JAB

I have a S.P.E.W. and like it pretty well for what it is. I noticed you said 'working knife', though, and so I am not sure that would be your best option. See, the tip on the S.P.E.W. is very pointy - as in needle sharp. This would undoubtedly make it great if one needed to 'get stabby' but also makes it a little weak for 'work' tasks, IMO. For example, while I realize a knife isn't a pry bar, I bent the tip on mine simply using it to try and help me get a couple of AA batteries out of a portable radio (I am bad about biting my fingernails so I don't really have any to work with.) I was able to bend it back into place but quit carrying it as much after that since I carry a knife more as a tool than as a self-defense option (although if pressed I'd do what I had to do.). If you are looking for a variation of that blade style, CRKT makes a more 'traditional' Wharncliffe/sheepsfoot type kneck knife in their Minimalist line. I haven't owned one but based on the pics I have seen I would think the tip would be sturdier than that of the S.P.E.W. I wish that CRKT would offer the Minimalist line of blades with grips like the S.P.E.W. because the finger grooves on the Minimalist line don't fit my hand all that well - which is why I currently don't own any. http://www.crkt.com/Folts-Minimalist-Neck-Knife-Razor-Sharp-Edge If you decide to consider folding blades, a good option for something less expensive than your Benchmade to use as a working knife - if you aren't set on a neck knife - might be an Ontario RAT 1. I have owned one for a few months but haven't carried that one. You can now find these knives at some Walmart locations (apparently not all locations have them.) In fact, I bought a second one just yesterday at the Walmart in Sweetwater and it is in my pocket as I type this. I think I paid $29 and change for it. I ordered my first one from Amazon. The actual price from Amazon is a few dollars less, I believe, but unless you add other things to the order you will have to pay shipping so it pretty much evens out - plus I do like having an item in hand at the time of purchase. The reason I haven't really carried my first Rat 1 is that I have been carrying a Spyderco Resilience that I got in the same Amazon order. I like that knife a lot and will probably still carry it a lot in rotation with the RAT 1 after I carry the RAT enough to know how much I am really going to like it. Anyhow, the Resilience is another knife I would recommend you take a look at as a working knife if you decide to opt for a folder, instead although it is larger than some folks want in a folder (although I like the larger size, myself.) Next, although I this might get me disowned around here, I have decided that I like the Gerber/Bear Grylls paracord knife as a neck knife. Now, don't start throwing stuff at me just yet. See, I have tried the S.P.E.W. as well as a Cold Steel Mini-Tac Skinner and a Cold Steel Mini-Tac Beavertail. I have already mentioned the problem I had with the S.P.E.W. My problems with the Cold Steel knives are 1. No matter how sharp I get the darned things they seem to get dull just sitting unused in the sheaths (my Beavertail is better about this than my Skinner) and 2. the sheaths for the Mini-Tacs take up so much real estate that I figure I had might as well carry a larger, sturdier knife. I didn't buy the paracord knife specifically to use for neck carry. The included, removable belt loop can be set up for different carry styles. I actually bought it with scout carry in mind and it worked well for that but I decided I like the Buck Pack-Lite large skinner in my home-made kydex sheath better for that. The paracord knife is fairly thick for its size. I generally reprofile most knives to have a convex edge. I did that to the paracord knife and the steel on mine was hard enough to require a lot of work to do so. Now that I have the edge I want, however, it seems to stay sharp as long as I give it a couple of passes over an old, leather belt after carrying it. According to Amazon, the overall length of the paracord knife is 7.75 inches so it is just a little longer than the ideal you mentioned in your OP with a blade length of 3.25 inches. It is what I would call a modified drop-point design. http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-Grylls-Paracord-Fixed-31-001683/dp/B008FM04OC I ditched the bright orange paracord on mine, replacing it with a color I like better. I also did what I could with some sandpaper to try and get rid of the ridiculous, obnoxious 'BG' logo on the sheath (now printed on both sides.) After that, I don't think the knife looks half bad and I think it is a pretty decent blade, overall - especially for the price. Mine looks like this, now (except that I have taken the belt loop off of the sheath and it also has paracord through the two end grommets for use as a neck knife) : Speaking of the Pak-Lite line, those might be another inexpensive option for you to consider. The nylon sheath they come with isn't the best nor is the skeletonized handle. As I mentioned, though, I didn't care about the sheath because I wanted to make a kydex scout-carry style sheath for it, anyway. I also did sort of a 'basket-weave' paracord handle wrap on mine - as shown in the picture below. Unfortunately, where I work I can't carry a fixed blade but have carried both the Pak-Lite and the Gerber paracord knife on several occasions outside of work enough to say that I like them both as small, fixed-blade 'beater' knives for less than the cost of an Izula, etc. (although I am interested in trying out something like an Izula or a Becker Necker, etc. at some point.) A better view of the 'basketweave' paracord handle I did:

