a spare deep cycle battery in a battery box. Some say it is dangerous to have a deep cycle battery inside so I sit it outside under the edge of the trailer (to protect from rain), hook up the power inverter and run the wires in through one of the windows. It will run her CPAP for about two nights (if she doesn't sleep in too long) before having to be recharged. She doesn't use the humidifier, though - says that with hers she gets too much moisture built up in the tube/mask. Of course, being a deep cycle it doesn't hurt anything to run the battery completely down and recharge it repeatedly. Since we don't have a portable generator to recharge that battery, I just use jumper cables to attach it to the battery in the tow vehicle and let the tow vehicle run while we are fixing/eating breakfast. That pretty well completely recharges the battery. Of course, to recharge the house battery I just have to plug the trailer cable into the plug in the bumper of the tow vehicle and, again, let the tow vehicle run for a bit (so it won't drain the battery in the tow vehicle.) If we camped more I'd want a small generator just to recharge the batteries (portable generators are different from RV generators and can't really be used as a substitute) but so far the jumper cable method has worked without issue. IIRC, the 'store brand' deep cycle I bought at Advance Auto ran me somewhere in the neighborhood of sixty bucks while the power inverter was something like thirty bucks - so roughly $90 total invested. I also know that some folks use a power inverter and a motorcycle battery to run a CPAP. The motorcycle battery would be smaller and more portable but I don't know how long the charge would last or how constant draining/recharging would impact its long-term performance.

Of course, as an alternate to a virus, we could look to the real root of 'zombie' legends - so-called 'voodoo' zombies. There is evidence that there have been (maybe still are) real cases of such 'zombies'. There is even a fairly well-known book, written by an ethnobotanist (which was the very loose basis for a much less realistic movie of the same name) called 'The Serpent and the Rainbow' which looked at (among other things) a possible, modern zombie case. Apparently, the 'zombie' state is brought on and maintained by giving the victim some sort of traditional drug/chemical cocktail and will possibly end, with the victim reverting to normal, if the drugs aren't administered regularly. Again, if such a mix of drugs/chemicals were weaponized and optimized for military/terrorist purposes I wonder if the condition could be made permanent without a need for subsequent doses. Also, my understanding is (assuming that there really is some basis in truth for the legend) that the intent of the 'voodoo' priest is to create a relatively docile, controllable 'zombie' who can carry out basic, menial tasks. Some of the drugs initially administered make the victim 'appear' dead while subsequent drugs keep the victim under control. What if some of the ingredients were changed so that, instead of a docile, controllable victim the result was an enraged, violent one. A sicko who wanted to bring about a disaster might start off by simultaneously releasing the toxins in, say, a few maximum security prisons (where tendencies toward violence in at least a significant portion of the population could aid in getting the desired outcome - they probably wouldn't stay in those prisons long) as well as in some densely populated areas (New York, L.A., Atlanta) and let the horror ensue.

