wileecoyote

Friend of mine gave me a Tanfoglio TZ75 (Series 88) that was imported from Italy, high cap 9mm with stainless barrel, guide rod, and trigger. Seems like a solid gun and shoots perfect, is very clean. I don't have much experience with these various models. I took it to the latest Murfreesboro gun show and everyone that looked at it called it a CZ even though it is not marked EAA, Witness, or CZ anywhere on it. Are the TZ models commonly known as CZ? Best I could determine it had a value of around $400 so I was asking $350. Had a dozen guys wanted to buy it but none had cash and I couldn't do a trade. Planning to post it for sale online now so would help to confirm what I have. Anybody know for sure?

[quote name="gregintenn" post="1097641" timestamp="1390142806"]Anybody know the old #### who was toward the back corner and had a table of 550 round Federals for $75 per box? I sorta wanted to kick him in the crotch, but I guess my frustrations would be better directed at the people who were buying from him.[/quote] I hate the ammo shortage, hoarding, and high prices as much as the next guy, maybe even more because I frequently teach kids and new shooters, so I go through a lot of ammo and gear, often at my own expense. But I take a different view of the people selling 22, regardless of their prices. First we have to remember that simple economics drive the market, so any time supply is low and demand is high you will have higher prices. And in many cases the costs go up at the same time so higher prices don't always mean increased profits. If someone is willing to pay more and a seller makes a little more profit then that is just part of capitalism at work, a big part of why America is the best nation on earth. Also remember that those gun show dealers had to spend a lot of time, gas, and money (and maybe call in some favors) to get the ammo to start with. Then they had to drive to the show early, pay at least $70 to get a table, and sit there for 16 hours giving up their weekend. Then add in the cost of their (crappy) meals while stuck at the show, and retail taxes if they pay those, and they actually don't make as much profit as you think. If someone offered me $20 or even $50 cash profit to give up a huge chunk of my weekend, drive several hours, and buy some ammo then deliver it to them, I would decline as my time alone is worth more than that to me. So while I don't like the ammo shortage or high prices, I am actually grateful for the few dealers that do have 22 for sale at any price, as it at least gives someone a chance to buy ammo if they have a great need, until the supply chain catches up and prices come down again. The best thing we can do to stabilize the market is to reduce our demand, quit hoarding, refuse to purchase at higher prices, and reward those sellers who went the extra mile to help us out during the shortage, often at their own expense. This is why David got my money at the show, and not the 2 guys selling 22 for $60-$100 per brick.

Went early Saturday, was a pretty good show. Saw a few guns reasonably priced, picked up a few small things. But the highlight of the show was meeting David and buying bullets and primers from him. He was super nice, gave me a great TGO deal, and tossed in a small gift when I purchased in bulk. I had gone to the show primarily to meet him and give him some business, because I was impressed by his generous offers for TGO members in the past, especially holding 22 for members at very low prices when he could have easily sold it for more. If I had the extra cash I would have spent more than a grand with him, but for now had to be content to get what I could and take his business card for future purchases. David is a class act, and I thank God for the many great people like him in our shooting community.

[quote name="Tempest455" post="1096756" timestamp="1389994628"]Not sure where you are hearing about this wear issue?[/quote] I initially heard about the extended brass wear from several veteran reloaders, one of whom had a professional reloading business for more than 30 years. Then I read a few reports on the web and one old magazine article which confirmed it. I did a quick search and came up with a more recent report here, there are likely others: http://www.longrangehunting.com/forums/f93/brass-cleaning-using-stainless-tumbling-media-system-review-68500/ "... After doing this for several months I began to notice some things that caused me some concern...split necks. I began to experience some cracks in necks of 30-06 and 45-70 brass. So I tried annealing the necks to stop this problem. It helped, but didn't end the cracks. I think that the stainless media tends to work stress the brass and perhaps thin it a bit. I would only use it for an hour or two now, and only if the brass were really cruddy. I think that it does shorten case life..." Not saying it's a bad method, probably good for some folks depending on their volume and brass type/age. But the high startup costs, more time/steps to execute, and probable extended wear on brass which is recycled numerous times rules it out for me. Plus the main thing is that walnut shells work pretty well, and the bit of extra shine isn't going to make a difference for most shooters, so steel is probably best for long-distance bench rest competitors (assuming they are good enough to see the difference on paper based on media type, which I doubt) but there is no doubt the cleaner brass makes them feel better.

