MacGyver

In this community, know that if you’re having these thoughts, there are people who will listen and sit with you in that dark place until we can find some light. You can PM me anytime and I’ll pick up the phone - or get in the truck and help you get some help. You’re not alone.

New corollary to Godwin’s law - if your first post on this forum uses Hitler’s name in reference to someone other than Hitler - you’re not going to have the opportunity to post further.

^^ yes.

Probably. It reminds me of that old riddle, "How do you make a little money in the gun business?" Answer: start with a lot of money. Running a business is really hard. Running a brick and mortar retail front is really hard. In the gun business you're doing that in a regulatory environment that would just assume you not exist. Add in rapidly depreciating inventory, customers who just come in to showroom and then order online, physical security, etc. and you've got an almost impossible hill to climb. The likelihood of you blowing your life savings is probably high. The probability of you coming to hate everything about the industry is probably even higher. It seems like there ought to be someone telling you this stuff up front - or maybe there is and people just don't listen.

There ought to be a course for people thinking about opening a gun store. I hate seeing otherwise good folks blow their life/retirement savings on a gun store thinking it will be fun only to realize that it's a hard business whose customers will showroom your stuff only to buy online and leave you with inventory no one wants. How many examples of this do we have in the last few years here in Tennessee alone? I can think of a dozen off the top of my head. There are business models that I think could thrive - but it's not your classical brick and mortar model - they're more niche plays. And, even then you've got to show up and put in the work every day - and probably still be a little lucky.

And, when you actually call the BATFE on something like this, they're generally quite helpful. It could be that they're just thankful to answer a call that is something other than the NFA version of "are we there yet."

I've got one for a railed 1911. It's a functional work of art.

I the more I use a pressure washer, the more I think the GPM rating is more important than the PSI rating for most jobs. I think the Greenworks model I bought was the same as that first SunJoe link above. Likely made on the same Chinese line with different branding. The hose storage isn’t as nice as that Ryobi model - but it’s a lot smaller. The only complaint I’ve had - and it’s really more a function of the size probably - is that it seems to take the pump a minute to get all of the air out. I could probably pull the trigger for a minute longer before I power it up, but I’ve learned that just because you see a steady stream coming out of the nozzle doesn’t necessarily mean it’s ready for business. It hasn’t caused problems - it’s just cycled a bit for the first minute or two as I’ve used it.

Ah. Slowness on mobile. Was thinking, dang he just got that truck... I like that electric blue.

Did you get rid of the F-150?

I have both a gas model and a smaller electric model. I bought the gas one several years ago thinking I “needed” that level of tool for my light duty use. It will do everything I need it to do, but it’s cumbersome, it requires a fair bit of upkeep (especially when other people borrow it), and it may be more tool than is needed for most jobs. That is, it can easily do a lot of damage. Using it is a chore - in addition to the actual chore you’re using it for. I recently bought a smaller electric model at Lowe’s on sale for about $70. It’s great. It’s maybe 1800PSI - which is about where a low end gas model starts. This is lower powered for an electric, too. It’s enough to do what you need to do without getting in trouble (siding, patios, fences, boats, etc.) Had I bought this one first, I would have never bought the gas model.

Looks like a great trip. Filing for future reference.

Or else they’re going to be really interested in why the owner no longer has your item or is not responsive.

Man, I’d love for one of us to win that!

I got to hold one of these one time. Never shot it - but I imagine it was a handful. For those of you who’ve been around a long time - didn’t Marshall have one of these?

If you look at most modern big box stores quarterly earnings - Sears, JC Penney, etc. - they’re simply retail fronts for offering a credit card. They make (made) way more in finance charges and interest than they ever made in margin on goods sold.

Luck does in fact favor the prepared.

Dude, that's kind of what runs the internet right now. All of it. Your data is being monetized and you are the product. In the event of your credit card - if you read the terms and conditions - you'll note that you're more or less agreeing to let them do whatever they want with your data as a condition of using the card. Or, to put it more bluntly, you're agreeing to let them use your data in return for them agreeing to continue to cash flow your consumption. It was said many years ago about a different medium - but bears repetition. If you're not paying for it, you're the product - not the customer. We've been too willing for too long to trade our privacy for convenience. Now, maybe we're beginning to learn that the price wasn't worth it.

Running all of your gear in a realistic environment is critical. I used to run Walther mags that magically transformed into HK mags when dropped free with some rounds remaining in the magazine. That is, when you picked the magazine up, the top round would generally be turned around backwards. Happened with fair reliability. I would have never known had I not chosen to run it in that course.

I'll post the article from the company itself first: http://news.vistaoutdoor.com/2018-05-01-Vista-Outdoor-Announces-Strategic-Business-Transformation-Plan You can look to the internet for the commentary from the earnings call - which was basically "these brands look bad for us." You'll recall that major retailers are taking other Vista products like Camelback and Giro helmets off the shelf so long as they continue in the firearm space. It would appear that the private equity owners are listening. Of course, this is pretty rich coming from the company that owns CCI, Speer, Federal Premium, American Eagle, Independence, and Blazer (read the majority of the ammunition consumed in the US). If you're reading this, you should probably note that "funding issues" could stop most of the ammo production in the US in an instant.

I always enjoy your practical approach to “good enough” accuracy.

People will spend more if you’ll just show them a way to do it...

If you can see I-40, you can probably at least get a mobile hotspot through a cellular carrier for internet.

If I'm spending that kind of money on a pistol, you can bet that it won't have a giant tacky manufacturer's roll mark on the slide. Just saying...

I used to have a rule as an administrator. I'll look at an account crossways once, but generally not twice. I've loosened that up a lot in the last couple of years due to feelings running high in politics. But, I think I've seen every post you've made in the last couple of months, and not a one of them has anything supportive or positive to say. I think you've probably got some knowledge, but would rather tear people down than help them out. I'm really busy right now - so I'm going back to my previous rule. There are plenty of gun communities that are all criticism all the time. Good luck finding one that fits you. OP, congrats on the new rifle.