wileecoyote

Similar here. I was trying nonstop from 7:30-9:15 EST, and was eventually able to add each of the sale guns to my cart, but the site always crashed during the checkout process. The products alternated from showing in / out of stock, to showing sale / regular prices, and sometimes not even showing at all. I don't have a problem with limited quantities and big traffic, but with such poor website performance you don't get a fair chance to even try. It would be like Walmart running a big sale then when you are lucky enough to get there early enough to grab the rare product and place it in your cart, you run through the checkout lane and the cashier says her register is broken, or she just walks away refusing to take your money, or somehow that item magically disappears from your cart. So buds gets a capital F in my book, for knowing what to expect but not having proper website infrastructure in place, and for most likely only having a very small quantity of the low price guns available to a select few that probably got sold through an alternate method. And they surely lost other sales too, because the site still sucks even if you try to purchase something else. I heartily give them a one finger salute.

I prefer not to post specific gift ideas, as I think that takes away the surprise factor and requires less effort / thought for the giver. In fact, for family gifts if anyone ever tells me "I want X, Y, or Z..." then I absolutely refuse to buy them any of those items. I want each gift to be a surprise, with some thought behind it. Granted, this is a bit harder to do when you don't know the person or when their prior posts don't help, but in that case you just have to think of a good unique generic gift that most anyone could use and appreciate. And I don't mean fruitcake either... :-) If anyone is still struggling with a difficult recipient then I'd suggest something with universally wide appeal such as 22 LR ammo, Midway USA or Amazon gift certificates, or even something based on where they live. It doesn't have to be hard if you just think a bit.

If anyone ever has smoke, pet, or other serious odors inside a home, you need to use a commercial ozone generator and run it for several cycles when the house is closed up and vacant. It removes / destroys the odor causing particles, doesn't filter or mask them. It's hard to find a high strength commercial generator without spending a fortune, especially in the US where they are somewhat regulated, but I have a great unit and it works perfectly. It generates so much ozone you need to be careful, because it is not good for breathing in such high concentrations, and it can attack and break down most types of rubber materials. So you just set it up on a 2 hour timer in a central room with the hvac fan running and then go shopping. It smells like a rain forest after a thunderstorm when you return.

I got several of the SBX and one original straight from Sig, to add to a few of my guns. I like them all. For shoulder firing, considering fit and comfort they are about the same. For true pistol firing (using one hand with the brace) the original design provides a bit more stability and accuracy. For a lower side profile the newer design is better, but that is just my opinion since it's purely cosmetic, and I have shown them to about a dozen friends and everyone has a different favorite. I will be selling my original brace if anybody needs one locally. Just haven't had time to post the classified ad yet with photos.

In for 2 knives as follows: Tanto blade, serial # 22 Standard blade, serial # 22 Thanks!

Might be missing the gas tube and / or have the FSB crooked, but hard to tell from the photos.

Yeah, that's total BS there. I would have cancelled by disputing with my bank. If you get tired of waiting, I've got some new barrels, blocks, tubes, and other parts that I could sell to you locally. Good luck!

PSA has always been fine by me. They aren't the fastest to ship but they aren't the slowest either. We rarely need our gun purchases quickly anyway, so I am content to wait up to 2 weeks to receive a paid order. I recently ordered 4 more guns from PSA, which were 4" revolvers. They took my money immediately, then after waiting about 10 days I get an email from their "Compliance Department" explaining that my selected FFL was on file with them but the file copy had expired, so they put the burden on me to call my FFL and get them to email or fax an updated copy. I was mildly irritated that they just didn't do this themselves, but it only took me 5 minutes and was resolved within 2 days. But then a few days later I get a call from the "Compliance Department" and this time to explain that they don't actually have any of the 4" guns that I purchased, only the same gun in 6", so I had to settle for those instead. This greatly irked me as I don't know if my order was shorted because of their delays, or if they just never had the 4" guns to begin with. And now I'm still waiting for those 6" guns to be shipped. Sounds like Radical Firearms is even worse, so I'll avoid them.

A gun dealer can buy a gun or take a gun in trade from a customer without running a check on the gun to see if it's stolen. So it happens more often than not that they don't run the check, especially if they are getting the gun cheap. In my opinion it's crazy for them not to check, though, because they will lose the gun if it later turns up stolen at point of sale in a traditional transaction. But then I've also seen more than a few dealers trade such guns to other dealers or even sell them for cash, or trade them to friends "off the books", without running any checks or doing any paperwork, which they can sometimes get away with because the gun was never logged anywhere in their records to begin with. Obviously this is against FFL regulations, and it could come back to haunt them if the gun is later used in a crime and traced back to them somewhere in the chain of custody, but greed (or the desire to remain off paper) does funny things to some folks.

