StPatrick

USN and USMC have been putting pirates to sleep since Jefferson was president. Hopefully the Navy, Marines, and other NATO forces decide to crush their ports of call in Somalia. They've been identified - it's just a question of whether or not "international will" (whatever that is) decides it's time for them to go.

He does a cartoon every day M-F for Investor's Business Daily (investors.com), but I can't figure out where it hides. I usually see his work via www.hotair.com .

I have a price, and don't feel any shame for having been "bought". Mark me paid in full until the next paycheck- I'll not give up my livelihood to die on this particular sword. I'd love to keep a weapon in my car, but I park on private property. The owner's will wins every time in my mind - it's no different than someone parking in my driveway with drugs or hippies. If the owner says it's not allowed, respect it. You're only a sellout when you sell yourself out - not when you fail someone else's idea of how you should answer the bell.

Despite my tendency towards "big-name" gun snobbery (Sig, Springfield, etc.), I recently picked up a Taurus PT709 "slim". The reviews have been good, and it fit my needs, as I saw them, at a price point that provided good value. Who carries one IWB, and what rig are you using? I'm leaning toward a Crossbreed MiniTuck out of brand loyalty, but wondering what other good options are out there before I purchase. Thanks for your input!

Hearing the antis and Brady-bunchers wailing about the NRA is worth $25. On top of that, they send me a decent magazine all about guns once a month, plus the stickers are great for repelling certain coworkers with opposing views.

I thought this through, and it has to be a perfect draft Guinness. Not because that's all I could ever want, but because choosing anything else means no Guinness for eternity. I will not live in that world, imaginary or not.

[sOAPBOX] Grunt, TGO is a searchable forum for non-members (meaning everyone with internet access, such as Adam Dread or the VPC). I think many would agree with you that public entitlements are out of hand, but your comments above paint us all (members of a pro-gun pro-2A site) with a very broad brush. Recent events with the tea-partiers and the bile slung their way via the MSM illustrates the reason we shouldn't make such comments. I'm no moderator, and can't tell you what you can or can not say here. I'd just ask you, as a fellow member, to remember that any comments posted on this site can and will be used against gun owners if they become politically useful to the opposition. Thanks! Patrick [/sOAPBOX]

I salute your effort to engage your critics head-on.

I have great respect for any self-made man, and Dr. Walker was certainly one of those. The OP's pistol is truly a unique piece of American History. For the sake of history, I'd love to see this in a museum...that will never happen, since it's a nasty evil gun that kills people. Take good care of this, Rashgunner. You've got something very special, and it seems like you truly understand its value.

I'll stay out of the Dayton v. Columbus issue; they both have their pros and cons. One is sleepy and mildly criminal, the other is fun and has free-fire zones interspersed. On the food, though, Mike, I disagree. Cincinnati chili is an abomination. How they decided that tomatoes, beef, onions, garlic, and hot peppers weren't good enough, and thus added NUTMEG still escapes me. Someone literally woke up one day and decided chili should taste more like pumpkin pie. No, no, a thousand times, no. Never eat chili from people who think good BBQ is done on a grill or oven with KC Masterpiece. /a nerve was struck...too many years up there hearing how awesome the chili was, along with Cinci's alleged BBQ

"Retrosexual" is my new favorite word.

There is no place for rapid fire, automatic or semi-automatic weapons in civilian hands. Such weapons can dangerously out-gun the police, and belong in the hands of a well-regulated militia. 1. Rapid fire is based on the skill of the shooter; it's not a type of weapon, unless 'ole Harry prefers going back to the days of powder, ball, and a bigass knife just in case. 2. True autos are so expensive and hard to acquire that no Class III owner would consider double-parking, much less use the weapon in commission of a crime. Steal $400 and risk a $12,000 gun? Not likely. 3. The police used to be outgunned, but a couple of moron peckerwoods who wanted to be Bonny and Clyde, but with two dudes, fixed that for the cops when they attacked the LA police with AKs while wearing Kevlar. That TV footage sold police departments a lot of really nice guns. On the plus side for the worthless morons, much like Bonny and Clyde, they were shot and killed.