  Nope.  In my case, they'd tell me, "Sorry, we can't find that gun.  Oh, and the TICS fee is non-refundable."

Ideally, none.  I'd generally prefer a cylinder, instead. :D   To answer the question, though, I think a new semiauto pistol should include two magazines.  Being that some problems with such firearms can be largely magazine related I have to wonder how many times a 'defective' new pistol could be 'repaired' simply by using a different magazine.  I know that one could simply go and buy a second mag to make sure that isn't the problem before sending it back under warranty, trading it or whatever but who wants to buy a second mag separately only to find out that the mag isn't the problem?

  Or, as I call it, dog food :) (that is what I usually do with the dark meat when I cook a whole bird of any kind.)   I have bought packages of just the turkey legs, before (haven't looked this year) and have seen packages of just the thighs.  If you cure then smoke the legs they taste like ham (which is why I bought them.)  The place where I saw/bought them was, of all places, UGO (United Grocery Outlet.)  Not sure if the UGO locations in Knoxville have them or not (I haven't been in the Knoxville locations) and I know of at least one UGO that doesn't even have a fresh meat section (Lenoir City) so I don't know if you'd have any luck finding them this year or not.

  I lived at my grandmother's house while going to college because she lived very close to UTK.  The woman was a really good cook but when she cooked a turkey it inevitably came out dry.  The first year I lived there I asked her if I could cook the Thanksgiving turkey and she agreed.  I didn't brine, marinade, inject or use a cooking bag.  What I did do was thoroughly baste it with the pan juices several times (like every half hour or so.)  When my parents and sister showed up for dinner it didn't immediately come up that I had cooked the turkey.  Well, my mom starts going on about how good the turkey is that year and so on.  Finally, she says to my grandmother, "Your turkeys are usually kind of dry but this one is really moist and has a great flavor.  I think this is the best turkey you have ever done.  What did you do different?"  My grandmother just gave her kind of a pursed-lip look then laughed, pointed at me and said, "I let him cook it."   Brining is good, though.  In the past I have done a brine for turkey in which, in the spirit of the season, I used white cranberry juice ('cocktail' as the Ocean Spray, etc. stuff ain't pure cranberry juice) as the liquid.  Tasted really good.   One trick to prevent the white meat from drying out and add a little flavor that I have never done with a turkey but that I have done with cornish hens and baking hens is to take softened cream cheese and mix in chopped chives.  You then take the raw bird, carefully raise the skin at the 'cavity' end of the breast and work your fingers under it until the skin is completely separated from the meat.  Often, if you are careful, you can loosen the skin down to the thigh joint without tearing it.  Once the skin is loose you can either spoon the cream cheese mixture in as deeply under the skin as you can get it or use a pastry bag to 'squirt' the mixture in.  Work your fingers over the top of the skin to distribute the cream cheese as evenly and across as much of the meat as possible.  The skin keeps the cream cheese from burning and the cream cheese mixture largely 'melts' into the meat, keeping it moist and flavorful.  I have done the same thing with softened butter instead of cream cheese and using fresh ground black pepper instead of chives. 

