MacGyver

Steve, David's got the artwork. Let me know if you need help. Feel free to give me a call next week if you'd like to discuss.

I almost brought you out of retirement to do the dirty work.

I learned a whole bunch from these guys: http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html

Today, the staff of TGO did something that we very rarely do.  We banned a handful of members - and by an handful, I mean five members plus one special case.   While one can certainly read into the changes to the forum structure this week and David's admonition to "be nice or be gone", I thought I would share our reasoning with you guys in some detail so that no one is left guessing and out intentions will be clear.   In short, this community is something that we're very passionate about protecting. And, community is a delicate thing sometimes.  We like to believe that TGO is a place where we can discuss big topics, and I honestly believe that it is.  We ask our members to abide by the Code of Conduct we've put forth, and for the large part everyone complies.  I have to commend our members, because you guys actually do such a phenomenal job policing the board that moderators rarely have to get involved at all.  If you've been involved in more than one or two forums over the years, you probably realize what a rarity that is.   But, of late we've sensed a change.  We've had a few members who have just had the effect of turning threads sour.  Many of you are probably like me and are quite capable of reading viewpoints you don't agree with and simply dismissing them.  You need some pretty thick skin on the internet, and we've got some fairly mature personalities on TGO.  Yet, when a person keeps being presented with negative arguments, while you may be able to dismiss them, you find yourself distancing yourself from the source.  We realized as a staff this week, that TGO was becoming a place that weren't enjoying hanging out as much.  That's when we realized that we needed to take some action.   I expected that we would end up booting a few dozen people.  When you grow from a few thousand people where we were a few years ago to over 21,000 people today, you're going to have some bad apples get mixed in.  I was wrong in my expectation.  I was actually quite surprised to see how few voices it takes to turn something completely sour.    I want to be very clear that this isn't an exercise as some have opined, in political correctness.  Those of you who know David or I personally know that we're about the farthest thing you'll get from politically correct.  This isn't a case about tolerance; rather it's one of over indulgence.  A few members have taken advantage of the graces of this forum, and we're not going to sit idly by and let that happen.   We made the changes to the way the political forum shows up so that you actually have to go and seek it out to participate.  We welcome the conversations, but it was becoming overpowering.  At one point a couple of weeks ago out of 20 threads on the "new content" page, 18 were political in nature.   If you hit the "New Content" button now, you might notice that it actually looks like we're running a gun forum again.  I welcome the change.   Several of you sent either David or I notes this week following David's call for guilty consciences.  I want to thank each of you who did that, and let you each know that not a one of you we're on our list of people who were abusing the forum.  I would ask that each of you consider your tone in posting.  There's a time for hyperbole.  There's a time for strong rhetoric.  Consider those times carefully.   I would ask each of our members to be mindful of your tone.  In this modern time of zero sum politics where what's good for one party must necessarily be bad for the other party, it's easy to become polarized ourselves.  But, I'd ask you to consider guns as a bit of a special case.  With over 300,000,000 guns in this country, guns aren't a republican/democrat thing.  They're an American thing. With 20,000 members, I expect we've got people of at least slightly different flavors of politic.  But, each of them joined this forum because they like guns.  Please watch your voices and consider your rhetoric.  Let's not make enemies where we don't have to.   We are going to be watching things carefully in the coming months.  Please help us out, as the staff doesn't see every thread that's posted.   We really do value our membership here and the community that has formed.  Many of you, if you're like me have made new and lasting friends as a part of this board.  I look forward to meeting more of our members and will seek to do so in the coming months.   Thanks for all of your help!   Mac    

In

I'm hoping...

I'd by the new Crimson Trace green Rail Master before the Viridian. You're going to have better aftermarket support as they gain popularity.

Yeah, if you guys see a Warrior come up for sale, send me a note.  I've got limited bandwidth and TGO takes most of it, so my consumption of the knife forums is limited to occasional casual use.   Threads shouldn't disappear.  I seem to remember it a while back.  I'll look and see what I can find.

