JAB

  Yep.  Divorced and no kids, here, but  I have grown kinda fond of me and want to be armed whenever possible- to be better able to protect us (me, myself and I).

  People probably shouldn't carry guns on their persons, either.  After all, if someone hit you over the head, took your gun and used it in a crime you might be sued.  Even if you weren't, how could you live with yourself?  That gun might be used to kill a child.   So we should ban all guns right now - starting with banning them from cars but obviously moving on to banning them from anywhere else that they 'might' be stolen, which is pretty much everywhere.  Hey, it's for the CHILLLLLLLDDDDRRRREEEENNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!    :panic:

Never mind.  I just re-read the old law and the new bill/law and answered my own question.

Well, crud. Duh. I didn't even notice the year, just the month and day. In my defense, this bill/law came up when I did a bill search by subject under firearms and ammunition (clicked on the menu to search by subject, clicked on 'F' then clicked on Firearms and ammunition.') I guess I made the mistake of thinking only bills from the current session would come up. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. So that means that the CP still hasn't decided that the info in their database is 'old' even a year later. Jerks. Oh, BTW, I double checked and the bill to extend the valid period for HCPs (my other thread) really IS from this session.

  Yeah, it looks like the editors at the Commercial Appeal - in typical fashion for slimy antis - have found what they think is a loophole.  There is an editor's note on the page for the database, itself, stating that while the law prevents them from getting the information from the database, now, there is nothing in the law that prohibits them from publishing the information that they cannot legally access.  To that end, they state that the database was last updated on April 19 and that it will remain on their website, sans updates, until they decide the information is outdated.  In other words, they acknowledge that they won't be able to do further updates but intend to screw current HCP holders over for as long as possible.

  That is interesting considering that the article in the CA, itself, said:         The article also stated that the bill (now law) closes media and public access to the records and mentioned that the law would go into effect immediately upon passage.  So it sounds like even the CA acknowledges that their database is now illegal.  I wouldn't be surprised if they are waiting for someone to call them on it so that they can then challenge the law in court.

This bill has passed and received Haslam's signature.  It deals with the release of information obtained through applications for an HCP or HCP renewal.  To a non-lawyer like me, the language isn't crystal clear but the bill - now law - apparently states that:       The part I find interesting is in section 3, specifically the part that prohibits public release of, "Any and all records maintained relative to... the issuance, renewal, expiration...of a handgun carry permit..."   Because of that and because the bill also mentions that, under certain circumstances a request can be made regarding whether a specific individual is a current HCP holder, it sounds to me like the database of HCP holders maintained by such entities as the Communist...er...Commercial Appeal in Memphis are about to go bye bye.   EDIT:  I just checked the website for the Commercial Appeal (figuring that they would have something to say about this new law if, indeed, it does what I thought) and it looks like they think I am right, as well.  It obviously sticks in their craw a bit, too.  Good riddance to bad rubbish - especially when it tweeks the noses of anti-gunners posing as 'journalists'.   The article linked below was apparently written/published before the Haslam signed the bill.  Further, it looks like the law went into effect immediately upon passage so I guess the public databases should already have gone bye bye.  I like it.   http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/apr/11/tennessee-legislature-2013-memphis-thursday/   It sounds to me like, although the powers that be in the House and Governor's office didn't have the cajones to do the right thing and allow open carry without a permit and park carry to go to a vote, at least all the hoopla surrounding those, two issues seems to have allowed bills like this one and the one that makes HCPs valid for five years instead of four (the latter appears to have passed both houses and to be waiting on the required signatures before going to the governor - I started a thread on that one here:  http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/topic/77955-sb-1672-extend-time-period-for-carry-permits/ ) to fly 'under the radar' and not get a lot of coverage/hand wringing from the media and antis.

I went back and looked at the bill history, again.  It looks like it did pass the house (but that passage was listed under the activity in the Senate, not the House - I guess because the comparable Senate bill was substituted and then passed in the House.)  In fact, it looks like it passed the Senate with 31 Ayes and 0 Nays and passed the House with 89 Ayes and only 1 Nay (the 'No' vote came from a Rep. named Cooper) so I guess now - unless I am completely confused (which is always a possibility) - it just needs the proper signatures and it will be going to the Governor.  Given the lack of opposition in both Houses, I would hope that even MAIG Haslam won't have much problem signing it or letting it pass.   As I said, it ain't Constitutional carry or even open carry without a permit but for those of us who have HCPs, I think this is a really good thing.  I am glad the media didn't get ahold of it and start crying about 'even longer between subsequent background checks' or some, such nonsense.

