Jamie Jackson

Looking great bandit! Thanks for the pics.

TripleGGG is correct. Sorry if my OP was misleading @Steelharp. Not my intention. But they do indeed have a huge selection of rental guns. The EZ 380 we purchase was brand spanking new.

@Erik88, I agree on Johnny. Great guy and very sharp. We gotta keep this place in business. I'd hate to loose such a nice range. It seems to stay busy, not overly crowded, but busy. I happy for that!

I just wanted to pop up a thread about a very positive experience I had at Shoot Point Blank indoor range in Knoxville yesterday. I also didn't want to drift a thread started by @Ronald_55 and that @peejman and others had posted in. I've been shooting there (Shoot Point Blank) for several months. I went the first time based on a coupon I received in the mail for a free 1/2 hour range session. I became a member as they offer a 50% discount for prior military service. That, and the fact it's only 5 miles from my front door made it a no-brainer. The facility is extremely well stocked, the staff are courteous, and professional. The ranges are safe, RSO's sharp, polite, knowledgeable, and professional. The range is well ventilated and well lighted. With my membership I can shoot any gun they have for sale (Clarification: you can fire 5 rounds in a "test drive", or you can choose any gun from their Rental section to shoot). I just need to purchase ammo from them to shoot in their gun. Fair enough. You can shoot long guns as well as handguns there. As a member I am eligible for one free transfer per month and one free class they offer per month, and my range time is unlimited. So, I was already very happy about my membership there. I recently picked up a .22 LCR and just last week replaced the front sight with an XS Orange Dot sight. My wife liked the looks of it and wanted to go shoot it with me yesterday. Holy Moly...did you read that? My wife wanted to go shoot with me! I jumped at that opportunity as it's been several years since she asked, and I learned loooong ago not to be pushy about such a subject. I've been married 31 years and plan to continue along that path! So she tried my .22 LCR (heavy trigger, but she wanted to try). She also shot a .38 S&W and .38 LCR. The double action trigger pull is simply too much for her. We went out to the desk and spoke with the saleslady. My wife handled several handguns, they not only allowed, but suggested she dryfire them. We checked out a S&W 380 EZ because it fit her well (as I already mentioned, no charge as I'm a member) and paid for a box of their ammo (Magtech). My wife shot all but one magful, which she graciously allowed me to shoot LOL. She loved the EZ 380. We bought her one then and there. Not the one she shot, but a new one that has a thumb safety because she liked that aspect. Excellent customer service all the way around imho. Now I gotta start handloading .380 again. I ordered her some practice ammo and a couple of extra mags from CDNN when we got home. Life is good! Happy wife, Happy life as they say. I just wanted to let folks know that there does exist quality facilities that do promote positive customer service and shooting experiences. I have no business affiliation with Point Blank, I'm just a very satisfied customer.

So as not to jack @Ronald_55's thread I'll start another with yesterday's LGS (Point Blank) experience. They run a store the way one should be run!

Sorry. Didn't catch it was a long gun...

@Ronald_55 I haven't been to a local gun store in a long time that will let me use snap caps, or even a pencil (works great btw). etc because of fear of litigation if "something went wrong". I could also see a gunstore having concerns about modeling clay gunking up the firing pin channel. We're lucky locally here in Knoxville in that Point Blank will let you test fire a handgun prior to purchase...at least as a member I've had that offered to me. Does the gun store you use have a range or test area where you can fire a couple of rounds?

I was very fortunate to have a good yield, indeed. It sounds like you are doing pretty darn well too my friend. In past years I have frozen and then when I'd accumulated enough, I'd thaw and can the tomatoes. But I would pressure rather than waterbath can them. The pressure canning pretty much annihilates the tomato's structure, but it makes a great tomato sauce for cooking. I've done the "freeze now"- "can later" thing with several veggies, such as okra (for making an okra & tomatoes mixture) and green beans, etc. With limited garden space, and therefore limited production yield, it's what works best for me. I hope to put in another bed next week on my days off. Time management is a challenge LOL

Nice looking potatoes K.! Well done Sir. OK... I think we have enough tomatoes put up. I've peeled, quartered, bagged and vac sealed right at 50 quarts. I think we're good for this year. I cut down all but one plant and will probably cut it down next week. I think I'll plant some red kidney beans, for eating, as well as the nitrogen pods for the soil. Our peppers won't quit producing, but the missus wants me to let them go to red and can a few quarts of them then. With limited space I have to rotate what I plant. So we'll see what next week brings. Decisions, decisions...

+1 to what peejman said. I live in Farragut and mostly shoot at Point Blank these days since it less than 5 miles from my home. They offer a substantial membership discount for former military. But I've been an ORSA member since '06 and appreciate the variety of shooting options available there. Eric runs at great range at Windrock as well. You've got some fine choices awaiting you @aknifemaker. Welcome to the neighborhood.

Done! Thanks for the head's up Mac. Much appreciated.

We need pictures people! Especially of the taters ReeferMac. We're loaded with tomatoes too Mac. I'm not complaining, I promise. The dining room table is covered with them, we're eating them daily, and have about 30 quarts vac sealed and in the freezer. And they're still producing. Life is good!

Thank you @Jeb48! That was well written and I'm still LMAO.

