wileecoyote

OK, I completely understand. However you made the deal is fine, and the knives do look nice. I was under the impression that they would be two-tone blades with a good part of the blade being dark like in the first posts and pics that were posted, though, and the stonewash tanto blades just look like a single color to me. Not a problem at all, I'll just revise my order from 4 knives to only 2, removing the 2 extra tantos that I had planned to get. Awesome knives, looking forward to receiving them. Thanks for the facilitation.

The knives look super, although I'd give my right arm to see the Tanto blade looking like this one: Please please pretty please? Or at least greyed or black like the regular blade?

Looks like he sent you some "22" in that baggie... LOL

Kwik Kash Pawn in Lebanon does transfers for $15. In case you are ever in the area.

I am pretty sure I sent my package anonymous last year, and the package I got last year was also received anonymous. I don't remember if I put my forum name on the package this year or not, but I definitely did not put my real name or address. I haven't received mine this year yet, and actually hope it is anonymous, as I think there's just a little bit more surprise and mystery to it, especially if you get something that is really awesome and you wonder how in the heck or who in the heck did that. Sort of like the little kids wonder how Santa got their fully assembled bicycles down the chimney, or that Red Ryder BB gun hidden behind the desk...

There have been quite a few of them found in recent years, except none were in a talkative mood. :D

22 lr is the world's most popular caliber for shooting, at least in the civilian market. The quantity of guns and shooters that need 22 lr is beyond comprehension. The manufacturing industry was scaled based on the amount of 22 lr that people actually consumed or shot during normal times, which is nowhere near enough to allow everyone to build up a big stash. So the demand has been artificially high with most people hoarding far more and shooting the same or less than they used to, and thus it could well take a few more years until everyone has a big enough stash to quit buying at the inflated prices. We are already at or nearing that point now, because plenty of places have it in stock for $0.10 per round, so as soon as that stuff quits selling the market will be more saturated with product and the hoarding / panic buying will slow down, and prices will drop. If the manufacturers felt that the demand would be constantly higher and that prices would be permanently higher, they would have invested in more production capacity to reap the profits. They know it ain't so, thus the manufacturing has been steady, and it will just take a bit longer for the market to stabilize. But if all or most of you are willing to accept and pay higher prices and you continue to do so, then you will be rewarded with a self fulfilling prophecy.

There won't be a new norm unless we allow there to be. I did spend up to $0.08 per round on a few occasions during the worst of it, to make sure I'd have enough for the kids and new shooters that I train, but after my stock was adequate I quit buying and won't buy more until I see it for $0.06 or less per round, delivered. It may take a while but sooner or later everyone will have a stash and demand will drop, it won't sell for high prices, and prices will then come back down, supply will return to normal. Just look at the AR 15 market as a great example.

Moving safes is 80% tools and techniques, 20% muscle. I've moved many many safes, including a few 500 lb. and one 800 lb. safes, all by myself, over a hundred miles, including steps and bends. With the right knowledge and gear you can do quite a bit safely and easily. Just ask the Egyptians who built the pyramids...

I tried to find an emoji that represented living under a rock or waking from a coma after several years, but couldn't find one. :rolleyes: Just kidding! But if you had to ask this, there's probably an awful lot you are missing out on besides ammo shortages. Politics, knife laws, war, terrorism, race riots, etc. I recommend reading TGO daily, and you should be back up to speed in a few weeks.

I've installed many gun safes in homes and in garages, both detached and attached. Never once had a rust or corrosion issue in any of the safes. Always wipe all metal surfaces with a fresh silicone rag, or better yet with a light coat of Eezox before storing. Always use a dehumidifier rod inside the bottom of the safe, properly sized for the safe. Always install several desiccant bags, pouches, boxes, etc. that are properly sized for the safe, and recharge them at least once a year, or whenever the color-changing beads indicate. Avoid moisture absorbent fabrics, cloths, gun rags, cases, etc. Open the safe as little as possible, but if you must open it often then recharge the desiccant more often.