[quote name="Tempest455" post="1096756" timestamp="1389994628"]Not sure where you are hearing about this wear issue? You might want to spend some time over on "Accurate Shooter" and read up some on wet stainless tumbling. [size=4]I can guarantee you, there is not a bunch of more finicky hand loaders than you will find on those forums. Many are national F class and benchrest competitors using the wet tumbling method. I've never seen any reported issues of excessive wear. Nor have I seen any issues myself.[/size] [size=4]Food for thought.[/size][/quote] Thanks, I'll check in to it. What did it cost you for the equipment and media to clean 500 pistol cases at a time? Just ballpark comparison, but I'd expect it to cost at least 5-10 times more than walnut shells or similar media, and the main benefit would be shinier brass.

Thanks. I am familiar with the method but have avoided it because it is more expensive for the media and stainless steel is much harder than brass so it seemed likely to wear the brass over time, which is what others have reported. I have tried a few methods including ultrasonic, corn cob, walnut, and various media additives but my favorite method is walnut shell media followed by water rinse and air dry. Cheap, easy, and very effective without brass wear. If you want it shinier just let it run longer. I've never had an issue with primer pockets remaining dirty if tumbled properly.

[quote name="Tempest455" post="1096726" timestamp="1389992003"]Trust me, go with wet stainless tumbling. You will never go back to dry tumbling.[/quote] I've never tried it but read that this method does produce "shinier" results if glamour is your thing, but that it adds more wear and tear on the brass, so shorter overall brass life this way. How many times have you done this to the same cases before signs of thin walls such as case splitting or head separation? Any other unique issues or costs?

Search harborfreight.com and you will find several models with good reviews. They always have 25% off coupons in the weekly mailbox ads and numerous magazines, so they are very cheap with high value to cost ratio. I've heard from many reloaders which like their units best for the value.

I applied a few years ago when my credit was pretty good and banks were still lending to everyone, but they turned me down, no explanation. I couldn't see anything on my report that was a problem. I've heard the nra cards are very tough to get, and the bank approves only on their very strict standards, whatever that means. I was subsequently approved for other cards with similar or better terms so I called them to find out why, but they wouldn't say anything other than standard generic reply. So my advice would be to make sure you are in perfect shape with the highest possible scores before applying, so you don't get an unnecessary inquiry on your record that can hurt your score.

I've got a Trane heat pump with auxiliary electric heat. It's 22 years old and still works great! Never had any major repairs and only two minor repairs that were under $200 each. Supplies great cold air in summer, nice heat in winter, bills are very affordable.

It was previously called "owl hollow gun club" back when I was a member. Charlie enrolled me in his living room. I later dealt with some of his family for renewals, but I think he was still alive when I moved away. They were always nice to me. I had heard of some complaints about the range often being left a mess, and uneducated or irresponsible people shooting dangerously, and of some people shooting when it was supposed to be closed including too early in the morning. I didn't worry much about it, though, as the range was kind of decrepit and informal anyway, so I just followed the rules and always picked up more trash than I created. Never had a problem there in several years, and rarely saw other shooters there. It wasn't until I moved away that I heard rumors of some problems with the family members, the club being closed at some point, and then a possible re-opening. Hope it is still running and is better than ever. It would be a shame to lose another good place to shoot.

[quote name="Caster" post="1087341" timestamp="1388588131"]Owl hollow? Charlie Haffner Memorial range you mean? Or Charlie's range for short. The last few years of "Owl Hollow" was a debacle. Charlie is closed every Monday and Thursday, as well as the first full weekend of the month. Today is neither so I would say Yes, he's open.[/quote] What ever happened to owl hollow? I used to go there years ago, then heard that it was closed for a time after I had moved away, then heard it might be open again.

Got mine from the post office yesterday, after returning from holiday travel. I got a Sinclair Cardsharp folding credit card knife, which I've never seen but will definitely place in my vehicle or bug out kit. Can't keep it in my wallet since I fly occasionally and don't want TSA to confiscate it. Also got an Ak47 ammo ice cube tray. Still trying to figure out how to use it, but should be fun for friendly gatherings. Thanks Santa. :D

I'm in.

