Darrell

Thanks for the inputs. The Celestron looks pretty good, and I see that the Athon Talos is being closed out for about $150. I have an Athlon scope that I like a lot. And I have a Barska scope that outperforms it's price-point. I saw a used Swarovski for just $10,000.

Anyplace that ONLY accepts payment in bitcoin is a scam. There was a site that offered firearms for sale at very low prices and everything was in-stock, but only bitcoin. They even had a place where you could go and buy bitcoin with your credit card. There is no recourse at all if you pay with bitcoin and get nothing. It's money down the drain. I think we'll see more of this kind of thing with the current shortages of ammo and components. It doesn't cost much to set up a web-site, and if the actual locations is Russia or China, there's no way for LE to get to the bad guys. Darn it! I can use some primers.

So I was at the range today zeroing a new rifle and I find that my old eyes just aren't able to see bullet holes at 200 yards anymore, even with a pretty good rifle scope. I guess it's time to get my hands on a spotting scope. I'm interested in hearing of your experiences with budget-prices scopes, say under $250. Is it possible to buy a decent scope in that price range?

Juries surprise me with regularity.

Interesting. Thanks for the link. And what a shame! I saw a YouTube video recently in which a young woman was walking away from a judge in his court room and flipped him off. He called her back to the bench and sentencd her to 30 days.

I believe you're wrong (though I am no scholar of constitutional law.) The Supreme Court has ruled that "fighting words" are NOT protected by the 1st Amendment: "Fighting words are, as first defined by the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) in Chaplinsky v New Hampshire, 315 U.S. 568 (1942), words which "by their very utterance, inflict injury or tend to incite an immediate breach of the peace. It has been well observed that such utterances are no essential part of any exposition of ideas, and are of such slight social value as a step to truth that any benefit that may be derived from them is clearly outweighed by the social interest in order and morality." Fighting words are a category of speech that is unprotected by the First Amendment. Further, as seen below, the scope of the fighting words doctrine has between its creation in Chaplinsky and the Supreme Court's interpretation of it today. and Texas v. Johnson (1989) In Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397 (1989), the Supreme Court redefined the scope of the fighting words doctrine to mean words that are "a direct personal insult or an invitation to exchange fisticuffs." In the case, the Court held that the burning of a United States flag, which was considered symbolic speech, did not constitute fighting words.` HOWEVER: Whether or not flipping someone off constitutes "fighting words", it's coarse and unseemly and will NEVER result in conflict resolution. Civil society requires a degree of civility, doncha think? Using such a gesture is definitely a step in the wrong direction in most any situation.

Those of us who choose to carry need to be mindful of situations like MarkS's. Perhaps we need to be just a little more tolerant of the actions of others when we're armed. I'd hate to shoot anyone for something that began as trivially as a dispute over right of way. Almost all of us have made some bonehead error of judgement while driving. The older I get, the more tolerant I am when someone else does something stupid, knowing I've probably done something worse. You can bet that had MarkS pulled the trigger he would have been sued, and whether or not he'd won, the legal fees would have been significant. And the political implications for all gun-owners are considerable, too. Like Omega, I hope that passenger had a epiphany when he saw a firearm pointed at him, and perhaps next time he'll refrain from jumping out of a car to confront someone. MarkS might think hard next time about flipping off someone. The lesson I take from this situation is that small, thoughtless actions can lead to the most severe consequences. My dad used to tell me not to sweat the small stuff, and I guess that was pretty good advice.

From the Tennessee government web site: All Tennessee residents and businesses must pay use tax when the sales tax was not collected by the seller on otherwise taxable products brought or shipped into Tennessee. The use tax applies to all items otherwise subject to sales tax except for services and amusements. So, since you (I presume) do not have a tax number, then it's the buyer's responsibility to pay a use tax. Of course I ALWAYS go and pay when I buy an item from a private party.

Just a thought here. Had you not flipped the guy off, would the rest of the scenario have played out as it did? I'm generally a pretty calm man, but having someone say "FU" to my face, through words or gestures, really, REALLY ticks me off. Frustrations can be high in heavy traffic, and sometimes a simple thing like waving the guy on by, right of way or not, can diffuse a situation such as you describe. FAR better, in my opinion, to avoid the confrontation in the first place. A honked horn is one thing, a bullet in the chest another. Mind you, I am NOT excusing the passenger's actions. If someone tries to get into my car my reaction will be similar to yours, but what I am saying is that your gesture contributed.

I just read an article on Breitbart that says that California has the worst Covid breakout in the US, and yet they have some of the tightest restrictions. I have some family there and the rules in California are FAR tighter than they are here. I think that the population is a lot more prone to participate in social distancing, restricted gatherings, and mask-wearing than they are here, too. There's something going on that we're not being told. I tend to believe that the epidemiologists have information that they deem the unwashed masses unready to hear. I'll take the vaccine as soon as it becomes available. I take the flue vaccine every year, and I don't see this as much different. I note that the new cases and deaths in Cumberland county appear to be edging downward. I hope that trend holds.