I didn't think a simple suggestion for a shipping date was complicated or would cause any extreme stress for anyone. No need to make it a rule either, it was just a suggestion for our gift buyers to consider if they wanted their recipients to actually get the gifts before Christmas, which I thought was generally the idea of most secret santa events. To each his own. And I agree with Metalhead, CHRIST is indeed the main point here. :D

I'd suggest a mailing deadline of Friday Dec 12th, as many folks travel out of town for the holidays and most traveling is done on the weekend prior to Christmas, so the travelers are likely to depart on Friday Dec 19th. So if we mail gifts by the 12th then everyone should receive them no later than the 19th, and be able to post pics and thank-yous in the forum while everyone is still in the holiday mood.

That's cool. A little pricey, especially with $10 shipping, otherwise I'd get some for gifts.

That's ideal and is in agreement with the guidelines of putting some real thought into the gift, assuming of course that the person buying the gift knows the forum name of the recipient. I was given a name and address last year but don't recall receiving a forum name with it, so I was unable to do so. But if you know the person or can research their needs, it's great.

I'm in. For anyone new to this secret santa idea, I recommend the following tips that I picked up from participating in similar pools: Send a generic gift that can be used by anybody, and ideally something nice or new or that you put some thought into, something you like and use yourself, something you will likely miss after sending it. Avoid sending random oddball crap that you just had laying around in the junk drawer, stuff you don't use and want to get rid of, or things that are specialized such as a spare mag (they might not own the gun) or golf balls (they might not golf). And above all, put some time and thought into the selection, then purchase, pack, and ship it early or on time with care. Don't rush and send any old thing late that was laying around the discard pile, just to get it off your list. I have participated in many of these things and they mostly work out, but nothing irritates me more than seeing someone get no gift, a late gift, or a gift which was clearly a poor choice with no care involved.

Cool video, neat targets, patriotic. Of course shooting at steel targets always involves some risk, but it's up to the individual shooter or RSO to manage the risk based on their specific conditions and their personal level of comfort.

I do understand what you guys that live in the rural areas are saying about it being a little different there, which I agree with.   I have lived with dogs and many other pets for more than 40 years in everything from tiny apartments in crowded downtown areas to small and large subdivisions to farms to remote mountain camps in the middle of nowhere, even places that had no electricity or phone or roads. I have seen friends and family members that had inside pets that were treated better than even their kids, and I have seen a lot of older guys that basically chained their dogs up to wooden huts in harsh winter climates and gave them barely enough to survive, sometimes just shooting a rabbit or some small game now and then and tossing the entire raw carcass to the dogs. And I have known many country folks that did what you are describing, basically letting their pets run loose outdoors whenever they wanted because they felt it was reasonably safe to do so in their area.   I still standby everything I said above, though, because letting your pet run loose is still risky to the health and well being of the pet, and it could be detrimental to your more distant neighbors or even just to strangers that are passing through the area. Sure, if you own a huge farm from 350 to 5000 acres or more then some of the risks such as being hit by a car are reduced, however most of the risks are still there and some risks increase such as being shot by hunters or attacked by natural predators. But at the end of the day each pet owner has to decide for themselves how to control their pets, which is a good thing that we are all free to decide how to live.   All I am saying is that if you opt to let them run loose off your property (which is still illegal) then don't be surprised or upset if they don't come home one day, they get injured or sick, or they cause some other problems that you have to deal with. And I certainly wouldn't be complaining about anyone finding your loose dog and taking it in or dropping it off at a shelter. That is fully legal and is the most humane thing to do, unless you know for sure that the pet is well cared for and is on his own land. What the OP described to start this thread is that someone found his loose dog approximately 800 feet away from his own land, which means that the dog was not on his home property and to the passing stranger must have appeared to be an abandoned or lost animal. A stranger would have no way of knowing about your family and neighbors or all the local dogs and their reputations, and your dog was obviously in an area where the stranger was able to pass by and see and collect the dog without being noticed, so I still call that an unsafe situation for the dog. By choosing to allow the dog to run loose off your land, you took those risks and in this case it cost you the companionship of a dear friend for 6 months, plus all the time and money you will have spent to get him back, and you actually came out of this quite lucky in that the dog is still alive and you are getting him back.   I currently live on more than 23 wooded acres which is surrounded by many much larger farms, in a fairly rural area, yet I love my dog enough and I respect my neighbors (and any passing strangers) enough not to let him run free. When he was younger and quick enough to rush out the door before I could close it, he did escape about a half dozen times and each time it was a hectic nerve-wracking experience for me to chase him down and bring him back before he got hurt or killed. On at least one occasion he nearly got hit by a car, on another he almost bit a local farmer, and on another he was jumped by a pack of larger dogs and I saved him just in time. That is when I built a large 100' x 30' fenced outdoor area for him and attached it to the house via a computerized pet door, so now he can go in and out all he pleases but he can't run away and other animals can't get to him or come inside. This was the best money I ever spent, wish I had done it a long time ago. I will never own another dog again without a similar setup. It sure beats the cost of wanted posters, trips to the shelters and vets, vet bills, re-homing fees, or the premature loss of a pet which I consider my most loyal best friend.   But to each his own, and I wish you and your pets all the best no matter how you handle them. Unless you abuse them then I wish you nothing but a life in hell.  :pleased:

