MacGyver

cool

No, you're fine Mikey. This spread far and wide. It's worth a thread. Even if it's not true - it makes you question why you'd trust a rep like that in the first place.

This letter is evidence of something David and I were talking about yesterday. A lot of the gun industry’s woes are self-inflicted by a bunch of folks who work in it opening their mouths when they’d be better off just keeping them shut.

Whether we like it or not in principle, the AR market has become completely commoditized, and margins are razor thin. And only even then when everything goes just right and there is no disruption to the supply chain. Colt’s finances - even post bankruptcy - are sketchy at best. Seems like there ought to always be room for the 6920, but I get it. They’re trying to survive.

That’s a great question, Greg. I’m going to stub this out here - and I’ll update as I continue to think about it. Maybe we can all process some ideas together.

See attached - with signatories including Jared Kushner's brother: https://int.nyt.com/data/documenthelper/1699-gun-control-letter-to-the-sena/3258ed616a016f80dfa3/optimized/full.pdf#page=1 It's interesting to watch the groundswell of corporate action - that I'm not sure will abate anytime soon. Last year was the first year on record that gun control groups spent more money than advocacy groups (guess who politicians listen to?) As responsible gun owners, we've got an interesting road ahead of us. Advocacy is going to look different in the future than it has in the past. Personally, I'd love to see a strong second amendment with a lot more room under the tent. We're going to need more voices. They're going to need to be well reasoned. It's going to be a tricky needle to thread - but we've got to be a part of creating a future vision of gun owners that people want to be a part of.

I watched Jon Stewart in tears on September 20, 2001: I watched him again in tears earlier this summer: The official FDNY response time on the morning of September 11 was five seconds. From that moment through months in the red zone - you saw people giving their absolute all, everyday. For their comrades and for America. It took your breath away. Every. Single. Day. It humbled you every time you set foot there. Man, we've lost so many good people since then. There are so many empty chairs around dinner tables tonight. I'm thankful for people like Jon Stewart who have put real legs under "Never Forget" for the last 18 years.

I don't know. I'd love to forget it. I'd love to not feel the sense of guilt when it comes around every year because I got to go home that day when a bunch of other folks didn't. I'd love to not feel the sense of dread about having to make sense of explaining what happened to my kids - and I'd love to not have to watch them struggle with the realization that really, the only reason I'm still here is a few minutes worth of luck. A bunch of us would love to close our eyes at night and not remember - or maybe at least not in so much detail. Or all the things that have come after. I'd love it if one of our nation's biggest tragedies hadn't become our surest and most marketable means of displaying your patriotism and civil religion. I'd love it if we hadn't followed the loss of 2,977 American lives with the loss 2,400 people in Afghanistan and 4,400 people in Iraq - with no more idea of what victory on the battlefield looks like than we had 18 years ago. I'd love it if the average American actually had any connection to this never ending war. I'd love it if we treated all the vets we've created and their families with the integrity they deserve when they get out. I'd love it if we lived up to the best version of ourselves - that our nation has no permanent enemies. That like Japan and Germany, you can go from bitter enemy to most important trading partners in a generation. I'd love it if I could get on an airplane without having to take my shoes off in the name of security theater. For that matter, I'd like to clip my Spyderrco back to my pocket after going through the metal detector like I did on the morning of September 10, 2001. But, to each their own, I guess. It's America after all.

All of the research going into the hypersonic vehicle testing program is cool. At the opposite end of the spectrum is this: My favorite part of this video - is watching the engineers watch it in awe. These guys work here everyday - and still are fascinated by the drop. I'd love to have a high speed camera.

I loved that the high speed camera - even slowed way down - didn't even catch it.

That's also, incidentally probably a big part of Walmart and Kroger's decision making process. They know that it really doesn't matter a whole lot what you think. You're not likely to be the one buying the groceries week in and week out. And, the person who does - is probably still coming to Kroger or Walmart.

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.