There is a good chance it will come out looking a little something like this: That is the one I smoked last month for Thanksgiving. It was one of those .57 a pound turkeys from Kroger. I smoked it reeeeaaaalllllyyyy 'low and slow.' I pulled it after about 15 1/2 hours and cut the white meat off so it wouldn't get too dry then smoked the dark meat for about another 45 minutes or so. I like using a mixture of hardwoods and for this one I used mostly pecan but also some maple and oak plus a little apple and pear. The breast was delicious and I am not really a big fan of turkey. I usually don't care for the dark meat at all but this came out tasting more like smoked pork than dark meat turkey. This is only the second whole turkey I have done. The first was several years ago. I generally just do a breast but the dark meat on this one was so good I might have to do another whole bird at some point. In my opinion, smoked turkey kicks the holy living crap out of fried - at least the ones I have had. I have never done a whole, fried turkey myself but have eaten it. What I have done is a mini version in which I deep fried whole Cornish hens. I have also tried the deep frying technique with turkey breast 'tenderloins' (which are bigger than even the largest boneless chicken breasts I have seen.) In fact, just as an experiment I deep fried one, grilled (not slow smoked) one and baked one. The deep fried one was really good but the grilled one was the best. Of course individual tastes factor largely into the equation. TIP: I have mentioned, before, that I often wrap meat to be smoked in cheesecloth and then keep the cheesecloth damp to help keep the meat moist and protect it from getting too much charring, etc. Well, that works great but getting the cheesecloth off after the meat is done can be a pain. Ffor this turkey I put it in the disposable aluminum pan that you can see underneath it in the above pic. I then draped cheesecloth over it. I kept the cheesecloth damp not with water or some sort of basting solution like I normally use for ribs, etc. but by using a turkey baster to baste with the juices from the pan.

  The problem here is that the disparity was on her part, not his.  As he had neither verbally threatened violence nor, apparently, did the security footage indicate that he was acting in a particularly threatening manner then his 'threatened force level' was at zero.  The lady, however, went straight to 'DEFCON 1' and started waving around a loaded firearm.   It is difficult for me to want to see a 67 year old woman tossed in the slammer.  It is also difficult for me to turn loose of the idea of defending the actions of a fellow firearm carrier as an almost knee jerk response.  In this case, however, I think OhShoot has the right of it.  Not only must she be held accountable to the law regardless of age or gender but this case will also, hopefully, provide a good lesson to those less-informed among our fellow legal carriers who think that simply feeling threatened for any reason - rational or not - is justification for presenting a firearm or even for shooting someone.  Ultimately, cases such as this make all of us firearm carriers look bad and can help reinforce the antis claims that we are really a bunch of overly scared, nervous individuals who jump at our own shadows and draw our firearms - possibly endangering others - at the slightest, perceived provocation.   That said, I do have to agree with those who ask what kind of dumbass walks up to a stranger and asks for a light in 2015.  I mean, was the lady smoking?  I have had people walk towards me asking if I had a light.  I don't smoke nor was there any indication that I was carrying cigarettes (because I wasn't) so - in a time when smoking is fading more and more - what in Hades makes those people think I would have a light?  Now, yes, I sometimes carry a mini-Bic in case I need fire but there is no reason for anyone to assume I do and it is not carried for the purpose of lighting some stranger's cancer stick.  In my case, body language and a simple, "No," in my usual, "I am neither magnanimous nor interested in making your acquaintance," manner has been enough to stop them in their tracks and cause them to reverse course, so far.

Although I have been mostly pocket carrying as of late and although my small handguns (KelTec P3AT or S&W 642) are usually pocket carried, reserving belt carry for larger handguns, I do on occasion carry even the little guys on my belt, especially when I will be inside a vehicle and getting in and out a lot because it is extremely comfortable and easier to access the firearm in those situations.  IWB absolutely does not work for me.  The closest I can come to that is carrying in a belly band worn low so that the grips of the gun are in just about the same position as they would be if worn IWB and even that really only works with something small and flat like the P3AT.   When I carry on the belt - which means OWB - I generally wear a tucked in t-shirt to keep the grips from rubbing my side and then wear an untucked, unbuttoned shirt as a cover garment.  I call that 'casually concealed' because there might be some incidental exposure but most people probably won't notice even then.   The point of all that was to cite a specific occurrence as an example of the general public's lack of awareness.  One day about two years or so ago I was at the Sweetwater Valley Cheese Farm, carrying my 642 OWB, and when I was approaching the entrance I realized I had not put my cover garment back on when I got out of the vehicle.  The business isn't posted (wasn't at the time, anyhow - I haven't been in lately) so I knew I was okay to carry open but I usually avoid doing so because I don't want to be the guy who gets the owners/employees thinking about the issue, possibly resulting in them posting as a result.  That said, in this case I decided to just go on in.  The place was pretty crowded as it seemed there was some sort of tour group or something in there.  I sampled some of the cheese that was available for that purpose, walked up and down their cooler counter, selected the cheeses I wanted and ended up having brief conversations about some of the cheeses with a few of the other customers.  I then went up to the counter, paid and left.  Because I do not usually open carry I was watching closely for reactions from others while being very careful not to draw attention to my sidearm by being self-conscious about it.  Not only did no one say anything about me carrying but I can honestly say that I never noticed anyone in the place even glancing at it.  I honestly believe that I open carried in what is basically a small room with twenty or more other customers and a handful of staff and that no one even realized I was carrying a firearm.

