JReedEsq

Plus 1 to the smaller gun idea; exercising alone in remote areas is pretty much the only reason I keep my Ruger LCP. It is reliable, but when weight isn't so important, I prefer to carry at least my Glock 26. I've had dog bites that required medical attention twice, once one a solo-road bike ride 30 miles from home (furthest point away, in the middle of nowhere), and once running. Pepper-spray is still the first line of defense (and often only line of defense), but I don't really like to depend on something that can be useless in a strong wind. *Edit: My Glock 19 is my probably favorite handgun, but I couldn't imagine trying to run with it. I could carry my 26 in a bike ride, maybe, but it is definitely too heavy to run with IMHO. *Second Edit. I got chased by a large dog today on my bike and thought about my earlier post. I reflexively thought about throwing a water bottle at the dog or unclipping my cycling shoe and kicking him right in the face. Luckily, I reached the crest of a hill and was able to simply sprint away. At now time did it occur to me to reach for my LCP. I just want to make it very clear that I would hate to ever have to shoot at a dog. The only circumstance in which I would consider doing so is if I knew there were no people behind it and it was the only way to prevent an ER visit for me. Sorry to be so off topic. Back to the point of the post, I wear a cycling jersey with pockets and find the LCP works well in a molded Kydex pocket holster. A few of my cycling jerseys are solid but still have pockets so I can also wear them running. I don't need a special holster and the gun is positioned at 4:00 about the same as one of my Glocks would be if I were carrying IWB.

Commuting is definitely possible in Knoxville, it usually just takes a little extra scouting/research to find secondary routes through certain areas. I have to be in Court frequently and sometimes I go to more than on Court in a day or else I would do it now. I used to be an "in-house" attorney for a bank downtown and I would ride to the Y, shower there, walk to the office, and at the end of the day I'd walk back to the Y to get my gear and change clothes for the ride home. It was an awesome way to spend a lot of time on the bike without it feeling like "training". I'm also convinced that 2 rides in the same day keeps your metabolism boosted much more than 1 ride even if the total time on the bike is the same.

I agree. I know lots of lawyers who carry regularly, most of them just prefer to conceal.

I've done that race several times. It's fun, although it's really flat.

Several years ago I started down the Natchez Trace with a group of five other guys, one truck with a gear trailer, and a goal of riding the whole thing. We did about 100 each day for the first 2 days before running into an ice storm and deciding to pack up and come back. I think it was around MLK day and we obviously started a little to early in the year. It's amazing how spending 5 or 6 hours on a bike in miserable weather somehow seems like a great time a few years later...

I like my Columbia tent. It has proven to be very durable and weatherproof. It was more expensive than Wally's but less expensive than North Face and many others. It's a good value IMHO. You might want to look at sierra trading post or Campmor. They have blowout deals all the time on discontinued models. Eureka and Kelty are also other quality brands that may be reasonably priced. I don't consider myself a gear snob but I like to buy that I know will last a good while so I don't have to buy another again next year.

I've been riding a couple of times a week this year, a mix of road and mountain. Until this year I rode about 10-15 hours a week for the last 8-10 years. I did lots of mountain bike races and a few road races here and there. I have a Yeti ASRc mountain bike, a Trek 5500 road bike, and a Lemond Poprad Disc cyclocross bike. After my son was born (he's 2) it became more and more difficult to spend the time I needed on the bike to race and do the competitive group rides I used to really enjoy. When my wife became pregnant with our second child, (due in Dec), it became even more difficult for me to leave her at home with a toddler to do a 2 hour ride on a weekday. Now my rides consist of pulling my son in a trailer on the greeway, sneaking in a solo road ride from my house, or riding my bike to a park near us, riding the trails and then riding home. I really miss cycling but I had to take some time off of it this year so that when I go back to it I can have a different attitude. It was becoming a source of frustration trying to race and train hard with not enough training time or sleep. Can't really just race for fun when you have a Cat 1 license either. I've done more hiking than ever before this year, and carrying my toddler in a backpack helps burn some calories. It's fun for the whole family, but after all those years of mountain biking, it's hard to look at a hiking trail without seeing scanning for the best "lines" on a mountain bike...

Make sure that you shoot a subcompact .45 before you consider buying one. Contrary to what the caliber war threads may say, I think recoil and shootability has more to do with platform than the caliber. For example, I think even a .40 has quite a snap in a subcompact, but I could shoot my full-size .40 all day long. With revolvers, I've shot .357 loads through full-size revolers but after shooting .38 specials in a snubby, I have no interest in even trying a .357 snub. Of course recoil is subjective, but I've found that I really don't mind the loud noise/flash/push of a powerful round out of a big gun. What I don't care for is when a small gun feels like it's jumping out of my hand.