I've had one for a few months (bought it when S&W reduced the price) and really like it. I bought it largely to use as an ankle gun for the infrequent occasions when I carry an ankle gun. Because of my predilection for revolvers, however, I have been carrying it more than my P3AT when I want a pocket gun (oddly enough, I have found that the P3AT works better for me as an ankle gun than the 642 - go figure.) Personally, I think that - in order to achieve the 'power' level of a .38 +P revolver - many of the pocket autos are really pushing the limits of design capabilities. Therefore, while semiautos may have greater capacity, I think the revolver is simply more reliable. Then, again, I pretty much believe that any decent revolver is more reliable than pretty much any semiauto but that is just my opinion. I have owned other snubbies but none that were quite as lightweight as the 642 and this is my first 'hammerless'. A few things I have discovered, being still relatively new to them that may be of help to you: 1. I have owned a compact (subcompact? - it was a Kel Tec P11) 9mm, have a very small, light .380 (Kel Tec P3AT), own a mid-framed, six shot .357 snubbie that I enjoy shooting with full-bore .357, have fired a Ruger SP101 5 shot with full-bore .357 and currently have a .44 Magnum Super Blackhawk that I can shoot pretty well one-handed with 240 grain JSPs. Firing the 642 with +P rounds is like none of them. I guess the best way to put it is that the recoil is more 'snappy' than the others. You really have to get used to this gun and, at first, you might think, "Wow, did I make a mistake?" Once you do get used to it, though, you realize it isn't nearly as bad as you first thought, it gets to be kind of fun and you will like it more and more. You will also begin to realize that it is quite possible to be accurate with it at SD distances. Still, after firing a significant number of rounds in one session - especially if practicing with +P - don't be surprised if your wrist knows you have been up to something. The 642 is a great gun and a great carry gun - which is its intended purpose. 2. I have found that, at least with mine, the factory rubber grips are a bit too thick in the area where the thumb rests (if you shoot right handed) to allow an HKS speedloader to be used very easily. I know that some folks remove a little material from the grips in that area (maybe with a dremel) while others put different grips on which allow a speedloader to be more easily used. I may change the grips, eventually, but for now my solution is that I carry a speedstrip for reloading rather than a speedloader. The speedstrip may not be quite as fast but it carries more easily and is, in some ways, easier to use (less chance of fumbling while reloading, IMO.) 3. Shooting a 2 liter cola bottle filled with water from 10 yards with a Winchester PDX1 .38+P round from a 642 with a tree as a backstop will cause said bottle to jump about six feet straight up into the air and leave an exit hole that splits the bottle wide open. What does this prove? Well, nothing, really - but it sure was fun! Just be sure to get a pocket holster. You don't have to spend big bucks for one. I carry mine in a cloth Blackhawk pocket holster that I bought at Walmart and it has worked just fine, so far although something with a wider base might work better (I've been thinking about a Nemesis.) A pocket holster covers the trigger and (possibly even more importantly) keeps the little revolver oriented the correct way in your pocket so you can just reach in, grab and draw while also keeping the muzzle pointed in a relatively safe direction. Also, if you want to belt carry it, sometimes, it also disappears well and fairly easily under just an untucked and maybe unbuttoned shirt even in just an inexpensive FOBUS paddle holster (they make one that is labeled specifically for J-frames.)

Me, either. I do have to wonder if a bunch of hamsters, a hamster wheel bolted in place of the pulley on an alternator from the junkyard, some wiring with battery clips, an old car battery and a power inverter from Walmart would work.

My guess is that any chance of 'real' zombies lies not with reanimated corpses but possibly with some kind of virus, chemical attack, etc. that causes normal, living people to turn into total psychos. Maybe something like a highly communicable form of rabies - sort of like what is discussed in this National Geographic article: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/10/1001027-rabies-influenza-zombie-virus-science/ . Maybe a purposefully weaponized version of rabies or a similar virus. They wouldn't be any faster or slower than any other, living human. They wouldn't have 'superhuman' strength but would probably have a strength born of rage. My guess is that they would be about as 'tough' as a person hopped up on cocaine, PCP or some other, similar drug - again, not superhuman but probably working at about the limits of human 'toughness' and harder to stop/kill than normal. Their reasoning skills would be in line with normal, human reasoning though slightly impaired by their condition and the aforementioned 'rage'. The good thing is that headshots would not be a requirement. The bad thing is that you'd have to shoot normal, everyday people who were simply sick rather than simply sending reanimated cadavers back to the realm of the dead. Just my guess.