Not to mention that, as hollowpoint rounds are sold for self defense, I believe they often use better/more expensive materials (nickel plated shell casings, etc.) and maybe get a little more quality control attention paid to them than FMJ which is generally intended as range/practice/plinking ammo.  I would say that this is especially true with ammo that is considered to be 'premium' self defense ammo - the stuff that routinely comes in boxes of only 20 or 25.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/12/08/alligator-kills-florida-burglary-suspect-hiding-cops/76966512/   Even 'gators hate burglars.    

Church shooting.  Four people killed plus the shooter so that meets their criteria.    http://ohioccw.org/200712113921/colorado-church-shooter-stopped-by-license-holder.html   Some articles referred to her as 'armed security' for the church but it sounds to me like she volunteered to be armed for church security purposes not that she was a paid and uniformed security guard.  Therefore, it sounds like she was an armed, private citizen in which case that absolutely counts.

  I never said not to be armed.  I'm just saying that your chances with anything short of a true hand cannon - something that will be so large and heavy as to be totally impractical for on-body carry in most situations - aren't likely to be any greater than with a 9mm, .357, etc. 

Wow.  I love how this one seamlessly blends some aesthetics of the old 'trade knives' with modern design cues all while throwing in your own, personal design style. 

I am not an expert on anything but here are my thoughts and they are worth every cent you paid for them: I really don't think there is a good way to choose a side-arm using the San Bernadino shooting as a model. As peejman said, if a couple of folks bent on killing everyone in the room walk in and just start shooting then chances of stopping them with a handgun are slim. Not impossible but slim. Throw in that both of those individuals - who are ready and willing to die in order to complete their massacre - are wearing body armor and the chance of saving oneself or anyone else using a handgun that can actually be carried on one's person become vanishingly small. I mean, if you have ice water in your veins, nerves of steel and reflexes that would put Bruce Lee to shame then you might manage to bypass the armor by getting a couple of headshots on moving targets who are firing their rifles at you as quickly as they can pull the trigger but unless your name is John McClain (in which case you'd do all that while saying, "Yipee-cayee, moth.....") it probably ain't going to happen. What might happen is that one will choose a larger, heavier handgun while hoping against hope and most logic that it will drop those two heavily armed, armored attackers quickly and effectively. Then, after a few weeks of not having to face such a threat that person may begin to leave said larger, heavier handgun (which probably still wouldn't do the job in the above situation) at home, in the vehicle, etc. because it is too much to carry, especially if one wants to carry concealed. So now, rather than carrying a small, easily concealable handgun in a caliber that has a good chance of being effective against much more likely threats (tweaker, armed robber, etc.) because he or she is concerned that such a small, light weapon will not be 'enough' that person is not really carrying at all. Then, again, I suppose one could always try and figure out a way to comfortably carry one of these: or something like this: http://www.magnumresearch.com/Firearms/Magnum-Research-4570-Revolver-75-inch-Barrel.asp

I now officially despise Morgan more than I have despised any character in either the show or the comics.  I came to hate Shane but I'd be the president of the Shane fan club compared to the way I feel about Morgan.  I'd take three of that stupid preacher over Morgan.  In the comics, Morgan was not still around at this point.  As he is still around in the show, I now hope that they leave Glenn alive and Morgan gets to meet Lucille up close and personal instead of Glenn.  At this point, I don't even care if Morgan realizes how stupid he has been, comes around and single-handedly saves everyone in Alexandria - I want him dead in the most brutal, bloody manner possible and I want his death to be one of prolonged agony.

