MacGyver

Sweet. I’m going to enjoy seeing what happens with it.

While the NRA has existed for 150 years - and did in fact start to advance marksmanship - the NRA of today was not the same as the NRA that existed before 1977. That same Wikipedia article briefly lists the wholesale replacement of the board that happened in '77. There are some better contemporary descriptions out there that are worth reading. At that time the NRA was supportive of more gun control - and was actually considering removing the 'rifle' from its name. The gun laws we have today are largely due to the post-'77 NRA. It's worth mapping these against the gun control laws that get introduced following the Black Panthers entering the California state capitol building armed in the Spring of '67. Like it or not - we have to acknowledge the racist nature of the responses we've often had to black folks carrying guns. Don Mulford - a GOP congressman introduced a bill following the '67 protests stripping Californians of the right to open carry. The NRA supported that legislation. Think about the NRA convention - how many black folks do you see walking the show floor? This isn't meant to be a specific critique of the NRA - rather the NRA might be a decent reflection of us at large. More diversity may actually be what saves the next generation's gun rights. But, we're not going to get there by some magic. It's going to take real work and conversation.

I’m long on Millennials. But, it’s worth thinking about - what if they just want something close to the same deal the Baby Boomers got? How many Boomers do you know who graduated from high school - maybe went to college - but got a job, provided for their family, bought a house, took an occasional vacation, and was able to retire after working for one company their whole career? I’m a Gen X’er and most of my peers would take that deal if it were available. The global economy is 25x what it was at the end of WWII - but all of that profit is going to management and shareholders today - and not taking care of the people building the company. I know what it takes to build a company - and I could do it a lot faster if I did it on the backs of my people instead of making them partners in the effort. I may be leaving some money on the table - but at least I can sleep at night. But, I’m really tired of this argument Boomers make that Millennials should just suck it up and get to work - for most that ship has sailed. And, Boomers running the companies they work for are mostly responsible for it. As for this thread, like Erik, I’d encourage you to listen to the podcast before commenting - and instead of turning this thread to the easy person to bash - “the liberal” - think about what it means for people who don’t look like most of us to own a gun? Maybe ask yourself a question - is TGO a welcoming community to the black gun owner? What about the Hispanic gun owner? Maybe even the Muslim gun owner? Think and discuss.

A shift in mindset - running towards inclusion and diversity instead of away from it - may be the single most important thing we can do in the coming generation to concrete the rights that the last generation has fought to obtain.

Once upon a time I was sailing in federal waters with my grandfather and a few friends. The Coast Guard stopped us for an inspection. They asked if we had any weapons on board - to which we replied that we had a 12 gauge shotgun directly under the cockpit pulpit. They advised that we might consider something with some additional range as well - and that they found that stainless wiped down with a liberal coat of Balistol seemed to work well in the saltwater environment.

Loving that walnut stock.

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.