Kenstaroni

Well I still have a bunch of friends who live in the Boro', so I try to make it out every once and a while. When I'm coming, a couple of them always ask if I'm stopping at the Outpost on my way....they know me too well...lol

Sorry, computer goofed and double posted.

Sounds like fun...Thanks for the help with the Magpul rifle stocks a few weeks ago. You guys have a great store, too bad I decided to graduate from MTSU and move to Ktown. Now I have to drive 3 hours to see you guys. I wish some of the stores in Knoxville would take a hint and start stocking some products that people want and selling them with a smile instead of a smirk....cough..like..cough...CCA... What's the big gift card worth out of curiosity?

Anyone got any more info on this event? I have never competed in a 3 gun but have all the hardware necessary...lol I would like to possibly compete, but ORSA only has email avaliable for questions and no phone number. Can you just show up and compete? If so how much does it cost? How much ammo do I need and are there any limitations on modifications to guns such as sights, compensators, etc.? Thanks in advance!

If he's a LEO, then a .22 AR would just be a toy...lol I would definately agree with everyone in getting a 5.56 chambered AR. That way he can shoot XM193 and other 5.56 ammo which run a little hotter, however the best reason is that it will shoot .223 just fine as well. M&P's are great. Don't hesitate to buy one. Check out Bud's gun shop, they have some pretty good deals. I've heard about the 18 free mag deal on here but I don't know who has that. Last I heard S&W had a 5 free mag promotion with purchase from any dealer. If you can swing the cheddar, the S&W M&P15T is just awesome. It's a midlength carbine. Another option if you can float the 1k-1.2k price range is a Stag Piston carbine. If you need to be in the 800-900 range then a basic M&P15 would be great. He could always add the custom parts he wants later. Either way, awesome idea. If my parents gave me an AR15 for Christmas it would be the best thing since my first BMX bike when I was 12 years old...lol

I have a Ka Bar and it's awesome. I have handled the CRKT Ultima and it is a nice knife too. Go down to Smoky Mountain Knife Works and see what you like best. They have both and then some.

I travel for work a lot, in my personal vehicle though. It doesn't make any sense to me to be in a hurry and be speeding as I just leave my house with plenty of time to get where I'm going, so I pretty much drive the speed limit or no more than 5mph over anywhere I go. I get tailgated all the time, even in the right lane. It's frustrating, but I usually try not to let it bother me. I don't want to drive 30mph but if that's the speed limit so that's what I'm going to do...lol The crappy thing is I have to go to GA this week to fight a window tint ticket. I was driving 5 under the speed limit, seatbelt on, lights on, right lane (in front of a car with a headlight out of course), and a wonderful GA trooper stopped me soley because my tint was too dark. Out of all the absolutely rediculus driving I see around Atlanta, I, the guy driving under the speed limit and with no tickets in 7 years, gets a $170 ticket because I bought a car with window tint that was illegal....lol I asked the officer if he took into consideration that I wasn't speeding and had a clean record and he told me that he was cutting me a break and not making me post bond for it.....Yeah the pig was willing to arrest me for window tint! And they wonder why even good citizens like me don't care much for them. I had been polite the whole time and even was upfront about the Kimber .45 under a t-shirt on the front seat. Guess if I were to have not been so polite I would have ended up in the slammer because I don't like getting sunburned and blinded while I drive. What's this country coming too? GA, you have some really rediculus police officers....and don't get me started on the drivers in Atlanta who think that as soon as the highway is 5 lanes it's time to do 20 mph over the speed limit and change lanes at will..lol

Call Mike's gun shop in Tazewell, TN before you order. See what he can do for you. His prices are really reasonable and since he has a store in Middlesboro, KY, he has told me he can ship to your FFL in TN and get around the taxes. If not, KY taxes are less if you just go pick up what you want. Tell him the best price you have found and see if he can match or beat it. He's a great guy and I'd rather give him the business than an online store. He will usually do cost and 10%. Good luck! BTW: I just listed 520 rounds of .223 ammo in the Gear section if you need some to get you started.

