MacGyver

I have to use one of those ratchet straps they use to hold stuff on trailers. Took some getting used to, but my pants don't budge an inch.

A little bit more expensive than the P3AT, but I've been really happy with the Micro Eagle. Any 380 has limitations, but it fits in well as a bug or in more formal social situations where you can't carry a full size piece. At 145 lbs it still disappears in the back pocket of my jeans with a Meco pocket holster.

So with two small children, it's hard enough to walk in a restaurant, much less notice whether they have posted. I keep meaning to check several places to see if they have posted, but as of tonight remembered to check when we ate at Cozymel's in Cool Springs. They were not posted. Name: Cozymel's City: Cool Springs Contact details:

I've got a 552.A65 and love it. The 512.A65 is identical minus the night vision setting on the 552. The AA units are long. On a standard M4 with a non rail handguard, I can only fit the holosight and an ARMS #40 BUIS. Not that I need, or want anything more on the rail, but it is a big unit. TripleDigitRide mentioned liking the units that take an n-type battery, they are also making one that takes a single Lithium 123 mounted transversely. That might be a nice option. Having used Aimpoints and EoTechs, I prefer the EoTech, especially the 65MOA ring with the 1MOA dot. Shoot both if you get a chance, as they are both great products and I think it is really a matter of personal preference. Noting the good deal you mentioned, make sure you are getting an authentic sight. They are having big problems with counterfeiters right now, and a lot of them are showing up on EBay. The sight may look identical from the outside, but turn them on and they are just a cheap knockoff red dot with no holographic technology.

I grew up in Atlanta and all of my family is there. PM me if you want to talk about pros/cons of particular neighborhoods.

Tom, I actually couldn't agree with you more on this point. The loss of simple knowledge in this country (and the world at large) is distressing. Not just on stuff like this, but gardening, mechanics, etc... If things were to ever really head south, we would have to relearn a lot of lost knowledge by trial and error - in a time where trial and error will likely cost lives. I think the knowledge presented here is actually good. I have filed it away to remember myself. My problems with it as a practical matter remain, though. Match heads are going to be inconsistent at best, and really time consuming to fill primer cups with. Second, get past the corrosiveness on any of the posted mixtures in the link, and you've still got a problem. Potassium Chlorate, Potassium Perchlorate, Antimony Sulfide, etc... are all consided "Explosive Materials" by the ATF as of 04/26/02. It's a shame - when I was a kid we could walk into the pharmacy up the street from my house and buy Potassium Chlorate by the pound (the pharmacist thought my mom had the best fertilized roses in town). Known possession these days will get your door kicked in. Just another way the world has changed for the worse, I guess. I would strongly discourage people from trying this in any situation other than an emergency. Our grandfathers didn't make their own primers. They bought them just like we do. A percussion cap is an entirely different animal. My own experience with match heads as a kid left me with a scar from spontaneous combustion when there was no other abrasive present than the inside of a smooth rocket tube. If it could happen then, there is no way I would walk around with a bunch of bullets strapped to my hip containing the same mixture.

Per my Avatar, I appreciate anything that can be improvised when things head south. That said, I stand by my earlier caution. Pressing pressure sensitive explosives into a case in close proximity to other explosive media is a bad idea. Sooner or later, you are going to reach down into your bag of luck, and there isn't going to be anything there. Should we ever meet, ask to see the scar on my hand from the unexpected ignition of a matchhead powered rocket when I was 10 or 11. Walking to the 'launchpad' - no dropping it or jarring it - it just lit up.

There has been some history in it, but in general, I would think it to be a phenomenally bad idea - for a couple of reasons. 1. Lead Styphnate, the primary explosive used in most primers is both impact (obviously) and shock sensitive. This includes electostatic discharge from the human body. One spark on a dry winter night, and there goes the neighborhood. Without some heavy duty safety equipment and an expensive press, you very well could blow yourself up. 2. Sourcing reloading mixture (whatever the composition) - this is a primary explosive, and as such I would guess that the BATFE is really going to take exception to people having it in their possession. If you look at what has happened with model rocket enthusiasts, sites like unitednuclear.com and others over the last few years under the misguided focus of DHS, I just can't see it happening. There were guys back in the depression who shaved the heads of strike anywhere matches to reload .22 shells, but it was unreliable then, and the mixture has changed since. Try striking a modern "strike anywhere" match anywhere but on the box and you'll see what I mean.