Just to echo Stegall... no way. What most people don't understand is that possession is defined by control and not ownership. It is a federal offense for him to be in control of a firearm, for even a brief period of time.

or a shotgun... or a carbine... or any other long gun.

I spent most of 2001 in Portland. I traveled a lot of the state to mountain bike. It's a great place.

Everyone knows Victorinox is the the real deal.

Good work! I have a girl on the way (already have a 2-year -old boy). It looks like you're doing a fine job with yours.

Having an occupation where I often deal with drug users, felons, gang members, and people who are really upset in child custody disputes makes me feel the need to carry one gun with an extra mag or two in the car or in a a bag. I used to think I was getting paranoid. I now feel much more reasonable, thanks to you guys with your back up long guns and massive ammo stores.

I'm starting to feel really under-armed....

Most of the time I carry a G26 (10+1) and I have a spare G17 (full-size) mag in my bag which is usually around my desk if I'm in the office or in car if I'm out and about. That's 28 rounds with my G26. If I'm at the office in casual clothes I usually carry the G19 (15+1) which I'll probably go back to more regularly when the weather cools. I guess my thought is that I'm attacked I'll be seeking safety in my vehicle or in the back of my office so having an extra magazine there will be sufficient. Plus, I just carry plenty of stuff around already.

I'd also suggest you check into the 21 SF or "short frame" unless you have really huge hands. I find the SF versions a lot more ergonomic.

I'm no expert but I've fired a few shotguns and all I can say is that IMHO the only choice is what kind of stock to have. Contrary to movies and TV, it is actually possible to miss your target with a shotgun and the only way to have reasonable follow up shots is with a stock of some kind. I like my Knoxx recoil reducing stock but most of the guys who are far better with a shotgun than I am just use traditional stocks. I think its a personal preference so I'd say just find a stock that's comfortable to you and you should be fine.

+1

I consider myself a 9mm fan but I recently ended up with a RTF2 Glock 22 in .40 that I shot for the first time yesterday. I don't find it difficult to shoot at all, and I shot groups very similar to my 9mm groups with a G19 or G17. It takes maybe a slight bit longer for me to be back on target but it's not really that noticable. I practice often but I've been shooting less than a year and I was surprised that I kept 9 of 10 rounds in the 10 ring at 7 yards with slow fire. I must have been having a good day because that equals my best shooting with my G17. Maybe I was more focused because I expected harsh recoil. Also, the .40 definitely has a more satisfying "bang" instead of the "pop" of a 9mm. As stated, a lot of recoil has to do with the platform. The snappiest gun I have is my LCP. I much prefer the Glock 26 (9mm) to the Glock 27 (.40) in the subcompact relm, and I think I would slightly prefer my Glock 19 over a 23 if I shot them back-to-back. Overall, I prefer 9mm for capacity, availability, cost, and because I think caliber is overrated (assuming we're limiting ourselves to service calibers). Now, if we discuss sub-service calibers, like .380, .38, .32 it may be a different story. I don't like to chime in on these things but I couldn't pass up a caliber comparison since I shot my .40 for the first time yesterday. I was a new shooter when I previously tried a few .40s and I really didn't like them but I could also attribute that to smaller platforms. Yesterday, I was surprised at how flat-shooting it felt and how it wasn't that much different than my other Glocks. I really think the differences between the calibers (both in effectiveness and recoil) are over-rated to say the least.

If I felt a 9mm was too small for a particular situation, I'd probably want a 12 gauge.

I have no sentimental value to any of my guns so I don't name them. I was in Court one day when during an informal discussion going between a few lawyers, a Judge and the Court Officers about what happens when some of the litigants get a little out of control. A female Attorney was sharing a little info about a former client who had tried to intimidate her. When a Court Officer asked if she was scared she said,"I don't get as scared as I did beforeI got Maggie." He said "Is that your dog?", to which she replied, "Nope, it's my .357 Magnum."

I used to shoot every other week but have moved to once a week since getting a .22 conversion kit. Most often my range sessions are short since I squeeze it in at lunchtime.

I always use the slide stop on mine and I've had no issues, whatsoever. My understanding is that it is always better for the gun to do it that way.

I have a membership. I've always found the staff friendly and I shoot there often because I go to Maryville fairly often with my work which makes it convienent. I'd really like to know if there is any truth to these rumors before I renew...