The notion of letting a pet run loose is sometimes viewed as natural or traditional, especially around more rural areas. Some owners feel it is only right to let them have their freedom, and some folks enjoy having stray pets come to visit once in a while. These folks may have been raised in a culture that pets were only outside animals, not much different than birds or squirrels that you enjoy seeing and occasionally feed but otherwise don't do much about. Other folks have a romantic vision of their pets going out to play, making friends, visiting neighbors, communicating with other animals, and generally having a great time and then always finding their way home at the end of the day to rejoin their loving family after a fun day of adventure, similar to the crap that you see in the Disney movies. But the harsh reality is that a loose pet will usually just be searching for food or sex, or most often just looking for some loving attention from other animals or humans that are willing to pet and play with it. And if you leave a pet outside during rain or hot/cold weather then he is often just looking for better shelter.   So if you really care about your pet (and your neighbors and their pets) then you would never let your pet run loose at large. Doing so exposes them to many, many hazards including being hit by a car, attacked by other pets or predators, shot at when trespassing on other properties, poisoned by all manner of toxic things he might eat or drink, chased or tortured by kids or twisted people, pelted with rocks or BBs or whatever, exposed to ticks and fleas and other diseases, injured by crossing dangerous areas such as steep hills, broken glass, becoming permanently lost, getting picked up by Animal Control or adopted by someone else that sees him as homeless, etc. And it can also cause a lot of inconvenience for your neighbors if your pet harasses their livestock or pets, craps in their yard, barks at night, bites one of their kids or pets, etc.   Most pet owners who let their pets run loose are either ignorant of the facts above or they just don't care enough about the pets or their neighbors to do any different, and in my opinion these folks shouldn't have pets, which is why I fully support the legal capture of strays and placement in shelters where the pet will at least have a chance of being placed in a better home. Other pet owners aren't willing to go to the expense of properly tagging, chipping, and containing the pet to their properties, in which case I think they should only have inside pets that are only let out in a fenced area or on a run or leash.

Well technically shooting outside city limits on your own property in Wilson county is legal, but you can easily run afoul of the law for noise violations, disturbing the peace, unsafe conditions, and even some environmental laws regarding lead. The noise part is the most risky because it doesn't take many decibels to break the legal threshold, so you need a large enough property that is far enough away from other people that the noise is not deemed to be a reasonable nuisance. That is one reason why I purchased 23 acres in a farming region, and why I told the anti-gun neighbor from across the valley to go pound sand. But I still avoid shooting late at night, and I try to keep my sessions under a few hours, out of respect for my neighbors who probably don't want to feel like they live next to a front line fire base in Vietnam.

I'm a huge dog lover and I have a passionate dislike for anyone that tries to scam people. If I feel that I'm wronged I don't hesitate to escalate through courts or other methods to get a fair resolution. And I hate to see any animals hurt, killed, chased, harassed, or mistreated in any way. In this case I think it comes down to the fact that your dog was running loose off your property, something you admit that he does often. Thus he was very likely off of your property when he was picked up. Whether he was picked up by a stranger or the dog pound doesn't really matter, it is against the law to let your dogs run loose, and it is entirely lawful for a loose dog to be detained or impounded. Now the question of ownership transfer gets a little complicated based on various factors, but in general if your dog was allowed to run loose and he was subsequently detained without any chip or collar to identify the owner, then a shelter or private person only has to wait a short time to see if an owner comes forward, and they generally only have to make a minimum attempt at advertising, and then if no owner comes forward to claim the dog it becomes their property. In the case of the dog pound or many shelters he would have been euthanized in just a few weeks, so you are very lucky that someone caught him and put him in a rescue shelter instead. If my dog had gone missing I would have immediately put signs up everywhere within a several mile area, contacted all of the nearby shelters and vets and neighbors, and checked back with them often until he was found. But then I never let my dog run loose, and he is microchipped, and he always has a collar on with multiple tags, he even has a special tag with his own email address and toll free hot line announcing a reward if found, so it's pretty unlikely that he would ever be missing to begin with. In your case I would have gone to get the dog immediately, taking off work or changing plans if needed, and gladly paid any fee or reward to whoever kept him alive. Even if they offered me a free return, I would have insisted on giving them a nice sum to compensate for their caring and feeding for the dog for so long. And then I would immediately take the dog to a vet for a full checkup, have him microchipped, get him a new collar with ID and rabies tags, and find a way to fence him in or secure him so he doesn't run loose in the future. The only way I could see you going on the offensive here would be if your dog was properly tagged, microchipped, and detained on your land but someone trespassed to steal your dog and deliberately kept him away from you. But you would need a lot of evidence to prove that, and it would be highly unlikely to occur. In any event I'm happy that you did find your dog, and I hope the return goes smoothly, and that you don't let him run loose again in the future.

