Darrell

Raoul is right on the money, here. Components are unobtanium at anything approaching reasonable prices. Powder is in low supply, brass is hard to find. And reloading equipment is commanding premium prices right now. If I were interested in starting out right now, I'd try hard to hold off until supplies normalize again. The problem with that, of course, is that we could be looking at a new normal.

True enough if we're talking about non-essential items like ammo or components. Not so true if we're talking about essentials after a disaster. I'm thoroughly disgusted with the current market for ammo and components, and I'm trying not to participate. Another thread here on TGO linked to a GB ad in which a 525 box of .22 ammo was bid up to $250. That strikes me as insane, but it was an auction and no one was forced to bid. Honestly, I'm dismayed by the whole thing.

I read an article this morning that says a big donor from Nashville is suing to remove $64M from the NRA's bankruptcy actions. This guy donating $100,000, then found out that WLP spent hundreds of thousands on luxury vacations and high-end suits. I'm a long-time life member, with some of those meaningless add-ons, and I value the political efforts of the NRA. BUT.... I've had it with the internal politics of the organization. It's long past time for WLP to go. I remember when he made the infamous "jackbooted thugs" remark that caused George Bush to resign, and didn't care for it then. But the NRA has long been the big-boy on the block when it comes to lobbying for our gun rights. One of things that bothers me most is that the NRA has not addressed all these allegations and problems in their monthly magazines. Oh, they've sung the praises of Wayne, but I think they owe the members a detailed explanation. I don't think we'll get that before a change in management, and probably not at all. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/16/nra-donor-bankruptcy-dave-dellaquila-wayne-lapierre

I guess when it hits $1.00 a round for .22 I'll let go of a 525 pack. Geez, I hate this! I used to be just fine with going to the range and shooting 100 rounds of whatever. Now I'm trying to just shoot enough to keep current. It sucks.

SURELY no one is really going to pay fifty cents a round (plus shipping!) for .22 ammo!!!! Could some of these stupid-high bids be people who are just screwing with the sellers?

Eggs Zacktly! The mayors of those cities were willing to drive their economies into the ground, and now that the political reason for a shutdown no longer exists, they want their economies running again. The conditions you cited existed months ago, right? But the timing of the desire to reopen the economies is suspect in my eyes. There appears to have been a political reason for keeping the economies down. The stated reason for shutting down, Covid, still exists and isn't showing any sign of going away. Why reopen now? If the people were in so much danger from the virus six months ago that the economy had do be sacrificed, why not now? What suddenly changed?

I read today that the mayors of New York and Chicago are now both in favor of immediately re-opening their economies. I have no doubt that Covid is a serious problem, but I also have no doubt that a large part of the government response was political. Now that DJT is about to be out of office, it's suddenly okay to get the economy running again? Wouldn't it be nice to trust government to do what's right for the people instead of for their party?

My buddy and I built illegal CW transmitters so we could send Morse code at 15 watts or so the three blocks between our houses. We didn't know we needed licenses, and I know that every TV in town was pulsing and clicking with every character we sent. It was fun for the short time until my dad figured it out. I think he was pleased I was able to build the transmitter, but not so much that I actually used it.

I've been a ham for years. The last thing to fail is good old CW (Morse Code). There are some more modern digital modes that work through heavy noise, but those require a computer. CW just requires a key and a bit of practice. And apart from the emergency aspect of it, ham is an enjoyable hobby. de KC7TEN

About a year ago I bought a Ruger Precision Rimfire in .22 LR and I love it. It's more accurate than I am, and you can't (at least couldn't) beat a .22 for cheap. I also have a couple of Armi Jager AK-22's, one in .22 LR and the other in .22 Mag, neither of which have been fired much. Ruger 10-22 which I rarely shoot. Marlin lever-action in 22 Mag. My first rifle ever, a Nylon 66 that I bought when I was 15 and still shoot fairly often. And a small brace of 22 handguns as well.

I wonder how much it would cost to open a primer manufacturing facility. Wowzer! $400 a case for primers. Who'd a thunk it?

Scary stuff! Cumberland county, where I live, is a Second Amendment Sanctuary, and I doubt there'd be any immediate enforcement of such nonsense, but thinking down the road 20 years or so...... not good news!

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/01/10/joe-biden-doubles-down-pledges-defeat-nra/

Watch any one, the rest are about the same thing.

He also seems to think it's a bad thing that a semi-auto, particularly AR-style rifles, will hold up to rapid fire. A lot of us have purchased that style of rifle specifically for self-defense. He argues that an AR isn't good for self-defense, but I choose to make my own decisions when it comes to the safety of my family and me.

I think they can. I taught two women (friends of my wife) to shoot when both had previously been anti-gun. Both had fun shooting at and popping balloons, like you'd set up for a little kid, and I think the heavy emphasis on safety impressed them both. If and when you take those new folks spend some time on safe handling before you load a round, make sure they understand how careful we "responsible gun owners" are, and give them a way to be successful in their first outings. Big targets, short ranges. And keep an eye on them! No matter how much you preach safety, a newbie is likely to need some reinforcement. I'm not entirely convinced all those new gun sales went to new owners. I'm pretty much always in the market for something interesting, and I can tell by the postings here that I'm sure not alone in that.

