MacGyver

An ESEE Izula might be a nice, yet economical starting point.  It'll take a paracord wrap nicely.

May be a little heavier, but they're generally dependable old work horses. I'd have no issues if that was all I could afford.

People like Stanley McChrystal and Wesley Clark are interesting studies in human nature, and perhaps offer some commentary on our modern culture of celebrity worship. McChrystal's career ended in disgrace, yet he became so enamored with the sound of his own voice that now he desparately needs a pulpit. It's too bad they can't recognize that the press is all to happy to give them that voice in return for being their monkies. McChrystal's already shown he suffers from poor judgement. What outcome did he possibly expect after calling the Vice President names in Rolling Stone?

I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.

When it comes to holographic sights, it's pretty much EOTech and "looks like an EOTech".  There is a real difference both in performance and longevity of the sight.  Since an EOTech uses holographic technology, if you can see any part of the window, then you can see the recticle.  That's important.  There are plenty of imitators, but they're pretty much just plain old red dots in a different housing.   However, if you've not used one before, it's worth finding someone who has one and trying one out.  They're not for everyone.   That said, I love mine.

That's gorgeous, Steve!  Tell me about those scales. 

Gorgeous old pistol!  I've always had a fondness for the classic Woodsmen.

I don't know why anyone still does business with Bank of America.  It's not just their anti gun stance.  Have they left any shadow of doubt in anyone's mind that they have total disregard for their customers by expecting them to bend over and take anything they dish out?   Seriously.  Why does anyone still do business with Bank of America.   Get your money out of there. 

They are definitely a survival tool and absolutely NOT a replacement for any type of sleeping bag - summer weight or otherwise. I do have a friend who probably owes his life to a space blanket and a tea candle that he used after an immersion accident while we got a fire going.

Space blankets are well proven survival tools. Personally, I like the emergency bivys made by Adventure Medical. It's a fist sized addition to your kit that can absolutely keep the reaper out of your business. http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/product.php?product=146 As someone who has probably consumed 100's of space blankets in my life, the Adventure Medical space blankets are so much better quality than any others on the market, they shouldn't even be in the same category. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001GAOISI

Oh, that's terrible. Life is so short...

Westinghouse M1891 Infantry Rifle.  Better known as the M91 Mosin Nagant.   Folks with way more knowledge in the area will be along shortly.

The rifle by itself can be had for around $800 if you look around. I really like the lightweight HS Precision stock. That was the selling point for me. It simply fits my frame better. I like a shorter barrel in .308. Mine is 18" vs. the 20" that they've got on it now. I don't really put much in the fluted barrel. I don't think I shoot it enough to take advantage of the cooling it might offer. I've got Leupold glass on mine, but nowhere near as nice a setup as is listed here. Mine's an easy MOA shooter. That is, the rifle makes it really easy for a guy like me to shoot sub-MOA groups. That said, I don't think there's anything that makes the LTR any more accurate than any other similarly equipped 700.

I've had a 700LTR for about five years. It's a great rifle.

There are a lot of things in life that can seem important.  There are only a few things that really are.  Community is one of them.   We are blessed with a great community here, and frankly, most of the moderating decisions we are forced to take come from people who are disruptive to the commuity at large.   The interesting thing about community is that every individual member has an impact on the rest, whether they are actively involved or only seldomly so.  All it takes is one member taking advantage of someone else to sour it for everyone else.   We've got a good thing here.  Don't screw it up.

Within a proper distance window, I'd have exactly zero issues going after a coyote with one of these.  They're little bullets, but I've never seen a coyote take more than a couple of steps even after being hit with a .17HMR.

Maybe other people's experience is different, but I can't see this as a squirrel gun. A great coyote gun for small game season like the OP suggested, but not squirrels. A 17HMR is explosive enough on squirrels. I can't imagine this thing leaving anything other than a red spot where a squirrel used to be. Neat cartridge, though. I've always had a soft spot for the .17 Remington Fireball.

You're playing with fire at best...

Several people with whom I often disagree, but enjoy both talking to and reading are calling the speech linked below the most important speech of the century thus far.    It's well worth a read, and I would be interested in your thoughts on the matter.  As is often the case, Alexis de Tocqueville was eerily correct in his assessment over two centuries ago.   Although the subject does concern the subject of religon and government, I would ask that anyone commenting below actually take the time to read the article before commenting.  It's well worth the 15 minutes it will take you to get through it.   George Will at Washington University

Ryan makes the best hawk on the market today. If I had to carry one as a piece of my kit, I would have no issue grabbing a shrike, talon or kestrel...

I only order from Jet's Pizza. They fully defended and supported a driver that had to defend himself in a robbery last year.

Travis, I'm glad you like the cuff links. I put a note in with your present only to find that I left it in the shop when I went to mail it. The real gift was the cuff links. I turned them down from some spent .308 brass and thought they would make a unique gift. The rest of the stuff got thrown in as I was looking for a box. I was originally going to mill down a wooden box, but couldn't find a hinge I thought would work. So, I put them in a survival tin. After putting them in the tin, I thought that it would be in bad form to send a survival tin with nothing to put in it. Hence the matches and the compasses. As I was digging through my spare kit stuff, I found the locking cable snares and decided to throw those in. You don't see many bug out bags with snares, but I find them useful. I don't know if you have the occasion to dress up much, but even if its just for church any now and then, the cuff links are fun. Hope you get some use out of them...

David's a good man. If I find out anyone who received something without turning around and sending something to someone else it will not be a good day for their membership status. That said, it's only a few days after Christmas. I guess we can give it a week. Let me know privately if you didn't receive a gift.

I think Kerry's comments over the last couple of years praising Bashar Assad are going to be problematic.

No.