Not if he carries a BUG. Seriously, though, this. Even a simple, cheap FOBUS with good retention can be difficult to remove a gun from if you aren't pulling it out at the correct angle (as in the angle from which a person wearing the holster on the belt would be pulling.) Some FOBUS models have screws to adjust (tighten) retention, as well. Before the passage of the law allowing carry where alcohol is served, I liked paddle holsters because they are so easy to remove and put back on if I were going to eat at a place where the law prevented me from carrying (I don't like carrying an empty holster - seems to me like an advertisement that there is an unattended firearm in your vehicle.) Since that law passed, as much as I like leather holsters, I still like the paddle holsters a lot because they give good retention while not having straps, thumb breaks, etc. to slow me down if I need my gun "right now".

I have even heard of bullets moving forward in the casing with factory ammo in some of the really light, small carry revolvers when using ammo that produces heavy recoil - cannot personally verify it, though. I think the common term, simply enough, is 'crimp jump'.

I have a Taurus 66 that (according to the serial number lookup on their website) seems to have been built in 1986 (or maybe it was '87 - can't remember for certain, right now.) When I found that out, I couldn't believe it because it honestly looks like it couldn't be more than a year or two old - I'm guessing previous owners never shot it, much. It has done well with everything I have put through it, including .357 loads ranging from 110 grain HP to Buffalo Bore 180 grain hardcast as well as some .38 Special FMJ. It has the 'comfy' rubber grips (I think they were made by Hogue) on it and adjustable rear sights. Now, I am no expert on nice triggers as I pretty much just shoot my guns the way they come but the trigger on that 66 is wonderful. Not necessarily 'short' but very, very smooth (at least to my mind.) In fact, the only revolver with a comparable trigger I have ever held was a custom S&W that was set up to be a target revolver with a trigger that was set up for that purpose. At the same time that I bought my 66, the LGS had an old Ruger Service Six. Being a Ruger, I knew it would be built like a tank and possibly (probably) stronger than the Taurus. Two things caused me to choose the Taurus, however: 1. The trigger pull on the Taurus kicked the crap out of the Ruger trigger pull and 2. I wanted to possibly use it as a backup gun when hunting which means the barrel has to be a minimum of 4 inches. The Taurus measured out to four inches from the front edge of the cylinder but the Ruger (which was supposed to be a four inch model) measured out to just a bit under four inches. I didn't want to take any chances with legality. Mine being an older model, it is only a six shooter (the newer 66 models are 7 shooters but the older ones aren't.) I am actually glad to have gotten an older model because I have heard that Taurus' quality control - which had gotten pretty good for a while - has been slipping for the last, few years. The sticker price on this one was less than $300 (sorry the pic is a bit blurry):

I left work (Lovell Road area) at 8pm last night - just in time that the full weight of the storm hit just after I got in the truck. I have an '01 Dodge Ram 1500 4WD and the wind was rocking it like a matchbox car. Lightning was striking so close that the thunder was coming simultaneously with the lightning strikes. There were trees and parts of trees and other debris in the road. The construction barrels on Lovell Road were blowing around like aluminum cola cans. By the time I got home (Loudon), things had settled down. The power might have flickered or been off earlier but it didn't go off after I got home. I did take out several zombies after I got home. That wasn't surprising, though as I had fired up 'Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare'.

"Favorite" is such a loaded word. Hard to choose a favorite. How about, "First among equals," or something? Colt Police Positive in .38 Special. If the info I can find (based on serial number) is correct, it was built in 1978. Yeah, I should get the FLITZ out and polish it up nice. I rarely even shoot this one and probably haven't shot it in a year or more. The holster in the pic is one I made just for the heck of it as it really isn't one of my carry guns. I chose it for this thread due to a few factors: 1. It belonged to the father of a good friend. In fact, I considered his father a friend, too and he reminded me a bit of my own, late father. He (my friend's father) slipped on some ice and broke his neck. He actually recovered enough that he could walk around the house a little but mostly used a power chair for the rest of his life. My friend found out that I had only a Titan .25 for home defense (didn't have an HCP at the time.) At the time, I lived in a part of Knoxville that wasn't exactly the best part of town. Since his dad would never be able to really shoot his Police Positive again and since my friend already had a few handguns of his own, they sold this one to me largely out of concern for my safety. My friend's dad has since passed on. 2. This is the only firearm I have ever used in a 'serious' situation. While living in the aforementioned neighborhood, the mere presence of it changed the mind of three guys who were trying to break down our front door one night. They saw the Colt through the window in the door and took off. I think it possible and maybe even likely that the presence of this gun saved my life and the life of my grandmother (I was living at her house while attending UT because she lived only a few minutes from campus.) 3. It is the first 'serious caliber' handgun I owned, my first revolver (I still like wheelguns better than semiautos) and the second handgun I ever owned. It is also my only Colt. 4. It just plain shoots nice.