Was it still $8 to get in and $5 to park? If so then you likely could have purchased another mag online for the same total spent, but I guess a good way to kill time

Damn. I don't think I could bring myself to bring that home, let alone put it in the gun safe... LOL

The Eagle has flown the coop... :-)

That's a great story SWJ, thanks for sharing. It is a very common scenario, one that I have heard and dealt with many times as an instructor, with more than a few students coming to class after going through similar experiences and developing some serious bias against brand, caliber, action types, etc. or even being afraid to shoot at all. Often once the damage is done it is quite difficult to undo or steer someone in another direction, so I completely understand where you are coming from.   That's what I meant when I referred to "proper instruction and advice". For new shooters it is best to avoid starting with semi-autos or high calibers, and they should be instructed to wear proper attire to the range to avoid brass burns from their own shooting or others nearby. I usually tell folks to wear closed-toe shoes, pants, and closed-neck shirts, and ideally a ball cap or hat with a bill to deflect any casings which might slip down inside their shooting glasses. I also take them to a quiet private range, or at least get the RSO to allocate a few lanes at the far end away from other shooters. Once they are comfortable with simple rimfire shooting and basic guns, then you can gradually introduce them to other calibers and action types, and ideally you will have allowed them to handle and try all of these options with real guns and dummy training rounds in a safe classroom environment, so that they already have confidence before they arrive at the range.   When it comes to people with small hands, weak hand or arm strength, or other physical limitations there are special methods which you can teach them to allow them to safely shoot and enjoy quite a few calibers and guns even though they initially don't believe they can do so. A recent example was a retired couple that went through a class last year. The woman was quite reluctant to shoot at all, and only doing it because her husband insisted they both learn for safety purposes. She had small hands and terrible arthritis, which initially made it a challenge for her to load and shoot anything, and after some initial practice her and her husband had assumed that she had to go with a small caliber revolver and the lightest possible trigger pull. I convinced them to wait until class was over and try a few more guns, and get a little more training and practice in, after which time she became much more comfortable with shooting. She ended up being able to handle several revolvers in .38 /.357, and a few semi-autos in .380 / 9mm. She also went on to qualify on several levels of the NRA Winchester Marksmanship program, and now they own several guns and shoot for fun about once a month or so.   You are right that the Taurus 94 does have a long heavy trigger, and it is not nearly as smooth as a similar gun from Smith & Wesson, Colt, Ruger, etc. but then it doesn't cost anywhere near as much as those do, and it is not defective or faulty, it is just not the best choice for most people to use for defense in most situations.

I standby my statement, and believe we are actually in agreement. I specifically said "Nobody should rely on a 22 lr gun for defense unless they have extreme circumstances that rule out every other more powerful option." I have been shooting, carrying, teaching, and working on guns for more than 40 years, and I have taught literally hundreds of shooters including young kids, old women, weak, small, and disabled. I have yet to come across a single person that absolutely had no better option available for defense than a double action 22 lr revolver. I realize there are probably a few folks out there that might fit that mold, I just think they are vary rare, and that with proper instruction and advice most of the shooters would easily do well with something more appropriate for defense.

Yes, that particular revolver model is known to have a heavy double action trigger pull (assuming you had a Taurus 94). But this was NOT a quality issue or defect, it was functioning as designed, and the issue is not unique to Taurus guns. Nearly every double action 22 LR revolver has a very heavy double action trigger pull due to the heavy springs which are necessary to ensure reliable ignition of rimfire cartridges. The trigger pull may be slightly improved if the gun was highly detailed with ideal fit and polished bearing surfaces, but the long heavy trigger will still be present. If you measured the pull weight with a scale on several comparable revolvers in different brands they'd all be within 2 lbs. or so of each other, but the more expensive guns would likely feel a little smoother. One notable exception would be the Ruger LCR which has a non-traditional trigger system which allows a reduced trigger pull weight and smoother stroke even with 22 lr, yet this is still far from perfect. The bottom line is that to get really light short triggers in a rimfire revolver you need to shoot them in single action mode (cocking the hammer first) or buy a single action gun altogether. Most of the 22 lr revolvers are designed for target shooting, pest control, or hunting where single action firing is often preferred, and double action firing is rarely needed, so if you purchased the Taurus 94 for your wife as a defensive gun then it wasn't the gun that sucked, it was just a bad choice for her needs. Nobody should rely on a 22 lr gun for defense unless they have extreme circumstances that rule out every other more powerful option.