I am amazed I made it past a certain point in my life without safety glasses. It seems like I put them on religiously now if I am out in the shop or in the garage. Maybe I growing more cautious with age, but I've been struck recently at how many things have flown up and hit my glasses. That said, I'm not sure I would have been wearing them either when changing a baseplate. I've been wondering when you were going to redact that list. The collection seems to have been growing lately?

I find it interesting that opponents of the bill invoke the same states rights arguments that they argue against when it comes to the firearms freedom bills in various states.

What an amazing piece of history - both from your family and our country! Very cool.

I love a good Tomahawk, and really appreciate the fact that there are some great ones on the market today - I really like the ATC ones. That said, they are really only good at one thing - quiet CQB. For any other task there is simply a better more efficient tool - either a machete, saw, axe or in some cases a hammer. Your grandfather taught you to use the right tool for the job, and for better or worse, a modern tomahawk's intended purpose is to punch through helmets and skulls. For survival situations, there is something else to consider, and that is that you are going to spend a whole lot of precious energy using a hawk to perform a task that could be handled better with another tool - and with less chance of injury to yourself while in a compromised position. Do consider one with a nylon handle. The reason is that as an ambulatory member of the male gender, when you get a tomahawk, you are going to proceed directly to the backyard and attempt to throw it at the nearest wooden object of any size. It's going to bounce off that object many times before you get it down, and eventually your handle (even the good hickory ones) is going to break. It doesn't really matter how good you become, there seems to be an effective service life on the handle of a throwing tomahawk. I'm guessing that this is eventually a problem with the nylon ones, too, but maybe to a lesser extent. There's a guy down in Chattanooga that makes some really nice tactical tomahawks. I know at one time he was shipping them over to the sandbox about as fast as he could make them - I expect that has eased a bit by now. Tactical Tomahawks

Casino security is very tight, but focused on a different objective - that is how much a given customer is spending and whether or not they or anyone around them is cheating. Your entire experience in the casino is based on your spending level. Most have thousands of cameras in place, and can track your every move in the public areas and gaming areas. Most casinos are not formally posted, but any of them can ask a customer to leave at any time. As long as you go to Vegas knowing that the house is always going to win if you play long enough, and yet you go because you enjoy the experience, go and have a great time. I can never seem to get past that. For me, the only thing worth seeing in Vegas is 35 miles away at Hoover Dam, and that is a sight well worth seeing.

That's a really great bag. Did you see it in person before you bought it? I was looking at it on their site and in no way thought that the pictures they showed of the bag represented a bag with over 2000 cubic inches of space. I think that's about perfect for a go bag minus a primary weapon.

Sorry for the confusion Hatmaker, I wasn't criticizing your post. Since David asked about shooting 7.62 in a .308 - that is the reverse of the .223/5.56 argument. You can shoot either in a rifle marked 5.56, but not shoot 5.56 in a .223. Unlike the 7.62 where depending on the vintage/headspace you can get in trouble shooting commerical .308. I should have been more clear in my post.

It's actually the reverse of the .223/5/56 argument. It's okay to fire 7.62 in a rifle chambered for .308, but may not be okay to fire .308 in a rifle chambered for 7.62. While they are approximately the same size dimensionally, 7.62 is spec'd to have a thicker wall thickness. There probably wouldn't be a problem with a newer rifle, but in an old Mauser or something similar there could be. Here's a link if you are interested: 7.62x51mm NATO or 308 Winchester? What's the Difference?

