TGO David

That's a MEGA build. MEGA props!

Learn how to start a thread, then try again.

One of my prouder moments.

Like your SBR?

Arguably the most ergonomic Glock ever made.

You posed the question as to whether or not Blackwater employees are consummate professionals, as I described the Navy SEALS as being. I merely presented evidence that suggests that they are.

Oh boo fricking hoo. The reverse is way more often the case around here. Moderators aren't supposed to have opinions because voicing them might stifle the creativity of someone else with a counter opinion. Unless a moderator is abusing his power, there's no reason to point out that a person involved in the conversation IS a moderator. Get over it.

See above regarding the DOD's own involvement in approving Blackwater contractors. Also, you seem to be suggesting (even if hypothetically) that Blackwater doesn't screen their people very well. I have no evidence of this. Do you?

It's going to suck trying to conceal a shovel for your trip to Wal-Mart.

I don't think they operate like that. Those guys tend to be consummate professionals.

I don't advocate killing civilians, but there is a metric ass-load of both concrete documented proof and anecdotal evidence that the line between innocent civilian and insurgent is insanely blurred on the battlefield these days. I think one of the most telling scenarios that I have read about recently was in the book Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell. Luttrell's SEAL team might still be alive today had they chosen to kill two civilian "non-combatants" who stumbled upon them while they were staking out an Al Qaeda hideout in Afghanistan. Luttrell examines the situation in his book and discusses the fact that he was conflicted with what he knew needed to be done to preserve operational security versus what the UCMJ would allow him to do as a soldier. They chose to let the civilians go. When they did, the civilians immediately retreated to the village and alerted the Al Qaeda operatives of their presence. In the subsequent firefight, all of the SEALS save for Luttrell were killed by the enemy and Luttrell went through hell to survive and did that just barely. So yeah, I think sometimes people who end up in the wrong place at the wrong time just need to end up being an unfortunate but necessary casualty of war. War isn't fair. It isn't pretty. It isn't clean. And it doesn't jive well with what those of us sitting warm and safe behind our keyboards talking about it on the Internet feel is acceptable behavior becoming of a soldier or security contractor. Which is why I think we should STFU and let them do their jobs.

First off, you picked the wrong week to be a smart ass with me. I'm not about to put up with it and I'm not going to engage in a tit-for-tat exchange with you to prove who has the smallest penis but the largest ego. Rather, if you want to be a douche you can do it somewhere else and I can make the decision [easier] for you. Now that that is out of the way... You said: It seems clear that you are judging them and that you are doing it strictly based on what you have heard from the mainstream media. I, being the knower of all things, try to base my opinions on information from sources that aren't biased toward any particular agenda. Most of those sources are guys who have worked with or around Blackwater and other contractors and most of them agree that these guys are getting the shaft and being used as scapegoats. Let's clarify: What you think is shady, I think is a necessary evil in times of war. Collateral damage is nothing new. It's been an unfortunate byproduct of war since wars started being fought. What is new is the recent advent of lawyers hounding combatants on the battlefield. That sort of **** wouldn't have been put up with 60 years ago. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree with what you quoted above... mostly. The people doing the job could probably do it a lot better if people who weren't doing the job kept their noses out of the job being done. Suffice it to say that in war, I think sometimes the end should justify the means. But I'm pretty politically incorrect like that.

I'm not saying they were right. I just think that the whole thing of forcing soldiers / contractors to second guess themselves under fire is counterproductive to the task they are faced with. It is only a semi-workable situation when the other side is observing the rules also, but jihadists and insurgents aren't and won't. Look at history. The American colonists won their war against a superior fighting force by disregarding the "rules of war" and using guerrilla tactics against the British.

It would be nice if people would post the contents or at least a snippet of whatever they are linking to, and use sensible thread titles. Thread title changed.

Referring to the 1988 Anti-Drug Abuse Act that requires 30-year prison terms for using machine guns to commit violent crimes... charging these men with crimes under that Act is just utterly ****ing nauseating and shows how far some attorneys are willing to go to make an example of these men. I shudder to think what our enlisted soldiers would be up against were they ever to be made fair game for these same ravenous wolves.

You know better than to start a thread like this!

You should probably walk a mile in their shoes before judging them. You started off on the right foot, then veered off path. War is hell. The public has neither the stomach or the need for knowing every little thing that happens, and it is not a business that is conducted civilly or in step with the delicate sensibilities of civilized life. We have hamstrung our soldiers and security contractors by forcing them to consider innumerable rules of engagement in split-second scenarios where hesitating for a mere moment can mean the difference between life and death, not only for the individual but for entire squads or platoons. The lawyers need to stay the **** off the battlefield.

Update... Ordered a Blade-Tech OWB holster (one of the few I've been able to find that didn't involve a 14-18 week manufacturing delay) for this today. We'll order a quality leather holster for it soon from either Bulman Gunleather or K&D Holsters but we can't expect to see one from either of those places until next Spring. I also found both Trijicon and Meprolight replacement sights for it. I'm thinking we will go with the Meprolight sights since they usually are brighter and offer a better sight picture.

Scapegoats.

Thread moved to Off Topic. This didn't belong in Newsworthy Reports.

Everyone has their off-days.

Actually, it is. You sold the AR you just built yet? Shouldn't you be trying to do that instead of jacking up my thread?

Advice: Relax, pay attention, follow their instructions, ask questions.

By way of an update... We took the 3914 to On Target this afternoon and my wife put about 100 rounds through it. She did great with it and experienced no stoppages or failures of any kind. We both noticed that with Winchester white box ammo, it prints about 2-inches low from point of aim at 15 yds. It's definitely not the shooter but may be just the way this particular gun digests WWB ammo. I suspect that a shorter front sight or taller rear would fix the problem. That being said, I am going to withhold any sort of oddball FS/RS combination and just order a set of Meprolight sights for it instead. We'll see how the POA / POI intersect after that. I have also ordered a second factory 8rd magazine for it and will be ordering a holster of some sort this week so that she can use it as her carry piece when she wants something other than the J-frame. All in all, I think we're both very pleased with the way it performed.

Favorite... Glock 19 Most concealable... S&W 3900 series