deerslayer

LOL, I'm so exciting that I'm surfing TGO and checking weather for tomorrow, which should be more interesting. If no rain, we go to the lake. If it rains, I'll go ride motorcycles with some IDPA knuckleheads I shoot with. Nobody ever accused me of being a genius.

Nope--plain black steel sights with some combination of narrow front and wide notch rear (speeds up front sight acquisition). Night sights are not as essential as many would have you believe, IMO.

HaHa...a friend got a RIA in .38 Super for IDPA for $379 (it was just such a good deal) and the bug got him. I warned him that .38 Super ammo would be expensive, so he finally got a 9mm conversion barrel. Then he had to do something with the itty bitty GI sights. Then he got a different guide rod. Then a different MSH. Then a magwell. Then a trigger. Then the 10 round magazines, and on and on. Now he has a $900 RIA that shoots it ass off (as long as he doesn't use hollow points). It looks like you have a dovetailed front sight--congrats, my buddy's was a pinned job, and he had a hell of a time finding aftermarket sights for it.

I would look for new sights.

Actually, I would venture to say that the average Bubba could probably load 20 rounds of customized .270 or .30-06 for cheaper than he could buy 20 "premium" factory rounds, and the very best factory ammo still cannot be tailored to a particular rifle, such as overall length or a certain powder charge the gun seems to like. Many pistol shooters reload to save, while many rifle shooters reload for repeatable precision. If you just open up a Midway catalog and pay full retail for everything, sure, it doesn't look worthwhile. However, if you save/collect brass and watch for deals on powder/primers/bullets, reloading is cost-effective.

I don't have any quotable proof, but in a self-defense handgun, reloads make little difference accuracy-wise. When shooting rifles, it's often a different story.

GO BIG ORANGE!

I guess I fit into this category. I think the shot placement crowd is not as determined to get a heart or brain shot as you would have some believe. Most of the folks who preach shot placement are stressing the need for a simple upper torso hit, as opposed to a glancing head shot or a round through the neck or abdomen or shoulder. Upper torso shots are the biggest, most forgiving areas to target. Head shots are sometimes effective, but are not what golfers would call a "high percentage shot." In other words, the risk of missing/not getting a solid hit is not worth the gamble. Whatever the case, the .45, IMO, is more desirable (bigger bullets make bigger holes), but is not going to decapitate the bad guys. The .45, .40, 9mm, .357, and 10mm are all relatively weak handgun rounds and are not sure-fire manstoppers, and hollow points don't always expand.

I understood every word of it. Translation: "the two gentlemen were apparently having a disagreement about whom the cocktail belonged to. One became a bit aggressive toward the other, and rather rudely discharged a firearm at him, apparently resulting in his death."

Check out this interview with a crime witness (it gets good about 40 seconds into it). Click the "Murder Investigation 7-7-08" video in the upper right corner: http://www.wmctv.com/Global/story.asp?S=8630757&nav=4XzR I think our local newspeople have a sick sense of humor and seek out the most ghetto witnesses they can find. Whatever the case, the 10 o'clock news in Memphis always makes for good entertainment. Call me jaded.

but in three days they will call you back.

8 o'clock in a CTAC.

LOL, I'll be coming from the Summer Sizzler--was hoping to find a quick match in the Nashville area on the way home. Hmmm...maybe I'll just stick around in Manchester an extra day...

Seems pretty clear to me--would you give up oc if cc became legal in alcohol-serving restaurants? No.

Let us know how they look...

He looks like the bad guy on Nip/Tuck.

+1 on being at the mercy of a lawman. Hypothetical: No carrying weapons in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You're camped out in Elkmont and plan on hiking to Mt. Leconte. Is a 5" Ka-Bar on your belt carrying "with the intent to go armed" or is it simply carrying while camping?

No. I'm no great fan of open carry, but accidental exposure or printing could be (and, at times, would be) prosecuted as not carrying concealed.

Any clubs shooting IDPA around Nashville possibly on August 3? I know Brush Creek is 2nd and 4th Sundays, but can't find much else. I may be coming home that way on Aug. 3, and was wondering if any matches will be close by.

I prefer concealed. It's not really about the "suprise" factor for me--it's more about discretion.

Yeah--old folks like to say "you get what you pay for." I take it another step and say, "You get what you pay for IF YOU'RE LUCKY."

I seriously doubt any American politician would give that speech.

what a crock of sh#t.

I bet I can tell you more 1911-that-won't-run stories than you can. I have had bad experiences with them, too. I had a Kimber and a Colt and was disappointed with both (especially the Kimber). Every time I shoot an IDPA match, somebody's bitching about their $1200 Kimber or their $2500 Wilson. I would like one, but don't know if I'll ever try again. Even if I found a big one that would run, I wouldn't shoot it in IDPA unless I could get a smaller one to run. I don't want to compete with it unless I can carry it or a smaller version of it. I know a couple 1911 whisperers now, so never say never.