Yeah, I can understand that. I remember when I was younger and lived up in PA. Gun shows up there were much, much larger and had nearly anything and everything you could ever wish for. Prices seemed good or at least fair, but then again I didn't have many local retailers and no internet dealers to compare them to. But at least the selection was huge, and they were either free or only $2 to get in, and it could take you 4-8 hours to see everything. It was always crowded and was a lot of fun just walking around seeing the sights and talking to so many gun friends.   After having assisted several FFL dealers with their businesses, and seeing what they have to go through to sell at a gun show, I can understand why most of them have higher prices and many don't even do the gun shows at all.   To start with, they have to give up at least 3 full days of their time to do a show, and this is usually on their only weekend off from their normal day jobs. Often a good part of the week prior to the show is spent gathering and packing inventory, forms, chairs, extension cords, price tags, table cloths, signs, receipts, cash for change, etc. for the show. Then they have to drive to the show and spend all day Friday setting up their tables, usually carrying everything in and out by themselves, and hoping none of it gets stolen when unattended. If they are not close to home then they have to sleep in their car or a local motel or drive far back to home and get back to the show early Saturday morning. And staff the show all day on Saturday and Sunday, and tear everything down and go back home and unpack on Sunday night and Monday. Even assisting with this process is a real pain in the a$$, so I usually showed up to help late Friday or on Saturday morning when the doors opened.  :)   Then they have to sit in those comfy metal chairs or stand on hard concrete all day, answering lots of dumb questions and watching people abuse their NIB inventory and point guns at them, and they have to eat gun show food because they are lucky to get 5 minutes free to hit the bathroom. And they have to pay at least $30-$50 per day for their tables, maybe a lot more if they take up a lot of space or they need to use electricity. And then there is gas and lodging and other meals. So when you add up all their extra effort, time, and expense it makes sense to me why they have to mark up their prices to do the shows. Heck, many of the shows that I staffed (for free just as a favor to help my friends), they were lucky just to break even let alone make any profit for all their effort and time. And even when they had a good show, if you added up their total profits, subtracted their expenses, and divided that by their total hours it often came out far below a fair or minimum wage.   When you consider all of the above, and then factor in that most smaller dealers have to pay a much higher cost to get guns than the higher-volume internet competitors, it is a miracle that they can even stay in business at all.   So all that to say that I gave up on going to a gun show to save money or score a low price deal. It occasionally does still happen, and is really a cause for celebration if so, but I am content with just seeing a large selection of guns and gun-related items at fair prices, even if fair means slightly higher than the other guys, as there is some benefit to instant gratification and I like to do my part to keep these guys in business. The only time I get irked is if I spend $8-$10 to get in and there is very little to browse, or when I see a dealer trying to gouge folks selling 22 LR at $60-$80+ per brick.

You raise valid points but these are not unique to the Lebanon show, they apply to all gun shows. Before the Internet was common, a gun show was one of the few venues that you could shop a large selection of stuff from many dealers that might otherwise be hard to find locally, and those dealers didn't have to compete with high-volume low-overhead Internet sellers, so their prices probably seemed fair. But now there are thousands of online sellers, and nearly all of the gun show guys are small local dealers that need to make a living. So I don't really go to a gun show looking for the lowest prices, I would be content with fair or average prices as long as there was a wide selection of stuff to browse. The Nashville show costs too much after parking and is not worth the drive, and the Murfreesboro show has generally been good but the facility is getting worse. And I just don't see any clear reason why the Lebanon show isn't bigger or better.