Dang, I'm too old for that lifetime permit to be a bargain.

Do you live in Spencer? The Fairfield Glade Sportsman's Club is about an hour north of you. I pay $100 a year for full access to a 500 yard rifle range, trap and skeet range, and two pistol ranges (one undergoing improvement right now.) I don't use the trap and skeet range, but it seems popular and well-maintained. I joined for the rifle range, and it's well worth it to me.

ATF released the following statement: Upon further consultation with the Department of Justice and the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, ATF is withdrawing, pending further Department of Justice review, the notice and request for comments entitled “Objective Factors for Classifying Weapons with ‘Stabilizing Braces’,” that was published on December 18, 2020. As explained in the notice, the proposed guidance was not a regulation. The notice informed and invited comment from the industry and public on a proposed guidance prior to issuing a final guidance document. Quick read news article here: https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/12/23/atf-reverses-course-withdraws-ar-pistol-reclassification/ However, I DON'T think the fat lady has sung just yet....

There's a well-known ne're do well in my neighborhood, a car thief and drug addict. The sheriff's deputies know him well and arrest him regularly, but somehow the courts keep turning him loose on us over and again. I close my gate during hours of darkness and am fortunate to have a few very reliable, observant neighbors that I can count on in a pinch.

There are millions who won't be disarmed quietly.

Retracted... poor taste.

I'm still shooting, but WAY less than I want to. I reload and cast and I'm not exactly afeared of running out of ammo, but I'm worried about what the future is going to bring, especially if the dems win the two GA seats. I'm dipping down into my normal "buffer" of primers, which I don't like a bit.

No they aren't, though I might have worded it more clearly: A surgical or cloth mask will do little to protect the wearer from airborne exposure. An M95 mask must be properly fitted and worn, and proper technique must be used when removing it, or it will have little effect. I, for instance, wear a beard, so an unfiltered pathway for airborne exposure exists whether or not I wear the best mask. On your other points we seem to be in rough agreement, more or less. But the main point I was trying to make is that wearing a surgical mask or cloth covering is not likely to do much to reduce the wearer's exposure. The benefit, such as it is, is to prevent spread of the wearer's exhalation particles to others. If you handle the outside of ANY mask after an exposure, then touch your own face without first thoroughly washing your hands, then you may as well have not worn the mask at all. If you're removing a mask of ANY style, handling it, tossing it in the glove box, then putting it back on, you're likely worse off than if you wore none at all. Almost no one is properly wearing, and more importantly, removing, the masks that they have. Just for grins, try an experiment sometime. When I was a fireman / EMT we did this during the SAARs epidemic: Put on whatever mask you normally wear to prevent COVID exposure, and put on a pair of nitryl gloves. Get some mustard or ketchup from your fridge and rub it around your gloves. Once your gloves are well-coated, remove your mask and gloves and see if you got any condiment on your skin. It's pretty tough to properly remove PPE without spreading contamination.

https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2020/12/20/exclusive-rand-paul-masks-are-all-about-submission/ Quick read here. And while I disagree with Senator Paul that the whole mask thing is about submission, I do agree with him that wearing cloth masks is next to pointless.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-mask/art-20485449 Cloth and surgical masks are NOT going to keep you or me from catching the virus. M95 masks might if they are properly fitted and worn. What a cloth or surgical mask will do is to prevent a person already infected with the disease from transmitting quite as many disease-bearing particles in the air when that person sneezes, coughs, shouts, sings, etc. If you read the article linked above you'll note that the masks are recommended along with social distancing and other hygiene measures.

And a bobcat. He was following right behind the fox, but about 10 minutes behind. The fox is still around, so I guess the bobcat never caught him.

It's controversial because our political class used it as a bludgeon. One would think that those in government would attack a subject like the virus in a non-partisan way with the good of all Americans in-mind. Sadly, it was immediately politicized, and contradictory information flowed freely.

Or to state it another way, "I've given you my opinion, I'm uninterested in yours."

I use Excel also. Make, model, S/N caliber, accessories, and my best guess at value. I have a good catalogue in my head, but the spreadsheet is for my wife if she ever finds herself dealing with that stuff without me.

I had a similar experience five or six years ago when I sold a handgun through Gunbroker. It turned out that both UPS and FedEx will ship, (the buyer held an FFL) but they require overnight shipping on handguns, and the cost is prohibitive. It was much less expensive for me to pay an FFL to ship the gun for me. He was legally able to take it to the post office for mailing. I think I paid him $25 or so on top of the actual shipping cost, but it was far less than the overnight fee for UPS or FedEx.