I'm in Lebanon outside city limits. Researched the laws before I purchased the land, then spoke with the county sheriff about the laws to confirm. He told me to enjoy myself and stay safe, wrote down his name and badge number for future reference just in case. Only once in 10 years did someone drive up to my house to complain. I live a pretty good distance from the road and other homes, but I was shooting a 500 S&W Magnum and he was upset that the noise was shaking his windows across the valley. It was a Sunday and still daylight at only 6pm, so I told him that yes it was me shooting, and yes I would continue to shoot, and yes it was safe and legal, and yes I had already spoken with the sheriff. He said that he and his wife lived nearby and they didn't like shooting or guns at all, so I told them they might want to learn about them and try it out so they can get to like it, or if not then they should move. 2 months later they did move and were replaced by a retired veteran that told me he enjoys shooting as well. Never any issues since then.

Would someone please explain why anyone would shop at a pawn shop, for guns or anything else? I have been to several dozen of all different sizes and in numerous cities / states. Every single one had almost nothing but used stuff that was in terrible condition, and every item was priced at or even above the cost of the same thing brand new from a traditional retailer. At first I assumed it was just a starting price for negotiations, but on at least 6 times that I attempted to negotiate the clerks indicated their prices were firm and they looked at me like I was crazy. In at least 3 of the shops I tried to reason "but your item is used and worn, and look at this on my phone showing the same thing brand new for less at another store"... only to have the clerks say "but you are not in a retail store, this is a pawn shop" as if that somehow explained why I should pay more. I understand how they take advantage of people that need cash quick, or that want a loan with bad credit, and if those customers know what they are giving up due to their desperation then it's their business. But for the pawn shop to then attempt to sell overpriced junk to cash-rich customers that know better is crazy. So I've always assumed it must be those same ignorant or desperate customers paying top dollar for junk, likely funded by trading away what little of value they have left. I just can't see how else these shops stay in business. Sure, I hear the occasional stories of how someone scored a mint unfired WWII german luger complete with the dead nazi officer still attached for only $127 at their local pawn shop, but I've yet to ever see or get a single deal myself, and I do keep looking once in awhile. The closest I have come to a deal lately is Kwik Kash Pawn in Lebanon where they do transfers for $15.

There's no need to check your mailbox at all. I've been sleeping in my mailbox starting a week ago. :rolleyes:

1 - shouting at or verbally arguing with a reckless driver isn't going to change their behavior one bit. Might make you feel better but it can only lead to trouble. If the situation was truly dangerous and you or others narrowly escaped serious harm, you should have just called the police. And especially because there's always some police present at every high school football game. 2 - squaring off and proceeding to verbally argue or debate with one or more adversarial strangers, kids or otherwise, is just as wrong and pointless as #1. You just ignore them and walk away, avoiding the altercation, and only escalate to self defense if you are pursued to the point of having no practical way out or if the pursuers place you or your loved ones in fear of imminent bodily harm or death. If it were me I would have shook my head silently at the unsafe driver, saying nothing, or at most reporting it to local police or security. And if confronted by someone later I'd just dismiss them as unimportant and walk away. Life's too short and my desire to enjoy the game safely with my family and avoid any physical or legal trouble would far outweigh any desire to confront or scold bad drivers and overzealous defenders. Probably not what you wanted to hear but that's my $0.02.

I don't understand how any of you carry IWB or OWB at all, regardless of the gun and holster, and still keep it perfectly concealed without ever printing. Down here in the southern states it's nearly always hot and humid, making long heavy shirts very hot and uncomfortable, let alone 2 shirts. And if you just wear 1 very loose t-shirt it will still print very easily when you bend, walk, pick up things, stretch, etc. Even if you find that one magic outfit that will do the trick, you can't wear that to all places like church, office jobs, etc. In my experience nearly everyone carrying IWB or OWB will print at various times throughout the day, they just don't notice it or care. Only time I did any IWB or OWB carry was when it's cold enough to have a jacket or layered clothing, and even then I typically prefer the comforts of a galco shoulder holster.

Just found a very helpful site which has a nice summary of the driving, towing, and other laws for all states. I see no states listed with a law about non residents needing to have utility trailers registered. http://drivinglaws.aaa.com/laws/trailer-towing/