I'm all for capitalism and don't persecute any retailer or private seller for trying to get as much as the market will bear. If people don't buy it then they lower their prices, simple economics. So I mostly blame the idiot consumers and panic buyers, and of course the illogical liberal politicians for creating the inflated market. Having said that, I no longer shop with CTD and doubt I ever will again. My main reason is that they founded their company on a core value of having cool stuff at cheaper than market prices, which was how they became successful and grew so rapidly, but then quickly turned against their core value for the sake of a little extra revenue, at the expense of the many consumers which made them successful to begin with. Perhaps this was done out of greed, or maybe to cover rising costs associated with their growth, and/or inefficient management... I suspect a combination of all the above. But regardless of their motives, I simply protest this change by spending my money elsewhere, and will continue to do so unless and until they truly do return to having cool stuff which really is CTD.

I've cleaned and worked on literally thousands of guns, and used nearly every solvent, grease, lube, etc. on the market. The best by far is Eezox, which likely would have prevented your issue if you don't flat out ignore your gun for months. See the following: http://www.6mmbr.com/corrosiontest.html

If the turnout is lower than expected and they are willing to sell a few more then I can take some. Just PM me. I already purchased mine but like to have spares... :-)

I've seen a few posts and heard from a few folks that want a TGO gun but are reluctant to build it alone. I'm a firearms instructor with 7 certifications and have taught many build classes including AR, AK, 1911, etc. I always teach AR builds from the smallest part all the way up, it takes anywhere from 2-6 hours with most new people needing 4-6 hours including some basic instruction for maintenance and cleaning. I have a large set of armorers tools, spare parts, instructions, diagrams, etc. so would be willing to coordinate a build class in middle TN area if needed. It's a lot of fun and we've even had a lot of kids, women, elderly folks join in and they usually do better than the "experienced guys"... so don't hesitate to try it if you are on the fence. How often do you get a chance to build your own TGO AR?

I'm in for 2 lowers and 2 uppers, pending final price via PM. Also, it'd be nice if you could post a photo of what the uppers would look like. Thank you for doing this!

I've never been to a gun show where the products weren't overpriced when compared to Walmart or the other low cost online / bulk retailers. Once in a while you get lucky with a clearance deal or private seller moving something cheap but the vast majority of dealers are small volume shops, so their costs are higher than Walmart, Buds Gunshop, etc... and then you have to add on the costs of their working the show (gas, vendor table fees, food/drinks, staff for the booth, Internet, electricity, etc.) and they have no choice but to raise prices to make anything at all. I've staffed the booths at a number of shows for dealer friends and there were many shows where their net profits didn't exceed $100 for the entire show after expenses, so they basically did all that work for nothing. So you shouldn't go to a gunshow to save money, although that does happen once in a while. The main benefits of a gunshow are the large variety of stuff in stock for instant purchase, ability to see and handle before you buy, ability to find rare parts or items (especially those normally too expensive to ship in small quantities), and ability to sell or trade your items when you are short on cash. I don't blame the guys with higher prices at the show, but I rarely buy from them as I am willing to shop around and wait for the lowest prices. No small dealer or private seller is going to start selling ammo cheaper until the shelves are full at Walmart and other major retailers, so the $20 bricks of .22 LR are months away yet, if not gone forever.

Limit 1 per customer, $40+ per brick not worth it after shipping... Rats

As an instructor I have taught a wide range of kids and adults for more than 25 years with students ranging from 6-82 years of age. Appropriate age depends on the individual, their parents, and other important circumstances but most kids seem to do best with toys from 0-10, air guns from 6-18, and real guns from 10+... all with appropriate instruction, adult supervision, and safety measures of course.

Another vote for Sal's. I'm a former yankee and so far this place is about the only decent REAL pizza I've found in TN. They have all you can eat lunch buffet with pizza and other Italian foods during the week, and their other dishes are pretty good including calamari, eggplant, etc. Donelson and Murfreesboro are the two I hit the most.

I think the glock would normally cost about $100 more when brand new from the same dealer, but of course the specific features, conditions, and accessories of each gun need to be factored in. Search gunbroker.com for both guns to get a general idea of what they are going for. If you have an account there (free) they will let you search completed auctions so you can see which ones actually sold, and for how much.

The Gun Room in Lebanon by the fairgrounds offers an indoor range and classes. I've got 7 instructor ratings and teach in my spare time, usually in the Lebanon area. I also have a lot of friends that are dealers and instructors so drop me a PM if you ever need anything, and I'll put you in touch with some very good discount sources. Welcome to TGO.