That is exactly what I was thinking. Honestly, in this day and age I cannot possibly imagine what a 16 year old and a 51 year old could have in common to talk about, discuss and so on. Thing is, though, in two years (which really ain't all that long) she would be 18, he would be 53 and they wouldn't need anyone's consent for anything. I turned forty last Sunday and I wouldn't want a 16 year old wife. Heck, I probably wouldn't want an 18 year old wife (although, if I were single, a 21 year old girlfriend might be fun for a while.) That said, if she wants to marry him and he wants to marry her and they have her parents' consent, I figure it honestly ain't any of my damned business. Think of it this way - if you were (or are) a father would you rather your daughter marry a man who is 35 years her senior and who treats her well or a man who is her own age and who treats her like crap?

My wife's father was an a-hole. He'd get drunk and wave guns around, threatening to shoot himself and/or others. As a result, my wife was a bit nervous about guns when we were dating. Fortunately, her paternal grandfather has always provided a much better example as a gun owner and she would do a little back yard plinking with him and me. She wouldn't shoot very often and would only shoot a .22 pistol but at least she had a little exposure and was pretty darned good with a .22. Things stayed pretty much the same when we got married - she didn't mind the fact that I owned guns but she was still a bit 'skiddish' of them. Eventually, and I like to think it was at least partially due to my coaxing (I want to know that she can defend herself if I am not around) and, hopefully, also providing a positive example of gun ownership she started shooting handguns other than a .22. She took her HCP class last year and passed. Somewhat ironically, she used a Rossi snubbie .357 that belonged to her late father, loaded with .38 Special rounds to qualify. She can now shoot that gun one-handed and does pretty well. Using the Kel Tec P32 that she chose for a carry gun, she can absolutely wear a B27 target out at self defense distances. She doesn't shoot all that often, doesn't enjoy shooting nearly as much as I do and says she has no desire to own any more guns. Still, she shoots often enough to stay proficient. In fact, if I were as good a 'natural' shot as she is then I'd probably be a pretty awesome shot given all the practicing I do. As it is, I'm really not much better than her (if at all) with the guns that she is used to shooting.

I wonder what legally qualifies as a bumper. I've seen plenty of trucks, etc. on the road with a heavy, wooden plank bolted to the spot where the bumper originally was. I wonder if that would work as a 'quick fix' to keep you legal until you can do something more permanent.

IANAL but unless I am terribly mistaken, you guys are forgetting one very important detail when deciding if it would be justified to use deadly force to deal with a potential ass-whooping: If my memory serves, TN state law says that you are not justified in using deadly force, period, ever, in such a situation if you actively participated in getting into the fight in the first place. In other words, a distinction is being made between someone jumping you in a dark parking lot and starting to kick the living crap out of you and, for instance, willingly pulling over into a parking lot to continue an altercation. If Mr. Paul did, indeed, pull over simply to continue an altercation then he would not (according to my non-lawyer understanding of the law) be justified in using deadly force. From TCA 39-11-611: So, to my mind if you pull over to 'have it out' over some road rage incident, you have either provoked the use or attempted use of unlawful force (an ass-whoopin') or you have consented to the exact force used (i.e. willingly entered into a fist fight) then drew your gun when it became apparent you were about to get an ass-whoopin'. Now, we don't know all the details of this incident and, therefore, can't be certain that this is what happened. If it is what happened, however, I'd say that the HCP holder was in the wrong. Further, if I were on a jury I'd have a hard time finding the other guy 'guilty' even though he did give pursuit after he took the HCP holder's gun away and the HCP holder apparently ran away. I wouldn't expect anyone to remain 'rational' after [apparently] taking two to the chest.