If you want an AR, and a near exact copy to have as a training rifle, then the Sig 556 combo would be good. If you want complete compatability with all aftermarket AR15 products, and a true AR15 then go with a S&W. I've owned a carbine M&P15 and had no complaints whatsoever. I have a couple recommendations: The M&P15T as it is a midlength carbine with troy flip up sights and a troy rail (pretty sure rail is Troy also). It is ready to go, you just need an optic later. I think S&W is offering 5 free magazines as a promotion right now. Maybe a Stag piston carbine as they are in the same ball park price wise. Ruger SR556 if you can swing $1500, it's a piston gun and is ready to go and comes with everything you need except an optic. Troy sights, troy rail, houge grip, 3 Magpul mags, case, cleaning kit, etc. Either way don't get a carry handle gun. It's better to start with a flat top unless for some reason you actually think you're going to use the handle. Either way I'd get a flat top and buy a detachable handle. Adding optics is tougher with a carry handle gun and I really think they are difficult to be accurate with when your sight is so high above the barrel. You can't go wrong with S&W though, they are awesome, reliable, durable AR15's. Buy a basic carbine and build slowly, or get the M&P15T and you're pretty much there. Bud's has the M&P15T for around $1200 btw. Also, I live in Knoxville and would be glad to help you out on your search. PM me with any questions. If you're going to buy locally I'll tell you the best places. Please PM me before you walk into Coal Creek Armory and get hosed....lol

It was actually $15 at Smoky Mountain Knife Works. I don't need it for anything extreme, so if it holds up for light use I'll be happy. I figured for the price I'd give it a shot. It feels pretty sturdy....I wouldn't go dig a ditch with it or anything though...lol

Looks good.

I picked up a SOG trenching tool the other day. Now this thing is cool. Entrenching Tool

Nice....

Bellshire is great to deal with. I bought a Springfield 1911 from him and he has emailed me back with pictures and info on everything I've called him about since then. FYI, call Phil before you bid on something on Gunbroker, that is if you are planning on picking it up in person. He'll take off the Gunbroker fee's which will save you some $.

Welcome....my allergies have been terrible since I moved to Knoxville a couple year ago, so I feel your pain...lol It sure is pretty in this part of the state though.

How did you do the skeleton hand on the buttstock? That's a very subtle, but cool addition to the camo job.

I took the plunge last week and picked up a Ruger SR 556. I wanted to give a piston gun a try and see if I liked it. I took it to the range yesterday afternoon and I have to say I was very pleased. The rifle was purchased new and this was my first experience with one. The weather today was about 60 degrees with a slight wind of 5-10mph. It has an Eotech 552. A65 on it with no magnifier, so I sighted in at 50 yards. All grouping was done at 50 yds. The rifle has a JP enterprises trigger spring set and PWS compensator on it. Pictures of the rifle below. BTW, the cheapo bipod was only used for this afternoon. I took off my Surefire forward grip with light and laser as I prefer to use a bipod when shooting from a bench. Other goodies include Magpul ACS stock and Bager tactical latch. http://www.mediafire.com/i/?mmjrme1myzg http://www.mediafire.com/i/?mlln2imynhj I encountered one failure to eject at round number 8, but the day was flawless otherwise with all brass ammo. I tried some Tula 55 grn after about 150 rounds of brass ammo just to see how it would handle it. The SR would only fire the Tula ammo one round at a time and I was unable to run the gun semi-auto with several tries. I adjusted the gas setting to 3 and it ran 60 rounds, fired rapidly, flawlessly. I did notice an increase in recoil on setting 3. Once I got it sighted in as I liked, the first group I shot was with Federal 55 grn FMJ. On target calculated the MOA at 1.077 -the hole off to the left was actually the first shot as I was sighting in. I was aiming at a target to this target's left and had to bring the sight about 15" left from bore sight. The three shot group in the middle was done later in the day. http://www.mediafire.com/i/?ezih1whotjm The next group was PMC Bronze 55 grn FMJ MOA Calculated at 1.284 http://www.mediafire.com/i/?rtnjnuumyjj The third group was with American Eagle XM193 55 grn FMJ MOA Calculated at 1.199 http://www.mediafire.com/i/?yymuyuzxq5n I'll need some more seat time before I can give a full report on the rifle, however the initial impressions were great!