In the case of augmentation, I stand by a woman's right to choose. "My cold, dead hands" applies fully in this context, and will make for an awesome obituary. Additionally, I say that the haters need to stop calling the augmented wonders "fake". If you can touch something, it's real.

I had something similar happen, and it turns out my thumb was getting just enough of the slide release to keep it from seating on an empty mag - it's an easy mistake to make. Mine happened with a Sig. My first instinct was to blame the mags and ammo, but careful analysis of the problem revealed that the true issue was the nut behind the gun.

How can I take advantage of that? I'd love to pick up a couple for my 229, and right now it looks like $36 + shipping is the best I can do. Thanks!

Dude, it was in American Rifleman this month. Cha-ching!

The grips above will enable the owner to take Stalingrad in an afternoon, with time for female attention and a nap before dinner, but still..."You have GOT to get these"? It's a bit odd that a man ready to take human life to preserve his own would post something that reads an awful lot like something found on www.OMGuggbootsaresoawesomeandalsoIcan'twaitforprom.com /couldn't resist

Willis, you have got it exactly right. It's your money and you can spend it however you want - if you can spare the cash, money can buy happiness, be it a 1911, a boat, a vacation, ammo, etc. At worst, it can put down a real nice down payment...

That's "Cthulhu 2010! Why Vote for the Lesser Evil?". It's a bad joke, but I like it. The whole slogan doesn't fit below the avatar, so it's been shortened for brevity. Seeing as how my post said something along the lines of "a thing is worth whatever someone else is willing to pay for it", and I believe it, you can bet that I won't be advertising for the left anytime soon. I'm an unreconstructed capitalist and proud of it. There will be no democratic (new definition) 'fro picks, drum circles, protests, or policies advocated by me. +1 on the commander size, and the awesome feel of a single stack 1911. A 1911 is on my list as well, but I need a good shotgun first.

Your last question was the winner, hands down. 1911s cost more because buyers are willing to pay more. For whatever reason, gun purchasers find them more desirable than other competitors. As you pointed out, a .45 in another platform pokes the same holes, and will serve the same purpose for most shooters. The market says that 1911 buyers are buying more than a utilitarian hole punch, based on the prices being paid for them. The combination of looks, ergonomics, history, and customizability are all potential factors in the higher prices, not to mention the buyers' perceived status in the shooting community that comes with ownership of a 1911 vs. a P220, for instance. A thing is worth whatever someone else will pay for it, no more and no less.

Maybe "Band of Brothers" spoiled me, but I don't think this is operating at the same level. Your thoughts?

You could also attach a holster to the back of your nightstand, or other easily accessible / concealed location.

Those pants don't look fat on you at all, babe. It's all those magazines you've been reading lately, they're making you insecure. No! I think your family is great. We should spend Christmas with them. What a beautiful baby! I have a kidney infection, but just to be safe you should take the antibiotics too. Just in case it's contagious... I'm not saying [some awful statement], I'm just saying [insert what I really mean, but pretend it's speculation], you know? No, I don't mind at all. KC Masterpiece? That's a great barbecue sauce. Don't apologize to me, dude. Grill those ribs! Oh yeah, Rep. Massa, I get into tickle-fights with all my grown male buds. We generally accept some collateral hangdown-groping as a byproduct of the fun; you want to avoid it, I want to avoid it, Hell! we all try to avoid it, but when it's tickle time, things get touched. I totally understand. Accidents happen. Everybody I know is a liar. Or I'm lying right now.

You're on the right track...if you are friendly with your neighbors in Afton, it's a safe bet that they have guns. You could learn more, and faster, by asking them to take you shooting. I'd be surprised if it cost you more than a box or two of ammo, and you'd learn more from a shooter than visiting a range without any help.

Check out the TruGlo TFOs - I put them on my XDm, and love them. I haven't found a set of light conditions where they didn't perform. The combination of fiber-optic and tritium is very nice for range and home use. Semi-related, but back to taxes - I shoot for a near-zero tax return every year. It's not as much fun as getting that big check come February, but knowing that the IRS didn't get an interest-free loan from me makes it all worthwhile. Those guys never even say thank you or buy breakfast when they're done with you, so I try to keep every cent I earn mine, and make sure we settle up at the end of the year. They can get their free rides from somebody else. YMMV.