Here are a couple of pics for you. I did this just for fun to show what could be concealed under just an unbuttoned shirt - coincidentally a "Hawaiian" shirt. Seriously, shirts of the type often called 'Hawaiian' shirts - as long as the cloth is thick enough and the main color is fairly dark - can be great for concealment because the pattern helps hide that there are things under the shirt from the casually observing eye. Of course, being of...um...larger build also probably helps. Anyhow, this is me: and this is what I had on me when that pic was taken: The revolver is a four-inch barreled Taurus 66 and in the first pic I had it OWB (in the FOBUS shown) on my right hand side at about the 3:00 position. The Kel Tec P3AT was in my offhand (left) pocket also in the holster shown, complete with spare mag. Now, I was going for the extreme, here, just to show what it is possible to conceal with just an unbuttoned shirt - I don't carry the 66 when I am going for concealment, it is mostly for carry when camping, fishing, etc. Also, the P3AT is not something I carry as an offhand BUG. If I carry a BUG, it is usually a North American Arms mini revolver. The point is that a snubbie revolver or compact semiauto - even carried OWB - can be easily concealed. If you pocket carry something of an appropriate size, concealment can be even easier. The type of holster you choose can also make a difference. I used to think it would be impossible to conceal a Ruger P95 OWB. Then I found that a leather belt slide holster - which holds the pistol higher on the beltline - made doing so quite possible. Now, in the winter where a heavier cover garment (thicker shirt or light jacket) are practical, I routinely carry my P95. Here are some pics to illustrate (once again, yeah, I have a gut although I think I have lost maybe a few pounds since the pic was taken): And in case you aren't familiar with the P95, this is what they look like. A little bulky, as you can see, but built like a tank and totally concealable with the right clothes/holster. The all black one is the one I had on me in the above pics:

Dang - double tap.

I don't always carry a BUG. When I do, I don't view it as a stand-in for my primary but, instead, envision a slightly different role. My BUG is generally a NAA in .22WMR. Not the best defensive caliber, sure, but as I said I don't see it as a stand in for my primary. It is not a primary carry gun and I do not treat it as such. Instead, it is a 'get off me' gun. Further, (and, really, more importantly) in the summer I can carry it with shotshells as the first two up. That way, I can be ready for an entirely different type of SD situation than we normally think of - and one that is probably more likely than having to defend myself against a street thug given my rural location. I see this as advantageous because it means I don't have to either give up an already limited capacity of SD rounds if I carry a revolver or carry rounds that probably won't cycle the action if I am carrying a semiauto. Now, if for some reason I find myself in a 'contact' situation with an assailant and have a real fear for my life then you can bet I would empty the little fellah into an attacker's gut in order to create some space, if necessary. In fact, I think it would make a perfect 'belly gun'. Also, no matter how many 'flawless' rounds I put through a semiauto, I will never completely trust one of them not to jam on the next shot. Sometimes, however, I go places where I like having the greater capacity of a semiauto. Having a backup revolver - even something like an NAA - is just reassuring, for me. Further, if carrying a revolver I am aware of the limited capacity and that they are relatively slow to reload so the NAA gives me just a few more rounds to work with, just in case. After all, I carry not because something is likely to happen but more 'just in case' so why not carry a BUG 'just in case'? I will say that when my primary is carried in a pocket that I don't generally carry the BUG as I have other stuff that has to go in the other pocket. If carrying OWB, however, the NAA will ride completely unnoticed (by others and, for the most part, even by myself) in the offhand pocket. And, really, that is what it boils down to, for me. I don't imagine I'd ever carry two 'full sized' guns but carrying that NAA in my offhand pocket creates no issues for me beyond the issues created by carrying one gun. I don't envision doing a tactical entry with my NAA blazing but then I don't envision doing a tactical entry, period. The weight is negligible and so is the size. In other words, beyond the fact that I believe there are good reasons for carrying it, I can see no good reason not to carry it.