Yeah, I never understood why it's not better attended. It's a very convenient location just off I40, an easy quick drive from Lebanon, Mount Juliet, Murfreesboro, Watertown, Carthage, Gallatin, and many areas of east Nashville. Heck, even Cookeville can get here in 35-45 minutes. They have many buildings available so it can be as big as it needs, dealer tables are pretty cheap, and they have good HVAC and reasonably cheap food / drinks, plenty of free close parking on site. And it doesn't cost any more than the other gun shows. Only thing I can figure is that the promoter does a poor job of advertising, but I always see their little orange coupons and signs at the checkout counters of many local stores so I know they are at least doing a good job at spreading the word locally. I used to help staff tables at various shows for an FFL friend, and we once did a show at Lebanon in the summer that was INSANELY busy. People were packed shoulder to shoulder nearly all day, and we had the lowest prices at the show so we didn't stop selling guns until it closed, we literally sold them faster than the paperwork could be processed. I think we moved 50-75 guns in one day alone, plus some accessories and non-gun sales, and of course hundreds of lookers and questions. And there were only 2 of us working. It was wild, but a lot of fun. Never knew why that particular show was so great, or why the others since have been so poor.

I went on Sunday morning around 11am. First building was mostly full, pretty much the regular dealers that are always there. Second building was maybe 2/3 full with the dealers spreading out to take up some of the empty spaces. Traffic was slower than I expected, with most of the customers carrying one or more guns for sale or trade. I checked every gun and table, didn't see any good deals or special prices. Closest thing to a good deal was the ammo guy selling clean like-new 50 bmg ammo cans for $9 each if you purchased 3 of them. I offered $8 each to buy 6 or more of them, which he declined, so I left empty handed. A few dealers had 22 lr at $55-$65 per brick, no takers. My biggest disappointment was that about 20% of the front building and nearly all of the rear building was non-gun items, with lots of cheap knives, wire strippers, flashlights, and even some canoes / kayaks. Since I had no interest in that stuff it only took me 20-30 minutes to see the whole show. Waste of time and $16, but at least I got to spend some time with a friend as we browsed. I also carried my NIB Taurus revolver which is currently for sale, and had about a dozen inquiries from prospective buyers but no takers.

I have purchased, sold, traded, shot, cleaned, worked on, and inspected literally more than a hundred Taurus revolvers, both on my own and while helping a friend with an FFL business. I have also done the same with a similar number of revolvers from other makers including Colt, S&W, Ruger, etc. As a firearms instructor and gunsmith I tend to see a good bit more than your average shooter, and I am extremely detailed when inspecting and cleaning guns, often taking more than 1 hour per gun and using a jeweler's loupe, borescope, and headlamp for inspection. My personal collection has contained MANY Taurus revolvers, from old Rossi guns to the modern Titanium guns and everywhere in between. In all of my experience I have never seen a bad gun from Taurus, or any defects in their workmanship or performance. They are well made, work properly, and they hold up just fine. I've never needed to use the lifetime warranty but I like having it just in case. Now they aren't the Cadillac of the gun world, that's for sure. The Colts, S&Ws, Dan Wessons, etc. have a higher quality fit and finish, and sometimes a few more features, but that's why they cost so much more. I have owned many of those other guns too and love them, but when it comes to simple reliable shooting I trust the Taurus revolvers to perform just as well as the fancy looking guns. Now I absolutely detest the Taurus semiautos, mainly because I dislike their design and find them to be ugly and less ergonomic than their competitors, and also a few of them are pretty cheaply made, and there are better quality options in the same price range, so I don't own or shoot any of the Taurus semiautos, but I never hesitate with their revolvers. So that's my $0.02, perhaps worth just a penny more than someone who has only handled, sold, or shot a few guns, but to each his own.

Friend went to the show today. He said both buildings were in use, pretty full with dealer tables, but traffic was slow around 2-3 pm, which is typical in my experience. I might try to stop by after church tomorrow morning, as they tend to be busiest right after opening.

I might go just out of boredom because it's not far, I have a coupon, and parking is free. But I don't expect it to be great.

My personal limit has been $40 per brick ($0.08 per round) delivered ever since the shortage started. I don't think any 22 LR is worth more than that, since you can buy more powerful and accurate centerfire cartridges for as little as $0.10-$0.15 per round, even cheaper if you reload (which I do). I was lucky enough to get some 22 LR for around $0.05 per round several times in the past year or two, but I didn't mind stocking up at my top price either since I'm an instructor and teach a lot of kids and new shooters. But I'll never accept anything higher than $0.05 per round as "normal", and I haven't been buying for a while since I have enough for the short term and I want to help the market cool down.