When I was a kid, my dad bought me a 'hunting knife' for Christmas one year.  I don't know right off where that knife has gotten to but I remember really liking it.  For a while, I couldn't recall the brand but today I remembered it was - or at least I am pretty sure it was - an Elk Ridge.  It had a blade similar in style to a Buck 119 with a stag (okay, probably faux stag) handle.  I never really 'abused' it but the blade was fairly thick at the spine so it was probably a pretty sturdy knife.  I remember that - with the help of one of my uncles - I put a razor edge on it and pretty easily maintained it that way.   Finally remembering that the brand/logo stamped onto the leather sheath was 'Elk Ridge', I looked on Amazon and noticed that they list several Elk Ridge knives, including a couple that I really like.  With the changes in legal blade length limit that go into effect on July 1, I have been looking at fixed blade knives and I am wondering if the quality of Elk Ridge is up to the standard of the one I had as a kid.  After all, I first received that one something like 30 years ago and I know that some (many?) of the more budget-minded knife companies that used to make good stuff now mostly make junk, instead.   Keep in mind that I am not looking for an heirloom.  I am looking for good quality and usability for under $50.  Under $30 is even better.  I don't want 'junk' and I want something that looks pretty nice but something that won't break my heart (or wallet) if I lose it.  I'd like to find several knives with those, general features so I am also not expecting to buy one knife that will be 'the only knife I will ever need.'   I prefer knife companies like Elk Ridge, Buck and so on because - just as I prefer wood and steel over polymer for rifles - I prefer wood/bone handles and more 'traditional' blade styles to 'tactical' blades, for the most part and those companies offer such knives at price points that appeal to me.  So, anyhow, anyone have any first hand experience with any of the current offerings from Elk Ridge?

I have no martial arts training but, as a general rule, I believe that a person who carries a handgun should make every attempt to simply walk away from any confrontation that does not rise to the level where one could reasonably use deadly force.  I am not a lawyer, have never played one on TV and did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.  Still, from a layman's point of view, there are legal reasons why I say this.   The main one is that TN law pretty well negates the 'self defense' argument if you are a 'willing' participant in a fist fight and end up having to use your firearm - even if, for instance, the other party pulls a knife during the course of that fist fight.  So, if you think you are participating in a fist fight and the other guy decides that it is a knife fight then you could face criminal charges if you make it a gun fight.  If, however, you walk away and the guy pulls a knife then self defense applies.   Another issue is that a fist fight could quickly turn in to a grappling match which could evolve into grappling over your gun or trying to keep the other person from gaining control of your gun.  Because of this possibility as well as the possible, legal issues my HCP instructor pretty much advised that if you carry a gun you can't get in to fist fights.

Maybe I have just overlooked it but I haven't seen any discussion of this bill on here:   http://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/default.aspx?BillNumber=SB1672&GA=108   I think such a move, while not as good as some of the bills that were killed in an underhanded manner 'in committee' this year, would still be of great benefit to permit holders.  It basically would make an HCP good for five years instead of four (meaning the ongoing ransom on our rights would work out to $10 a year.)  Another part of the bill would allow the expiration date of an HCP to eventually be moved to the HCP holder's birth date, just as with a driver's license.  The second part would be more convenient, I suppose, but it is the extension of the valid time period that I like most about the bill.   Thing is, not being up on my legislative jargon, I am not completely sure where this bill stands.  It looks like it passed the Senate (says, 'Enrolled and ready for signatures) but for the House it just says that the comparable Senate bill was substituted for the House version.  I see no record of a vote in the House so is this yet another beneficial bill that passed the Senate but was killed in the House without ever really receiving a vote?   It really looks like there needs to be a cleaning of the House in the next election.  The House Rep. for my district, Kent Calfee, signed on as a co-sponsor to multiple pro-carry rights bills this year so I think he is probably okay on this issue (although I need to see if I can find more about his voting record.)  The Senator for my district, Ken Yager, did not sponsor or co-sponsor any pro-gun or pro-carry rights bills in this session so I really need to find out more about his voting record as related to these issues.   I don't think of myself as a 'one issue' voter but a candidate's stand on gun rights is sort of my 'litmus test'.  I might not vote for someone just because I like their stance on gun rights if I disagree with them on many, other issues but I absolutely will not vote for someone if I do not agree with their stance on gun rights.  By 'stance', I don't just mean the blah blah blah they spew at election time but also their record in office (which is why Haslam will not get my vote for governor in the future.)