Yeah, that's $80/brick on $15.99/brick value ammo. 

I wish they made the Pacific in a non-serrated blade.  I'd buy one in a heartbeat   I'm working on some Japanese cleavers right now, but I might trend towards that shape with my next project knife..

Those are cool!

I'll preface this by saying that I've always been fond of the Minis in all of their variants.  But, if I already had $400 in one, I don't think I'd be itching to spend a whole lot more money on it.

Kitchen knives are the tool of choice in the vast majority of crimes committed with knives. As far as knives go, some of them are likely a lot more effective than anything you're going to carry in your pocket (that jumbo folder Mac's got notwithstanding :) )

I generally do run suppressed.  I don't get a much blowback, but I guess some is to be expected   Everything has its price.

Even with the new magic coatings (Nickel Boron, Titanium Nitride, etc...), AR's are still AR's.  Don't make the mistake of thinking that just because it's easier to clean that you can neglect proper lubrication.  A lot of big magazines/writers seem to be falling for/promoting this fallacy right now.  It shows that their use/maintenance of the platform is strictly casual rather than professional.  Outside of homebuilt Frankenstein type ARs, I'd wager that at least half of stoppages can be attributed to improper lubrication   ARs run best when they're lubed appropriately.  When it comes to properly lubricating a BCG, err on the side of running it wet.  You might get dirty and get some grease on that pretty new plate carrier, but your weapon is a lot likelier to keep running when it needs to.   I love my NiB bolt carrier groups.  But, run them dry and they'll eventually stop.

Ladyfish are plenty good to eat - just a lot of bones. But, if you're willing to eat mullet,you won't be disappointed by ladyfish. We pretty regularly catch them that big up in NW Florida. Get one on ultralight tackle and you've got a real fight on your hands. There's probably nothing that hits harder for its size than maybe a bonefish. An ultralight rod and a Rapala in silver blue is a recipe for a great afternoon. They're probably my favorite fish to catch from the beach.

Follow the ARFcom guide.  If that looks too complex, it doesn't get much simpler. That's probably a good prompt to get someone else involved.

Have you checked Seattle Fabrics?

I definitely enjoyed that and it really makes you appreciate the job that wildlife officers do.

20,774 members on here as of today.  Someone on here knows him.

Make sure your virus protection / anti-malware software is up-to-date.

I'm glad to have some competition, too. I just hope they stick around.

Getting hit with range splatter is the norm as opposed to the exception at Gun City.    We've got so many good ranges nearby.  Why go and deal with the safety issues, much less the air quality issues?

How that place is still in business is beyond me.

If you're looking to carry weight for fitness, and you're here in Nashville, I'd really recommend getting fitted for a pack as opposed to trying to order one.  REI in Brentwood can do a pretty good job of this, and have plenty of packs for all body types.  Yeah, it sounds like you might be looking at a youth sized pack.   I don't know how your sewing skills are, but you really ought to consider sewing up some 5-10 lbs. sandbags if you're going to be carrying them on a regular basis.  If you get fitted for a pack, you'll see what I mean, as you cannot be fit for a pack appropriately without adding weight to it.  The weight ought to sit close to your back, and then you can add some filler material (pillows) to the outside are to keep it in place.  Between pack fit and appropriate weight distribution, these are the two main areas that make a pack uncomfortable.  Get it right and you'll have a good experience.   Just to be clear, when you get a pack that fits you and get it loaded appropriately, the majority of the weight should be as close to your back as you can get it.  This puts it more naturally in line with your body and is much better for balance.  Second, those shoulder straps are just there for stability.  If that pack is going to ride comfortably, the weight should be carried on your hips, distributed evenly by the hip belt.  If the pack is digging into your shoulders because the hip belt is sub par or isn't doing its job, you're going to fatigue a lot more quickly.   I'd definitely suggest getting fit for one professionally.  Packs aren't cheap.  You're a lot more likely to stick with one that actually fits you.