I looked at the Zebra stainless steel pens at Walmart yesterday and didn't see the exact model that was mentioned earlier in this thread. If I buy one, I want to do the 'mods' I have seen listed for the earlier mentioned model where you can build a pen with no markings and even turn it into a 'space pen' if you want. Therefore, I didn't buy any. It did occur to me, however, that the pens they had were pretty skinny and that it might be challenging to get a good grip on them to use as a defensive tool. One cool thing I did see is that Sharpie is now making a marker with a stainless steel body and cap. The body of it is the style that is cylindrical and tapered on each end and it was about as big around as my middle finger (I don't have thin fingers.) If I carried a messenger bag, etc.(and I have considered it) then I'd probably have one of those markers in one of the pen/pencil/marker sleeves that are usually found just behind the main flap. If I remember right, they were around seven bucks and look pretty nice. Now, for the question of ,"Which one of y'all was it?" While I was standing there, looking at the pens, a fellow walked up who I think was probably a TGO member. This person selected a package of the stainless Zebra pens - went almost straight to them. This made me think that he knew what pens he wanted because if I am just looking for a pen as a writing instrument, I tend to browse at least a little to compare nibs, ink color and so on and I think most folks do the same. However, something about his body language led me to believe that these pens were a 'new' thing for him and not pens that he has used, before. From that, I deduced (possibly incorrectly) that he was looking for those pens because of this thread. Curious, I checked his waistline for signs of a holster, etc. and sure enough he was carrying - which furthered my belief that he might be a fellow member. So... Which one of you was it at Walmart in Lenoir City on the afternoon/evening of Sunday June 19, 2011? Just based on what I could get from peripheral vision,you are in your mid-twenties, a bit over six feet tall, were wearing a black, printed t-shirt and black cap. You were carrying a semiauto pistol OWB on your right hip. I couldn't tell from what I could see the type of the pistol but it wasn't a subcompact - possibly even a full duty-sized gun and my guess (from my memory of the size of the muzzle) is that it was a .40 cal. or, possibly, a .45. Oh, and you bought some Zebra pens. Yeah, I should have introduced myself but just saying, "Hey, you belong to TGO, don't you," seemed a bit awkward - especially if i had been wrong. If the person had been alone I still might have done so but he was with his family so I didn't.

I have been building up a small 'supply' of brass for a couple of years. I basically remove the spent brass from the revolver and put it back into the box (in the plastic or styrofoam 'tray' it came out of.) I haven't done any range pick-up and probably won't. I already shoot about as much as I have time for so I am not looking to increase my shooting volume so much as I am looking to shoot the same amount of these calibers for less $$$. If I can reload 50 to 100 of each a week I'll be content. So it sounds like, in my case, a tumbler doesn't have to be on the list of 'things essential for getting started' but probably is on the list of, 'things I can start without but will want before too long.' Thanks!

Congratulations. Should be a fun little shooter. When I bought my 6.5 inch barreled/plow-handle gripped Rough Rider I looked at the short barreled/birds head models, too. I liked the way they looked but with the size of my hands, I think the grips would take some getting used to. Still, there is a good chance I would have gone that route except that I wanted to use it for a 'bum around the yard' gun with the .22WMR so I wanted to be able to squeeze a little more 'oomph' out of it. Supposedly, a WMR from a handgun with a barrel of 6 inches or longer is 'comparable' to a .22LR out of a rifle so I went that route. I have thought several times that a short barreled/birds head model would be just plain fun but haven't bought one, yet. In fact, I haven't seen anything but the plow handle models in stores for the past couple of years.