I see the OP has been banned but there still seems to be interest in the thread so I will go ahead and post. There are a lot of nice looking tomahawks, hand axes and so on represented in this thread. I love the look of the one that Spots made from a hammer. I, however, am neither high speed nor low drag. For the things I would need/use a tomahawk to accomplish, this hatchet - which honestly strikes me as sort of a modern take on the old hammer poll tomahawk - will likely suit my needs just fine and if I had to use it as a weapon it should be just as capable of 'getting choppy' on something as anything else would be in my inexperienced hands. I think I paid something like $16 for the one I picked up last Fall.

  And the sponsor thinks they killed it 'fair and square'?  What is fair and square about not even allowing the bill to come to a floor vote to really be passed or killed, fairly?   I've already gone through the trouble and aggravation and paid the initial $115 ransom that the state places on my rights in this case.  Heck, I have about another two and a half years before I have to pay the next $50 installment of the ongoing ransom that Tennessee attaches to the 'privilege' of exercising a natural right, plus I would keep the permit, regardless, because I prefer to carry concealed.  That said, all the back room dealing and Republican, "We are for your rights at election time as long as you don't actually expect us to support those rights in the legislature," bull#### and the way Haslam talks down our rights any time he gets a chance turns my stomach.  Even with wishy-washy Republicans in the House this bill would at least have had a chance if "I quit MAIG to join the NRA" Haslam had spoken in support of it.  At this point I think I'd almost rather have a Democrat who is openly hostile to our cause in office rather than Haslam and his freakin' bunch of Republicans who continually stab us in the back.

No need for a lot of tools or all that great a skill set to make a simple knife sheath. You don't necessarily even need stitching needles or thread. I made this one with just some vegetable tanned leather, a rotary leather punch, a leather thong, some heavy scissors and a piece of wood that I cut off of a small branch and then drilled a hole through (from side to side) to use as a slide to cinch the thong that retains the knife in the sheath.. For the belt loop, a strip of leather doubled over, punched with a couple of holes and tied on with another, shorter piece of leather thong passed through a couple of holes punched in the back of the sheath works just fine - just be sure to tie it on to the sheath before you start 'stitching' the sheath, itself, together and make sure that the knots are on the outside of the sheath so they don't get in the way of sheathing/unsheathing the knife. Anyone handy enough make their own knife handle and crossguard could probably make a sheath like this in under an hour. Heck, I made this one is under an hour and I am not handy enough to make a brass crossguard - or at lest I have never tried it. I have made holsters where I used an actual saddle stitch and I like them but I had bought or found this knife somewhere, sans sheath, and thought this style of sheath would look good with it. I also think this style of sheath would look great with the knife you made.

  That is some serious firepower at your fingertips.

  I didn't carry the Taurus a whole lot so the only holster I had for it was a FOBUS.  The Ruger won't fit in that FOBUS so you are right - a new holster is in order.  I am going to make a leather holster for it, though, so it won't be a big deal.  I will probably carry the Ruger a little more often than I did the Taurus so I am thinking a nice pancake holster that will hold it so that the trigger is about even with the belt line and give it a slight forward cant.   For reloads, I largely use speed strips as they are flatter and more compact for carry.

  I think if I were going with a six inch barrel on pretty much any revolver then I would just as soon get a single action.  Oh, wait, I did!  My SBH has a 7.5 inch barrel.  My Heritage Rough Rider has a 6.5 inch barrel, for that matter.  Those both get carried, sometimes, but as woods guns, not in public.  For something I might carry 'in public', four inches is about the limit.   I don't have any 3 inch revolvers but I just keep thinking that such a set up might be the best compromise in a .357.  A revolver with a 4 inch barrel can be carried concealed but it ain't always easy.  A .357 with a 2 inch barrel likely gives up a lot of the power of .357 and has a really short sight radius so in that size I am probably just about as well off with my 642 loaded with .38+P.  A 3 incher seems like it would be a little easier to carry concealed than a 4 while giving the bullet a little longer in the barrel (to better utilize .357) and having a better sight radius than a two inch,  That said, if I am only going to have one .357 Magnum (which is currently the case), I want it to have a 4 inch barrel.