    In the comics, Maggie becomes a whole lot more interesting after Glenn dies and she has to 'step up' even more.   Comics spoiler:   After Glenn is killed Maggie moves to the Hilltop community because she believes that is the safest thing to do for her baby.  Their leader is a wishy-washy, self-centered, spineless jerkwad.  When push comes to shove, he won't do what needs to be done and people end up following Maggie.  In fact, she ends up being the leader of Hilltop just like Rick became leader of Alexandria.  Basically, she single-handedly gets the folks of Hilltop to stand up with Rick and the other communities to fight against Negan.  In the comics, without her convincing the Hilltop folks to fight and leading them as they do so, the settlements have no chance against Negan and the Saviors.  As leader, while she is generally more 'gentle' than Rick she also shows that she can be even harder than Rick when the need arises.  So Maggie plays a pretty pivotal role in the comics as time goes on.  Also, her being pregnant is very important to the storyline, not just a cheap shot to make it even worse when Glenn dies (although it does that, too) because if it weren't for the baby she wouldn't have gone to Hilltop in the first place.   Of course, the whole thing with her having a baby is different in the comics because Judith isn't there in the comics.  In the comic storyline, Lori didn't die giving birth to Judith.  Instead, when the Governor and his people hit the prison Lori is running away and carrying Judith.  One of the Governor's people shoots Lori and the bullet passes through her and hits Judith, killing them both.  When they see that Lori was carrying a baby, the Governor's people realize that he was lying to them about what kind of people Rick's group was and they turn on him.  The Governor doesn't survive the assault on the prison in the comics (and, IMO, the TV show would have been better if he had died there rather than returning later, too.)  So, in the comics, there aren't two major characters with babies at Alexandria.

Very nice.  It's kind of interesting how the natural color/figure of that burl almost looks like some kind of fall/winter camo pattern.

  What I am reading is that Negan won't show up until the end of this season, not midseason.  If that is correct - and being that they still haven't really encountered the Hilltop folks or the Kingdom folks with only only a couple of episodes left before the break I am thinking it probably is - then, if they follow the comics storyline, Glenn wouldn't buy it until a few episodes into the seventh season as Negan didn't just off Glenn the first time they all met.  He offed Glenn as punishment and to set an example after Rick et al got out of line and violated their 'arrangement' (which was more extortion by Negan and his group than any, real arrangement.)

  I wish that their special was on some different models.  In the past, it has pretty much been on the 6.5 inch model, only.  If I didn't have one with that barrel length then that is what I would want because, from various things I have seen from online sources I thought were trustworthy, a WMR from a 6.5 or so inch handgun is comparable to a .22 LR from a full length rifle (would have to order a WMR cylinder from the company in this case.)  As I already have that model, though, I'd kind of like to have one of the 'shopkeeper' type models with a short barrel and birdshead grips just for kicks but not enough to pay full price for one.

  Pre-Taurus Heritage did make some models that had adjustable rear sights.  I believe most/all of those models had fiber-optic front sights.  Not sure about now, though.   EDIT:   Yep, still in the catalog.  Oh, and I had forgotten that Heritage is now making 9 shot models (the link is for a 9-shooter.)   http://heritagemfg.com/product_detail.cfm?prod_id=16   Of course, that one has an MSRP of $349 which, to me, is getting out of Heritage budget territory but I guess you do get quite a bit for the price and street price would probably be lower.   Ah, here is a six-shooter version with an MSRP of $281.  Still not a great price for what it is but depending on how much lower the street price is I guess it might not be too bad.   http://heritagemfg.com/product_detail.cfm?prod_id=6   I am not even seeing combo versions of the non-adjustable guns with aluminum allow frames (Heritage makes steel frame models, too - I think for California compliance - and they cost a little more), just .LR only and still the MSRP is $194.  Magnum cylinders ordered from Heritage after the fact used to go for around $30.  Not sure how much they cost, now, but even that would put the price of a basic combo (based on MSRP) at around $224 which is $100 more than I paid for my basic, 6.5 inch combo back in 2008 or so.  Geez, if the Heritage guns have gone up that much then how ridiculous have the prices on the Ruger Single Six and Bearcat models gotten?

