MacGyver

That's awesome. I bet the four wheel disc brakes make a big difference. I rode in an old TR6 not too long ago. I don't know if all cars have just gotten bigger - but man I felt tiny on the highway.

I've been running a Glock-pattern 9mm for a while and have been super pleased with it. The weak point on all of these is the last round bolt hold open. CMMG seems to take a bit different tack than the QC-10s of the world - so I'm curious to see some range reports.

Shut up!

I think one of the things that we miss about the VW in these modern times - is that it was a car that was built so that the common owner could tinker with it. And, since that tinkering was innate in so many germans, its simplicity was very much a feature. We're sort of conditioned to our modern cars that go tens of thousands of miles with little more than an oil change here and there. But, the ability for a common man to fix pretty much everything on his own car with a simple manual is underrated.

My dad had an MGB GT model when I was a kid. Some of my earliest memories are of riding around in the back of that thing listening to Abraxas on 8-track. It was just like this one: I bet your dad's hand built one is a fun car.

I dated a girl once who drove an old Karmann Ghia. That thing was loads of fun. Personally, if I was going to go out and buy an old car - and it wasn’t going to be another old FJ40, it would probably be an old MG Midget.

What was the old saying, "if there's no oil under it, there's no oil in it?"

We really enjoyed watching them at Reelfoot earlier this year.

Man, that’s frustrating.

CMMG has some legit quality issues for a few years. Luckily, those were a bunch of years ago, and they seemed to have not only squared them away - but really make some nice stuff that won’t break the bank these days. I wouldn’t hesitate to own their stuff. On this particular variant running the 5.7x28, my only hesitation is those Pro-Mags. I’ve run plenty, and their quality does seem to be hit or miss.

Federal HST is the best defensive ammo on the market, full stop. Feeds well. Quiet in a suppressor. Effective expansion combined with good penetration in every platform you're likely to run it in.

These aren't right in Chattanooga, but the floating cabins at Hales Bar Marina are a fun option for a night or two on Nickajack Lake: https://halesbarmarina.com/cabin-rentals

There's little hope for you then.

I hope they'll take the cautionary tale of the Logan's Roadhouses of the world and not take the private equity money and give in to the "need" to expand. Debt magnifies the consequences of bad decisions. One of the great things about our traditional barbecue is that it's deeply tied to the place - whether you actually realize it while you're eating it or not. Sometimes, I think investors (and even owners) see success in a given area and think they can do it big, only to wind up disappointing everyone - and maybe ruining their brand. A local (non-barbecue) example - take Baja Burrito. They're wonderful. In 20 years, I've never once been disappointed there. Their food is great and they treat their staff well. If they shut it down tomorrow there would be protests in the street. But, take their franchised concept, Blue Coast Burrito. It's the same food - but the soul isn't there. They're run by people wanting to capitalize on the trend - and it's just not as good. My kids want Baja every Wednesday evening before church - and have for years. But, if you substituted Blue Coast, they'd just pack a sandwich at home.

I think I kind of coming around to it like this - and it kind of fits into how I think about restaurants in general. I traveled 50 weeks a year for several years. That, unfortunately did two things to me. It made me hotel snob and a restaurant snob. When I go to a restaurant, I generally want one of two things - either I want to go someplace really nice or I want to go to a dive - in between, I'd generally rather just eat at home. I think the article kind of gave voice to what I've felt about barbecue. I love the old dive places - traditional barbecue if you will. They're workingman's food - and a pork sandwich ought not cost more than a few bucks. I also love the high end places that have taken one theme and do it really well - think Franklin Barbecue's brisket. What I'm not particularly interested in is a bunch of the places in the middle - all the national chains that serve mediocre, Sysco-sourced stuff. The places trying to be everything to everyone. I can go for a place that's got multiple locations in a particular city - think Martin's or Central or the BBQ Shop. Even Germantown Commisary has a couple now, I think. I don't know - I'm going to continue to ponder on this...

I should have added that if you see a combination of us in your profile, that’s probably a good prompt to amend your rhetoric.

I was just talking about their white sauce tonight with some folks originally from Gadsden. The consensus was that Pat Martin has gone and improved Alabama white sauce, though.

Yeah, you've gotta be prepared to wait on it - but those hipsters do make a good cup of coffee...

All the hipsters over in the Gulch may be onto something with Five Daughters Bakery. It kind of offends me to pay $5 for a donut - but boy they are pretty tasty.

I am what I am - for better and often worse... For what it's worth, seeing me in your profile more than once typically isn't something to aspire to.

This article gives voice to something that's been bothering me for a while - but that I just couldn't quite put my finger on. https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/mass-barbecue-is-the-invasive-species-of-our-culinary-times/ Basically, by trying to cater to everyone, we're losing local traditions that define us. I grew up with the workingman's barbecue - The Flying Pig outside the front gate of the Atlanta Airport (where your sandwich was served on a paper towel), Malear's, Sprayberry's and such. If we traveled to Memphis or the Carolinas, I'd eat barbecue in a different tradition with a sense of being in that place. I remember being served mustard sauce on a pork sandwich in South Carolina that was maybe the best I'd ever had. Or brisket in west Texas - where you couldn't find a pork sandwich if your very life depended on it. Likewise, when I was in grad school - going to Dixie Barbecue outside of Seattle and it was like being taken back home. I'm a sucker for the increasingly rare roadside barbecue stand where your only choice may be what kind of chips you want to go along with the white bread and pickles. It would be fun to list some of the remaining places here in Tennessee.

I’m watching all of you jokers...

Threads merged

It just got a lot harder for the manufacturers as well. Walmart was 20% of the ammo sales in America. After the change, they estimate they'll be 6%. That's a lot of their market simply gone overnight. Sure, some local shops will pick up a few extra cases of ammo. But they're already cash strapped. Look at the stores that have closed in the last couple of years for evidence of that. Hopefully the manufacturers will reach out to some of the online sellers and offer them Walmart-type terms to keep the pipeline flowing. But, all of the online sellers combined don't have the revenue numbers of a single Walmart in a typical suburban neighborhood. So, I'm not sure the economics will work. It's going to be a tough road ahead.

I won’t be surprised if we see a rise in this so called moral capitalism. We’ve got a legislative body that has been unwilling to take on anything of any consequence for the last 12 years. Something is going to fill that void. Walmart is the biggest ammo seller in the US. Sure, they didn’t ban all ammo sales - but they certainly went on record - essentially saying they would lead the effort. I expect you’ll see more in coming days as shareholders ask, “what is your response?” A lot of America is a food desert without Walmart. Sure, you might have a Dollar General here and there - but that’s not getting you produce. So, most will continue to shop. I doubt Kroger sees much pushback either. There’s seems to be a me too type statement. The coming days will tell, I guess.