deerslayer

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.

Ducati Monster :drool:

My wife wants me to go to Tom Lee Park tonight (downtown Memphis) to watch the fireworks. I'm trying to figure out how I can conceal two Glocks, an AR, and 10 or 12 magazines. Happy 4th to all.

Congrats on your boss' "enlightening." Glock/XD/M&P--they're all the same thing.

+1

It's funny you mention the grip angle--I picked up a 1911 this week, and couldn't find the front sight. The 1911 supposedly has the "perfect" grip angle, but I had to tilt the gun upward to see it. A 1911 with an arched mainspring housing has about the same grip angle as a Glock. Last weekend, I shot an STI Trojan (w/ arched mainspring housing) and it was ssuuwweeeet!!! Hmmm...maybe I should move to ESP...

.357/.40--what's the difference?

I've owned four SIGs and have lots of respect for them, but Glocks suit my needs better.

18/20--number of amendments and Susan B.

Glock 27 or Glock 19 in a CTAC.

Exactly.

I would say the Glock aftermarket is the result of people wanting to personalize their guns for their purposes, not necessarily to improve reliability or overcome design flaws, etc. The only thing I feel the need to change on them is the sights, but I would change the sights on almost any handgun I bought. The one major fault of the Glock is the craptastic plastic sights. However, Glocks can be ordered with steel sights (tritium or non-tritium), so one could argue that no mods are necessary.

+1 It's not the responsibility of a pedestrian to learn dog mannerisms or certain techniques which may or may not work. Dogs are just dumb animals and can't be expected to react in a prescribed manner to the actions of a stranger.

Looks can be deceiving, but sometimes aren't. I've had to deal with dogs so much at work that 4' became no big deal. About 75% of the dogs I've dealt with were badasses until they got a couple feet away, then backed down. The rest I usually had to fight. I will agree with the above poster--charging or not, shooting a dog in its own yard will take some creative articulation on the shooter's part to avoid legal problems. I would almost be tempted to let the dog bite me first before unloading on it. On the other hand, if I'm with my kid in a stroller, tough luck Spot--the benefit of the doubt ratio just shrank.

Looking down on Chimney Tops:

What/when did this happen? I always thought Chimney Tops was sooo high and a tough trail...until I finally went up to LeConte. I thought it was so cool that about 2/3 the way up Alum Cave to LeConte, you can look DOWN on Chimney Tops.

On that same day we went up and down back in October, we went to Pigeon Forge to take a shower. We bumped into this guy who looked like he rode with General Lee, and he claimed that he frequently walked from the top of Leconte to what is now the Sugarlands Visitor Center way back when it had just become a National Park (he looked like he could probably still do it). He said he would hunt there as a boy, even after it became a National Park. He said the park rangers were a bunch of tenderfoot city slickers who were afraid to leave the trails, but nowadays, you can't get away with what he used to do because the current park rangers are a bunch of country boys. It was quite an entertaining conversation.

Congrats on changing your lifestyle for the better. Just out of curiosity, you plan on going up Chimney Tops? The last time I was up there, the tail end of the trail had washed out. Any news on that? If you can do Chimney Tops to the end, Alum Cave Bluff will be no problem. I'm jealous that you live so close to all these trails. Keep working and keep us updated on your progress! Post some pics from each trail, too.

Hitting that itty bitty slide stop at just the right angle in the heat of the moment works like a champ...until you miss it. It's even easier to miss if you're a lefty. If you want to use the slide stop to drop the slide on a Glock, the extended one is still only half as useful as just about any other make.