Who in Hades is Wing?

If someone is planning on only reloading revolver rounds (.38/.357 and .44 in my case) would that person still need a tumbler? Or is a tumbler intended more to polish up semiauto casings so that they won't be 'sticky' and cause a jam?

Sounds like that recipe would work OhShoot. This may be the best recipe I have heard for preparing carp (told to me by the aforementioned grandfather in law) : 1. Clean the carp, removing the head, tail, etc. but leaving the rest largely intact 2. Place on a cedar plank on a hot grill 3. Cook until fish is flaky 4. Throw the carp away and eat the plank Seriously, though, he said that the creek from which the ones he and his family used to eat came was fed by mountain streams so that the water was clean and was very cold, even in the summer. He thinks that probably resulted in them having 'cleaner', tastier meat than most carp. I reckon they would just clean them then his mom would pan fry them because he has mentioned that they have a lot of bones but says that the bones were so big that they were easy to pick out when they were eating them. Carp hunting with a shotgun can be dangerous, though. He used a single shot, 12 gauge Cherokee (still has it and shoots it, some - I have shot it, too.) Well, apparently one time the boat was trying to turn in the current so he was close to the bank, holding to a willow with his left hand to steady the boat. Some carp came swimming by so he shot at them holding the shotgun with only his right hand. Says that the next thing he knew, he was holding the shotgun by the muzzle end and his hand was bleeding like crazy. The recoil had slid the shotgun through his grip and the hammer spur had cut/torn the palm of his hand open on the way through. He also talks about hunting big frogs with a slingshot (well, it isn't exactly like combining hunting and fishing but I'm saying it is close as frogs do largely live in water.) Says that hickory nuts made great 'ammo'. He also says that it usually wouldn't kill the frog, only stunned them, and that you had to be pretty quick to pick them up or they would come around and hop away. Apparently, they ate a lot of frogs' legs, too.

I haven't gotten started reloading, yet, but I wonder if 'saving money' depends on the individual. For instance, I am looking at reloading (at least at first) only for .38/.357 and .44. I don't like ordering ammo online and usually don't have a couple of hundred bucks to drop on a single ammo order so that I can realize the real savings, anyhow. In my case, then, it doesn't really matter what price or ammo is available on bulk orders from Midway, etc. this week. The only prices that matter to me are the prices at my LGS, Walmart and maybe some of the 'big box' sporting goods stores. Walmart's price of sixteen bucks a box (actually, probably a few cents more but we'll call it sixteen) for UMC FMJ .38 Special is just about the best price I have seen 'on shelves', lately (when they aren't out of stock on .38 Special ammo.) I hope it won't cost that much to roll my own. The least expensive .44 I have seen is also at Walmart - WWB .44 Magnum at a bit over $32 per box (plus tax.) Thing is, I'm not planning to plink with full-on .44 Mag and find .44 Specials to be a lot of fun for shooting paper. Walmart doesn't stock .44 Specials and I don't recall seeing them anywhere else all that often. When I do find them, they cost anywhere from nearly as much as .44 Mag to possibly even more than .44 Mag. I honestly don't think I could shoot much more than I already do. I just don't think I could find the time or opportunity. For me, then, reloading will be about saving money per round fired as well as actually being able to build and keep an onhand supply of more than two or three boxes of each for those calibers.

However, Heritage is now making a nine shot Rough Rider combo. They announced it sometime in late 2009/early 2010. Not sure exactly how long they have actually been available but they are on their website now as a 'new product'. Although they may not be in the same 'class' as the Single Six, I like my six shot Rough Rider just fine. As they seem to be one of the main 'alternate choices' to a Single Six, I don't doubt that the nine-shot Rough Rider spurred Ruger to release their ten shooter.