StPatrick

Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

So long as the "certain time" is never, OK. 17 years hasn't done it for me. Nobody respects the man who changes his sports allegiances, period. As much as I hate all things Michigan, from little league on up, I have more respect for a subhuman wolverine fan than one who would become a born-again Vol, Trojan, Gator, Whatever the hell a Crimson Tide is, Tiger, Fightin' Irishman, Ute, Seminole, or anything else. I may, however, give him a pass on the Lions...seriously, what they've been up to just isn't right.

I rarely shoot mine at the range - I have better guns with better triggers for target shooting. Ymmv, but for me it's strictly a "get off me" gun.

I'm a diver more than a snorkeler, but this sounds absolutely awesome. If you ever want one more, holler my way. I'd love to try spearfishing as well, and flounder are mighty tasty. Either way, congrats on finding a place to get away.

There are some big Buckeye fans out there - are you sure you can compete?

As far as I'm aware, all the Elite-series Sigs come with adjustable sights. Where does the antipathy for adjustable sights on fighting pistols come from? I've always wondered - anyone care to drop some knowledge? I have some guesses, but I'd rather find out what everyone else thinks.

That's some good advice, and the P250 should be included, since I'm of the firm belief that there's no such thing as a "bad" Sig, the same way there's no such thing as a "bad" Glock, XD, or M&P. Pretty much anything in those lines are expected to be 100% reliable and accurate from shot 1. The reason I ultimately picked the Elite was the beavertail - it felt and pointed naturally, and while a regular 229 can be factory-upgraded with the same night sights, SRT trigger, and grips as an Elite (though at that point you've paid more than you would for an Elite, if both were purchased new), the beavertail felt more comfortable, and encourages a "high and tight" grip better than the stock frame. It's on my list of guns that will NEVER be sold or traded, along with my service XD(m) and MKIII. Even with less barrel, and wearing factory night sites as opposed to TFOs, I'd rather shoot that Sig than my XD(m), and I love both too much to part with. If you have the cash, you cannot go wrong with any of the Elite-series Sigs (except maybe the platinum, which I find ugly). My 2 cents...

First: mods, if this fits better elsewhere, please move it. The article linked below, found on Ace of Spades (www.ace.mu.nu - read it for the politics and the funny; I am not affiliated in any way) was written in 1941, by a NYC socialite / authoress trying to decide which of her social acquaintences would "go Nazi" if the circumstances dictated it during that period. What's interesting is how she decides who would or wouldn't, based on her own opinions. It's an interesting read; draw your own conclusions and inferences - I'm not including mine. Even though it's nearly 70 years old, I can see people I know in the descriptions of the author's friends and acquaintances, and it's...interesting, to say the least. I didn't identify with any of the characters described, but maybe you will. At any rate, give it a read. The more things change, the more they stay the same (but now with 99% less Nazi!) and all that. Who goes Nazi??By Dorothy Thompson (Harper's Magazine) If nothing else, at least one of our history buffs, i.e. 6.8 AR, will enjoy it.

I know...it's crazy. Does that mean that the enormous thermonuclear furnace in the sky might effect the Earth more than my car? Zounds! It seems outlandish, but what if it's true? Could the sun be important somehow? Scienceyists are not concerned, as no grant money has been allocated to study this "sun".

Looks like the borealis lights won't make it far enough south to be visible, according to this: Northern Hemisphere Enlarged View Too bad. I'll bet it's awesome.

If any of you live away from cities (you know - where you can actually see the stars at night), you may want to step outside and look north. It sounds like any borealis effects will be too far north to see (unless the current ejection is a serious thumper), but if I were somewhere with clear lights, I'd spend a bit looking northward just for the heck of it. Imagine seeing the "northern lights" in TN. It would certainly be a good story for when you're sitting in a rocker many years from now.

Don't forget to consider sales tax savings and shipping costs (if any) when evaluating transfer + TICS fees. 9.25% on an expensive gun can justify higher transfer fees quite easily.