  It wouldn't be fair to saddle you with such a crooked shooting gun.  I should probably just keep it. :nervous:

  You poor fellah.  That's mighty nice of you to offer but I just couldn't do that to ya.  Tell you what, as I am already shouldering the burden of this GP100 and a Super Blackhawk in .44 Mag, I think I am strong enough to help you out a little.  Why don't you just let me ease your suffering by taking those Super Redhawks over.  I'd even be willing to come by and pick them up and won't even charge you a dime.  That's the kind of guy I am.

  I like some seafood but mostly I like it blackened/grilled or battered and fried.  Seafood gumbo is not my favorite but cajun blackened seafood can be really good.  I also prefer chicken and sausage gumbo to the seafood version.  I saw a show once that talked about the differences in Creole and Cajun and that focused a lot on the food.  Basically, they (and the 'they' included some actual Creoles and Cajuns) said that Creole refers more to people who live in the cities while Cajuns are generally the more rural, rustic people, such as those who live in the bayou.  Along those lines, they said that seafood gumbo is more of a Cajun thing while the chicken and sausage version is a Creole dish.

I don't know of any Cajun/Creole restaurants in the Knoxville area.  The fellow who used to own Small's Drive-In in Athens was from Louisiana and, although it wasn't really a Cajun restaurant, he did do a few things with a Cajun flair (like a burger po-boy on which the burger was, apparently, a blend of ground beef and andouille.)  He has since sold the place and moved back to Louisiana.  His sister in law owned a restaurant in Etowah and she did serve some Cajun type stuff (really good, spicy, fried crawfish tails and a really good roast beef po' boy) but that place is closed, now.  I actually wonder if they all moved back to Louisiana at the same time.   Back in the '90s there was a place called King Creole's in the Old City in Knoxville.  They had a lunch buffet but that place wasn't around very long.  That is a pity because I only ever got to eat there once and the food was really good.  There was another New Orleans themed restaurant in the Old City for a while that was called The Big Easy but it always looked a bit too formal for what I wanted in a Cajun restaurant.   Finally, there was a little hole in the wall Cajun restaurant in the Lonsdale/Mechanicsville area of Knoxville for a short time.  I can't even remember what it was called and, again, only got to eat there one time but it was really good.  The owner was also the cook and he had home-made boudin using his grandmother's recipe.  I never would have thought that pork liver sausage could be that good.

  Thanks!  Hmmm...maybe I am wrong about the wood insert thing.   Of course, having just said how happy I am about the wood inserts, I couldn't help but think how nice they would look with horn/antler inserts, instead.  I started looking and so far I found this:   http://www.sackpeterson.com/models/GP100.html   And yep, I was right - it does look good, IMO.   EDIT:  Oh, and having seen your wife shoot I have to say that if she is anywhere near as good with that GP100 as she is with her .22s I almost feel sorry for any scumbag that gives her a reason to use it.  Almost.

  You may or may not know that Kel Tec sells 10 round mags for the P32.  They also have a 9 rounder for the P3AT which is pretty much the same setup.   http://www.keltecweapons.com/p-32-and-p-3at/p-32-accessories/p32-37-10rd-magazine/   I have one of the 9 rounders for my P3AT and mom has a 10 rounder for her P32.  Obviously they would kind of negate the ease of pocket carry with either one but they make good backup mags.  They also are nice for punching paper as they give the little guys a full grip and a higher capacity.