I think that Primarymachine is doing the mill, and I'm sure there must be others. I believe that RDS on handgun will become ubiquitous in the relatively near future, just as they have on rifles and carbines. The amount of research, development and competition in this area is incredible. The greatest challenges seem to be coupling durability, battery life and ease of battery change at this point. A wider field of view should become a reality too as things develop. I believe that the utility has already been demonstrated. Instead of having to have a hard focus on the front sight, the shifting of focus from the target (threat) and back to the sight before breaking the shot ( it's only milliseconds I know) the RDS allows us to focus on the target/threat and know we can break that shot when the dot appears. This was a "lightbulb moment" for me LOL. So, to me at least, this means the RDS system is just as viable up close and fast, and they markedly improve my accuracy at distance where you would have the luxury of time in sight acquisition. In my experience the S&W Shield, Glock 43, PPS, and similar sized pistols are capable of very good accuracy at extended distances... the standard iron sights just aren't as conducive to such...at least to my aging eyes. Lasers offer similar capabilities, but from limited experience can easily "wash out" in bright outdoor lighting. YMMV I am not in any way being argumentative nor dismissive of what @hipower is saying, and I admit "learning" a Red Dot initially takes a bit of practice (Dry fire is your/my friend )... but so did initially learning to use iron sights. And I agree, most defensive use is definitely relatively close. But having the ability to engage the most statistically probable event plus the outlier like an active shooter event can't be a "bad thing" in this day and age. My apologies for the drift/tangent. I'm looking forward to what develops and look forward to hearing of others experiences.

Damn birds! Man! They sure love ripe tomatoes! But...I finally put up some netting and foiled their nefarious plot! At least for now. We've canned approximately 20 quarts (equivalent) of peppers... some in pints (sliced) and some in 1/2 pints (sliced), the quarts were whole. I've shared several quarts with friends so far. The peppers are still producing well, so I think I may just freeze and vac seal them.

Welcome to TGO Tom. Thank you for your service Sir. At 65 I'm a certified senior and was a dry-land sailor way back when. If you post your query about the Charter Arms .44 in the "handguns section" below you'll probably get more input. But I had/have a Charter Arms Bulldog in .44 spl I purchased around 1987. The trigger never smoothed out as more quality revolvers like S&W, Colt, and Ruger seem to do, but it was reliable as can be, shot straighter than I do and I literally "shot it to death"! They tend to wear out vs wearing in, but I thoroughly enjoyed shooting my handloads in it. It fell apart around 3 thousand rounds. I carried it with a set of hip grips and a Tyler T-piece. It was great for a low profile carry situation and I admit I was firmly in the "Big Bore" camp in the early '90s. I have no knowledge of current production Charter revolvers. Again, Welcome to TGO.

Great price! Thank you. I also ordered one of these Mora knives. I have a few others, great quality, and this is a darn good price imho. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01K27GPUE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Any updates on the bench progression? You better take some photos because if yours turns out like mine clutter will miraculously appear!

Greetings and Welcome!

Looking Great @I40Bandit! Thanks for the photos! Solid tips as well! I had to cut my darn crazy cukes down! I worked a 3 day stretch of 12 hrs (read 13-14 hrs) shifts and over that essentially 4 day period they covered my 16 foot panel and tried to choke out my tomato plants! Viscous little bastids! er big, growing madly bastids! I'd rather have tomatoes than cukes anyway, at least until I plagiarize Bandit's trellis idea. We just got back from 4 days in deepest, hottest and most humid South MS... 99 to 101 degrees with 91% humidity and essentially no cell and absolutely no internet service...so it was nice of everyone to wait until I returned to post to the garden thread LOL Well, in my absence the birds have thoroughly enjoyed about a dozen of my nice ripe tomatoes. But the plants are producing nicely and the peppers are really doing well. I have a whole day off tomorrow so I'll be canning more peppers and enjoying another tomato sandwich. Those tomato sandwiches are my favorite "thing" about summer gardens. @peejman...Rabbits love gardens even more than we do. They especially love tender young okra and tender young green beans... hence the prison camp-like fencing of my garden! Been there and done that and I hate it for you Sir!

Looking good Bandit!

Don't mean to rain on this parade but good God what are they thinking? The only thing worse than a falling down sleepy drunk is a wide awake falling down drunk! Of course I may be a little biased as I frequently draw legal blood alcohols, before 0900, in our ER, for local LEO's. Frequently...all too frequently. So please...if you are gonna combine alcohol and coffee...Stay you A** at home. This has been a PSA from your local ER RN that has no ill will towards PBR.

Just tagging in to see what you decide. I'm still running the same Dillon 550 and Dillon FL 2000 vibratory case unit for going on 32 years now. Dillon is simply phenomenal in both quality products and customer service. I have a box of spare parts for my 550...free from Dillon over the years and they even rebuilt my 550 to like new around 5 years ago. They always refused payment and a quick e-mails had parts for free within a few days. I did pay shipping to Dillon when I sent my press to them...they paid the return. I "like" RCBS. I "love" me some Dillon!

LOL. Now that was an interesting autocorrect! Thanks for the link.

Welcome to the forum @rok. Like @I40Bandit mentioned. Pics of the garden and input and suggestions are welcomed. As now that Bandit mentioned it...mowing does seem to be a State mandated pastime!