Thanks for that link, party. That's the first time I've read that particular article, though I've seen similar. That article is full of the kind of "facts" that I think the MSM will push. Further, I believe that it will become harder to argue against that kind of argument as social media giants have begun to censor views with which their owners disagree. I'm much more worried by what the media, including social media, is getting away with now than with who is in office. There's a reason why the Soviet Union, communist China, Nazi Germany, North Korea, etc., keep (or kept) such tight control over the media.

No one "deems" it false. It's false. Spreading disinformation and misinformation is wrong. Unfortunately it seems a huge portion of our population cannot identify either. Are these statements true or false, Daniel?: No one needs a high capacity magazine. Weapons of war don't belong on our streets. The Second Amendment was written when people carried muskets. No one needs an assault rifle to hunt. An AR-15 was designed to kill lots of people quickly. Etc., etc., ad nauseam.... I would consider any of those "spreading disinformation." You might think all are chiseled in stone. My point, as I really believe you understand, is that I do not want anyone arbitrating the truth for me. I don't think you do, either.

Are you okay with Twitter or Facebook deciding you shouldn't see a post because someone on their staff DEEMS it false? I subscribe to neither, but I'd prefer to hear opposing viewpoints and decide for myself, thank you.

You might think about a plug kit, too. They're cheap at HF, and can save you a lot of grief. Heck, if the tire has a nail in the tread you just plug it and carry on. I bought a nice mushroom plug kit on-line and it's been a good purchase. I have a plug kit and CO2 cartridges on my touring bike, but I don't think the cartridges would work well with a car tire. Good luck!

I bought a 12vdc model from HF, and while I wouldn't use it every day, it works well in the kind of situation you describe. https://www.harborfreight.com/12v-150-psi-compact-air-compressor-63184.html I bought mine to carry on a cross-country trip, but never needed it. Still, it's compact, has a carry bag, and comes with everything you need. It definitely gets hot when filling a big truck tire, and like all HF tools you take a risk. $70 and HF has 20% off coupons, so figure $56 plus tax.

I moved to TN from WA two years ago, not least because of the politics there. WA has one of the most pro-gun ownership constitutions in the country, and has long had a population of blue-collar, independent folks, many of whom love to hunt and fish. But over the past 20 years or so that culture has slowly changed. Not long before I moved new laws were passed that required "universal" background checks, meaning that EVERY firearms transaction now must go through an FFL. If I wanted to loan a rifle to my brother for a hunting trip, I'd be required to take it to an FFL and have it transferred to him, then we'd have to go back again to transfer it to me when he's done with it. New laws in WA require "safe storage" and it seems that at every legislative session more restrictions are proposed. Politics is opportunistic. Right now the anti-gun forces have a lot going for them. They control two of the three branches of government, and probably most importantly, they control the press. The past five years have proved to me that the press is willing to mislead and outright lie about conditions in our nation. The left also controls the social media giants, which have shown a willingness to suppress political speech they deem false or harmful. I hope Erik88 is right and I'm wrong, but I expect to see a strong assault on gun rights, and very soon. After all, how can any of be opposed to "common sense gun safety"? The first I look for is repealing the legislation that protects gun manufacturers, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. It will be pretty easy to bleed the manufacturers dry with multiple law suits.

I take a look at the NY Times website every morning, along with several other news sites, and I noted that this morning there's a front-page link to an article by Gabrielle Giffords, the former representative who was shot and now [figure]heads an anti-gun group. The article only touches on gun-control, but Giffords mentions Biden's "vision" for a safer America. Biden isn't yet sworn in, and already the anti-gun probes and preparation are beginning. Democrats will shortly hold the presidency, the house, and the senate. Stand by for an onslaught against our Second Amendment right. Personally, I'm very concerned.

Good point, but my comment was based on the actual citation I read. And this was WWI, when conserving the lives of their own men was hardly a concern of the men in charge. "American Caesar" a biography of Douglas McArthur is quite a tome, but it's worth reading. The accounts of WWI actions were eye opening, to say the least.

A little off-topic here, but I recently visited the grave of Milo Lemert, a Medal of Honor winner buried in Crossville. My father and many uncles and great uncles served, and I did a hitch in the Corps, so I respect military service, but while I read Sgt. Lemert's citation it struck me that he was being honored for killing a lot of men, and then being killed. While there can be no doubt of the man's bravery, it seems a terrible thing to me that we as a society place such emphasis on war and killing. And I started to wonder about the political purpose of military awards. While I'm sure that they recognize outstanding actions, they also serve as a propaganda tool, helping to encourage impressionable young men to volunteer to go and do the dirty work of elderly politicians who'll never sleep in the mud or hear a shot fired in anger. How sad that human beings who can build great cities and travel to Mars still kill each other with such frequency. But more to the point: Chuck Yeager, who just recently died, is one that I admire greatly. Beside his combat experience and helping to bring a wounded fellow combatant to safety from behind enemy lines, he made huge contributions to aerospace while knowing that every time he strapped one of those experimental planes on he risked a firey death. He was flying experimental planes at a time I was imagining flying the X-15 while swinging during recess.