I decided that I would visit my favorite LGS this past weekend to see what they had. I decided to take my late '80s model (six shot version - the newer ones are seven shot) Taurus 66, 4 inch barrel .357 with me. I actually almost didn't even fool with taking it and actually almost walked out my door without it except that my gut just kept telling me to bring the Taurus along, just in case. The reason I almost didn't was because, being my only .357, the only thing I would have really considered trading the Taurus for would have been a used Ruger GP100. Being that it seems most folks who have a GP100 keep them, what were the chances that this small, kind of out of the way LGS would have a used GP100 in the case? Well, it turned out that the chances were 100%. In over a decade of visiting that LGS fairly frequently, I don't remember ever having seen a used GP100 at this LGS and the day I decide that I would trade the Taurus if they had one, there it was. I honestly got a bit of an 'oooo-eeeee-ooooo' feeling because of it. Not only did they happen to have the only gun I would have traded the Taurus toward but it was even one of the models that had a wood insert in the grips - a feature I really find appealing and which, unless I am mistaken, Ruger no longer offers from the factory (the GP100 and SP101 revolvers now all come with a rubber grip insert unless I am mistaken.) A deal to trade my Taurus and some cash for the Ruger was reached and this came home with me: Now, let me say that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the Taurus. Whoever ends up with it will have a good revolver. It just wasn't a GP100. One reason I wasn't entirely happy with the Taurus was that it seemed that I could never entirely get the hang of shooting it with anything approaching accuracy despite trying to fine tune the adjustable rear sights. I don't think it was the gun's fault, it just didn't entirely fit me for some reason. I think the Ruger is going to be a much better fit. I brought it home Saturday afternoon and ran a few rounds through it. I didn't have a lot of .357 ammo on hand but I did try a couple of different, factory loads. I tried it on paper at about 10 yards (maybe a little more) with Federal 158 grain JSP and Remington 125 grain SJHP. The JSP were a little high and to the left on the first, two shots so I tinkered with the adjustable rear sights and got better results. I shot a combination of single and double action with both loads. As I said, I didn't have a lot of .357 ammo on hand so I just shot a few but I think I have a pretty good impression of this gun. Good enough to say that I can see it becoming my favorite handgun. Here are the targets with the respective loads. Keep in mind that I do not shoot from a rest, neither rifles nor handguns. These were fired using a two-handed grip in a SD type stance from about ten yards. I think I can improve with practice but getting 'minute of bad guy' the first time I ever fired this or any GP100 wasn't bad, I thought. I should have thought to buy more .357 ammo while I was at the LGS but I was so ecstatic about finding the GP100 that I just didn't. I have been seeing .357 ammo on shelves everywhere lately so I didn't think I'd have a problem finding any. Of course, when I called around to every Walmart in my area then called Academy there was none on any of their shelves. I even 'bit the bullet' and called Gander Mountain but hung up after being on hold for a couple of minutes waiting for the gun counter to pick up. Since I wasn't able to find any more .357 and didn't want to shoot up all that I had, yesterday I decided to see how the Ruger would do with my .38 Special reloads. So far, I have only done two .38 loads so I took a few of each to test them out. I shot them from the same distance and stance as the .357 I shot the previous day. I also decided to try both single and double action with both loads. One thing I found was that, although it is possible to 'stage' the trigger a bit I really didn't do very well when I tried as I tended to shoot low. The trigger is pretty smooth, I think, and I found that I had better results just pulling/squeezing the trigger straight through. Anyhow, more pics so it actually happened: The target on the left represents my single action results with this load. All six shots are represented - I actually managed to put three shots into that one large, ragged hole at the bottom/left of the bullseye. The target on the right was double action and I was trying to 'stage' the trigger on at least some of the shots. Again, the target on the left represents single action and the one on the right was double action. The four holes closest to the bullseye show the results of my giving up on staging the trigger and just pulling straight through.

I WANT to like air guns.  I really do.  I have several (maybe I'll get pics up, eventually.)  One is a large 'revolver' model that is CO2 powered.  One is a 1911 replica, also CO2 powered (and, honestly, I couldn't even tell you exactly where that one is at the moment.)  One is a 'Pumpmaster' bolt action, pump pellet pistol that was given to me a couple of years ago.  I also have a pump bb/pellet rifle (can't remember the exact model at the moment.)  I say that to exemplify that I own and have tried a range of air guns.  Like I said, I really WANT to like them.  Sadly, as much as I want to like them I can't escape one, simple fact - after five or six shots I find them extremely, terribly boring.  Apparently - for me - part of the lure of firearms is the bang, flash and gunpowder smell.  It doesn't have to be a big boomer - I enjoy shooting .22LR a lot - but I, apparently, do need at least a small amount of the sound and fury in order to hold my attention and help me enjoy shooting.  Air guns that require shooting a single shot and then reloading, pumping, etc. before being able to shoot again are especially bad at holding my interest.  When shooting guns that use gunpowder launched projectiles, I am not a person who often just does mag dumps and can enjoy a single shot rifle, shotgun or pistol.  Combining the single shot with all the rigmarole of setting up for the next one, though, becomes dull in a hurry, for me.  It is kind of the same reason why I am not a bigger fan of powder-based muzzle loaders.  Too much involved and too much lag time between each shot.   As a last ditch attempt, I might pick up a Crosman 1077 repeater.  It is an air rifle that uses CO2 cartridges and has a 12 shot rotary magazine.  As I said, I am not generally prone to mag dumps but it would be nice to be able to have an air gun with decent velocity (the 1911 replica is a semiauto but isn't very powerful) without having to work my arm to death and take a minute or two between shots.  We'll see, if I decide to get one.