I have a 229 elite dark, and am very pleased with it. It replaced my P239 - major increase in capacity without a huge increase in weight. Pros: beavertail feels great, aluminum grips provide excellent traction when sweating profusely, trigger is fantastic, night sights (adjustable, but haven't felt a need to adjust since it groups up nicely the way the sights came), 2k rounds FMJ / 400 or so JHP no failures of any kind, and it is really good looking. Cons: it's a Sig - it weighs more than polymer. That said, it's good all day in a Supertuck.

It's a great feeling, isn't it? I finally knocked out all my student loans and a 2nd mortgage earlier this year, and man oh man does the cushion I've been able to build up just by saving that money feel good. I can distinctly remember how scary it felt knowing that I'd have to go into full-on crisis mode if I lost my job. Never again! Congratulations on your newfound freedom.

Actually, with the McDonald ruling, the federal gubmint now has the responsibility to ensure 2nd amendment rights, however the courts interpret them, are upheld. What those rights actually look like is still up to judicial interpretation.

In Columbia, you're pretty close to CHMR (formerly Owl Hollow Gun Club). The website is here: CHMR I live in Franklin, and am a member. From my experiences, it has been safe, uncrowded even on weekends, and the owner (Charlie Haffner, just like his dad, whom the range is named after) is a really nice fellow. My first visit, he even spent some time helping me sight in a target pistol. You can't beat CHMR, and it's way closer than Stones River. I can bring 1 guest for $5; if you are interested in checking the place out, shoot me a PM.

Chris, What are you going to shoot with that .375 once it's dialed in? Thanks, Patrick

Let the Fisking begin... That should go over well. I'm sure our female members, who also are into guns just a bit, approve of your message. Just to be clear, how does the stripping and reassembly of a MKII, which hasn't been produced since 2005, and is likely well-worn, relate to the original post about a MKIII again? Us pansies [sic] who want to fix a common problem with minimal effort are all ears. Again, that should play well. I now realize that the tight mainspring and tolerances in a newish MKIII are points of shame. A deep and all-engulfing shame that I'm now feeling deeply, because it is very deep. As a penance, I am considering wearing a scarlet "P" for pansy [sic] around my neck, until I learn how to properly attack mechanical problems with my masculine strength and force of will. Perhaps growing a mustache is the answer - it's a lot faster than lifting weights. I'm also considering wrestling bears. If that doesn't fix it, I don't know what will. It looks like our battle will soon be over, and I will not be the victor. Pansy [sic] though I may be, I'll try to fight on: As anyone knows, wanting to find the easiest way to solve a reassembly problem is a primary indicator of socialistic tendencies. I'm pretty sure Thomas Jefferson said so. At least you've found something leftists can actually laugh at; that's a major discovery, since last I checked they have no sense of humor. Based on your advice, I will now abandon my support for an originalist interpretation of the Constitution and immediately study the collected works of Marx, Engels, Keynes, Krugman, and Friedman. Bless you for showing me what a lie I've been living! In all honesty, I have never felt so alive. I never in my life thought I would say it, but what's mine is now yours, by force if necessary. I leave the field defeated, as you have clearly won the day by force of reason and argument. It is plainly obvious now that any man who has a tight and difficult to reassemble MKIII doesn't deserve to own a firearm, especially when girls can reassemble a different model Ruger .22LR on video. I am sincerely hoping my new mustache and bear-wrestling will allow me to fix such problems without resorting to calling customer service; I realize now what an act of weakness that was. Speaking for all my fellow pansy [sic] idiots, I want to extend my sincere apologies for wasting your time with the original post. That you had to stoop to my level, as opposed to pondering the mysteries of the cosmos and all that it contains, in between the vanquishing of your enemies and pleasuring of virgins, is entirely my fault. The time you spent rightfully putting this humble (almost) man and my fellow pansies [sic] in our rightful place can never be recovered, and for that I remain eternally in your debt. Please, don't ever turn rant mode off. Your rants shine upon us weaklings and pathetic half-men like a beacon of hope; like the Olympic games, it inspires us to be better, stronger, faster...and goes beyond that. We also want to be really smart, too. Just a quick check - what again was it about an easy no-cost solution to a common mechanical problem that would bother an engineer?