They typical rule of thumb is that you need to be in th $0.07-0.10/kWh range to make this break even over the long term(8-10years). As it sits right now, TVA is paying consumers $0.15/kWh for up to 50kWh of production as a part of their 'Green Power Switch'. If you sell it as a corporation, they are paying $0.20/kWh. You sell everything you produce to them, and since you are consuming at the same time, if it works out that there is a surplus at the end of the month you get a credit. Currently Nashville Electric Service is around $0.085/kWh, so if you consume less than you make, you get a credit of approximately $0.065/kWh. I expect other electric services consuming from the TVA are similar. Things to consider - we aren't in what is typically considered a great solar generating zone, so you can expect some factor less than the rated capacity of the panel. Also, since you are only really generating anything of use about 6-8 hours a day, make sure you include this in your math when you are calculating payback. You aren't generating for the entire 744 hours in a 31 day month. Last, take a look at your electric bill to see your average use of electricity. They typical home in middle Tennessee uses about 1250-1350kWh/month - obviously your home may be significantly different. If you are considering solar, your home and usage may already be much more efficient than the average home. If it's not, assuming you don't have other 'survival' reasons for adding the gear, the money may be better spent, and you may get faster payback performing other efficiency upgrades and getting a generator. All that said, solar panels are pretty dang cool. Especially some of the new ones that can superheat water at the same time.

+1 on the Fox40 or the mini40. Hands down the absolute loudest whistles out there in a form factor that lends itself to you actually having it on you when you need it. Amazon.com: Fox 40 Mini: Sports & Outdoors

Looks like I'll finally get the chance to see how some of those non-Lake City bulk packs I'm always so squirrelly about buying function. I'd definitely be interested.

Nice. Congratulations.

Upgraded from the gen1 today. Despite having to go to green hills mall to pick it up before leaving on a case, pretty painless upgrade. New hardware is pretty good. Not a major difference from the 3g, but a lot faster than gen1. I'm happy with the switch.

I have come full circle this week. For years I carried a Spyderco rescue. It was the knife that set the standard of what a knife should be for me. Fast, sharp, good size. Then 9/11 came along and we couldn't fly with our blades anymore. I spent a lot of time in the field, and during a particular case that I was on for about 2 years, picked up a CRKT M16 and started carrying that. Another great knife, but it had some shortcomings. It was very durable, but it was a combo edge which I really don't like, and the combination of the pocket clip and the thumb stud absolutely wore out whatever pants I was wearing. I would have a pair of pants that could have lasted another couple of years had the right pocket not been so frayed by the knife. Last winter I picked up a Benchmade Pika II. I know that it was in their red 'value' series, but I expected better of Benchmade. Every knife I have ever had of theirs was outstanding, but this one was a piece of trash. Tough to put an edge on and wouldn't hold one for anything. Not to mention the pocket clip was not designed with enough tension to stay on a pair of jeans, much less a pair of suit pants. So, all that to say a couple of weeks ago, I purchased a Spyderco Military. It is in a word everything that a knife should be in my opinion. Wickedly sharp out of the box. Fast to open and easy to close with one hand. Good pocket clip and the G10 scales are outstanding. It's big - a little bigger than the Endura - closer to the old Police model, but perfect in my hands. You can do a little knife job with a big knife, but not vice versa. I got it for right at $100.

Spyderco Tri-angle sharpener. Got the ultra-fine rods along with the medium and fine that came with it. Gets my knives wickedly sharp in about a minute. I can put a finer edge on with a set of stones or my Lanskys, but the Spyderco rods beveled at 20 degrees make a more durable edge - especially if you grind a back bevel first. I've gone back to a plain edge after using fully serrated and combo edges. Serrated edges have their place. I think the combo edges are a fad that we are likely to see fade a bit. The tri-angle sharpener does a good job on serrations if you have them.

Dick's at cool springs had a full stock of everything but 380 tonight. Hundreds of boxes of 9mm, .40, 5.56, and 45. First selection of more than one brand of 45 I've seen in a while. I left every bit of it for you guys, too. Didn't buy a thing.

I've got a couple of the 30rds. They have always worked well for me.