Congratulations on the new purchases.  I am not a Glock fan but know that they are good, solid, reliable firearms.  Glad you and your vehicle came away unscathed even if your wallet didn't.     I think maybe there is some misunderstanding.  Not everyone from Michigan (or other points north of civilization the Mason-Dixon line :pleased: ) who comes to the South is 'ruining' things.  At least that is how I see it.  It is the folks who move (or especially retire) here just for the lower taxes, etc. and then do everything they can to try and turn Tennessee into Michigan, etc. thereby destroying the very reasons they supposedly moved here in the first place - the ones who are constantly telling us Southerners how much better they did things 'back home' (their words, I swear.)  Yes, I have been told exactly that by a retiree from the North.  Somehow - what with all the Tahoe swerving, gun buying, Bronco restoring and so on - I don't get the feeling that you fit into that category.  Heck, based just on what I have read in your posts I'd say that at this point you are probably more 'Southern' than some folks who were born here.

Lately in the truck it's been and Before that, it was

A few years back - '09, I believe - my mom, nephew and I were at a public shooting range. One of the guns that they brought was my nephew's falling block .22 single shot rifle. They were plinking at some swinging steel targets out at 50 yards. Just on a lark, I started plinking at those steel targets with my Rough Rider with the WMR cylinder installed. I was surprised to find that I was hitting the steel at least as often as they were hitting with the rifle - and my mom is a pretty good shot. I was probably hitting the steel about four or five out of every six shots. I am guessing that the steel I was shooting at was about four or five inches across. We were the only people at the range at the time so, just to further the lark a bit more, I put up a paper target at 100 yards to see what the Heritage might do. I ended up firing a few cylinders full and attempting to 'dial in' my aim between cylinders by adjusting my POA, holdover and so on. I was using Winchester Super X WMR ammo which, I believe, is pretty much the same as the load which Winchester used to develop the first WMR guns. I didn't have a spotting scope so I was making the 100 yard trek between each cylinder full while trying to remember my POA from the previous cylinder full and making POA adjustments in my head . It was kinda warm that day and there was no breeze, whatsoever which probably helped shooting but meant I started getting tired of making that walk, especially as I had already been shooting rifles at that distance and had walked out and back several times before that. Anyhow, below is a picture of my results. I may have posted it on the forum, before, because I like it. The 'legend' in the corner gives some info and tells which color of ring (later edited in on my computer) corresponds with which cylinder. I consider myself a serviceable shooter. I was probably better then than I am now as ammo shortages, prices of rimfire ammo and so on have cut into my shooting time but I don't think I have ever been a stand-out shot. A better shooter would certainly have done impressive things. As it was, you can see that I really was 'dialing in' my aim and getting more/better hits with each cylinder full. Had I kept going I might have done even better but I was tired by this point. I didn't use a rest or support of any kind. All shots were fired with a two-handed grip in more or less a Weaver stance. My Rough Rider is the 6.5 inch barrel version so that will give some perspective as to the size of the target. Not bad for a gun that, when I bought it brand new, had a price tag (before tax, etc.) of $120 with both cylinders. Oh, and the target was hung on a thin piece of plywood which was there for the purpose. At 100 yards I could tell that the Super X rounds were fully penetrating the plywood because each shot was kicking up dust from the dirt berm which was roughly ten yards behind the target stand.

  Oh, and I think it is significant that they took Daryl's crossbow as well as being another 'clue' that the guy is Dwight.  Remember in the comics, while there was no Daryl Dixon, there was a character that used a crossbow as his main weapon and did so pretty effectively.  Dwight.  I think that crossbow (and getting himself into a situation where they could take it) will come back to haunt Daryl and the rest of the group later.

  I just hope the captions are reliable.  I have been in bars, etc. where the sound on the television was on but captions were also turned on.  In some instances, comparing what was really being said to the captions sometimes made the captions look like an installment of 'Bad Lip Reading' back before there were installments of 'Bad Lip Reading.'