Saw this on NRO today, and it's a good quick summary of the issues that will be litigated in the wake of the McDonald case, with specifics so you can follow them as they proceed through the courts. If you're into politics, gun ownership, or the politics of gun ownership, it's a must-read. One Month after McDonald - David Rittgers - National Review Online

Please do post it on other forums...you'll help people new to the MKIII, especially those who own newer and less broken-in pistols. My advice, found in the OP, came straight from a tech at Ruger. As mentioned in said post, the manual and videos at ruger.com don't cover everything, and at a minimum, they're going to revise the video. I can't say whether or not the manual will be updated, but the Subject Matter Expert I spoke to said the videos will eventually include the extra steps I posted. Scoff if you want, but those little tips from the Ruger tech, including the magazine insertion and gangsta grip, made a paperweight back into a useable target pistol. I'm not non-mechanical, nor am I a crybaby or a sheep. Surely an engineer can appreciate a low-cost and simple solution to a common problem, right?

I did that same thing, when my mainspring decided to drop right into place for no obvious reason, but the bolt would only go halfway back...I tried to pry it loose to no avail (using a screwdriver as a lever), then gave up. This afternoon, I pounded the barrel on a silicone pad on the kitchen table a couple times, and the assembly released. At that point, I called Ruger. I haven't tried to get their advice for removing a stuck mainspring assembly, and I don't know why the kitchen-table pounding worked. If these guns didn't shoot so well, I'd bet we would all give up.

I can't say why that is either, but it's been their thing for several thousand years. Here's my best guess: The most logical explanation is political - Chinese soldiers using 100% Chinese-designed and manufactured weapons can be marketed as a point of pride for the country as a whole. It's a big win to not have to rely on the Russians for your own tools of self-defense. If you were to also trumpet the superiority of those weapons to those built by other countries, so much the better. The propaganda writes itself, and China has loads of knowledge in the area of popular perception manipulation, after all. Even commies value self-reliance; it's just done on a national level, as opposed to an individual one.

I've got a MKIII that I love to shoot, but hate to clean, like most anyone who owns one as well. I had a reassembly issue that no amount of tapping, tilting, pounding, or swearing could fix, so I called Ruger customer service this afternoon. No techs were available at the time, but 30 minutes later, I got a call back. My problem was this - after getting the bolt retaining pin inserted fully, when trying to rotate the mainspring assembly into place, it would catch, and then cam the bolt retaining pin out of place. Here's how it was solved (and it worked like butter; I took it apart and reassembled a couple times just to prove it to myself): With the barrel pointed straight down, push the hammer to full forward if it isn't there already. Insert the bolt retaining pin fully; tap into place with the tool of your choice if required Put your left hand in the "pay up, sucka" position, then place the gun upside down, barrel forward, in your palm with thumb near the trigger. Insert an empty magazine. Using your thumb, pull the trigger 5 times, keeping the trigger pulled after the 5th. Do Not Release the Trigger! Keeping your grip with the left hand, rotate the barrel to ~11:00. Still maintaining your grip, use your right hand to grab the "rat tail" of the mainspring, and rotate it into position. When the mainspring is home, give it a good hard press - if it rebounds 1/8" or so, life is good. If not, start over. Use "rat tail" to lock mainspring in place; rack bolt a couple times to ensure function. None of the videos from Ruger or YouTubers have the critical "pull trigger" step, and with tighter guns, this seems to be important. The Ruger tech assured me that improving their videos is in process, but until then, I hope this works for everyone.

When I thought I was really getting better, my groups with a Sig 229 in 9 at 10 yards were 4"; the MKIII grouped about the same at 15 yards, and I was very proud. I haven't really gotten better since then, but I haven't spent the time, either. The groups you're putting out are pure rock and / or roll. As far as all the internet and gunshop ninjas, the holes in the paper speak the truth, everything else is just noise.