I'll be helping my friends at the HSM Ammo booth Sat. and Sun. Feel free to stop by, say hi, and take some ammo home!

The longer the barrel, the easier it will be to aim being that there is a greater distance between the front and rear sights. The same amount of movement will affect a 4" barrel more than a 5" barrel if that makes sense. If you are going to carry the gun, then I would go 3" or 4". If this is going to be a gun to go shoot with and maybe just keep in the car, then 5" 1911's are a dream. I carry a Kimber Ultra Carry II 3", in .45acp of course, and I can shoot it as good as my 5" 1911 up to about 30ft. After that, the 5" begins to show some advatages. If your pocket can swing it, get a Kimber or a Colt, you won't be sorry.

Mossberg 500 Persuader I've had three of them and friends and family keep buying them off me..lol Pump action, 7+1, work great and are reliable. Get it at Bellshire Guns just north of Nashville near Rivergate Mall. They have them on gunbroker, however they will cut you a deal in person and waive the Gunbroker fee's. I think they are $285 out the door!

I have had good experiences with Bud's. I always compare pricing with their website as it seems to be good overall. I have bought some things at thier store in Lexington and they have always had what I needed.

I had one on my first AR. It didn't stay long as I quickly prefered some magnification. I wouldn't bet your life on a Tasco, but for some plinking at 100 yards or less they are pretty good. If you already have it, then go ahead and mount her up until you save up for something better. I have had good luck out of scopes priced in the middle of the road, so you don't have to buy the most expensive thing out there to get something reliable. I would just do your research and read up on customer reviews before purchasing anything. The best scope I've used has been from Bass Pro Shops. It is their Elite Rifle Scope. Held up perfectly on a Remington 700 .308. That's good enough for me!

Why else have a 1000 yard range?...lol

The double cheeseburger was really good!....no b/s...I was impressed by what my $4.50 got me at a show...lol

Thanks everyone for the comments about Hoplite Haversack. I have included some info for you all.... The folks at Hoplite Haversack, Jim and Elizabeth Rushing, are native Middle Tennesseans and are long time friends of mine. Elizabeth and my Aunt were childhood friends, and she was even there the day I was born..lol They live in Montana now, however like to spend time in TN during the Winter months and at various other times during the year. Because of thier passion for firearms and the 2nd amendment, they decided selling ammo would be good way to help make a little extra money to pay for thier travel expenses to and from TN during the year. They aren't out to make a living off ammo sales, and enjoy doing it as much as anything. Also, I believe one of Jim's long time friends works for or owns HSM. Both Jim and Elizabeth are fantastic, honest, christian people and have always been great to me over the years. They are a good example of a "mom and pop" small business, so if anyone else purchased some ammo from them at the show, I'm sure they appreciated it. They are new to the gun shows, as this was only thier second one I believe. As they get more experience they will probably be better at providing the ammo people want, in the quantities they want, and also pricing it as competitively as possible. They don't have a website because they are only selling at gun shows and do not sell online at the moment. They can drop ship and take phone orders I believe, and since they are from Montana, I don't think you'll have to pay TN tax if an order is shipped to you. I recommended to them at the show that they join TGO as a sponsor since they are only doing gun shows in TN right now. I'm going to talk to them this week and get the ball rolling on this for them if possible. Below is some info I pulled off of various websites regarding HSM Ammo. None of the info is from HSM's website or anyone affiliated with them. If you have any questions about Haversack or HSM ammo let me know and I'll be glad to pass them along to Jim and Elizabeth until they get setup on here. -Kenny "Tucked away in the beautiful Bitterroot Valley of Western Montana is HSM Inc. Located approximately 25 miles south of Missoula in Stevensville, HSM is one of the leading independent suppliers of ammunition for law enforcement agencies throughout the country and is capable of supplying a full line of quality ammunition along with gun care products and accessories. HSM provides ammunition to Federal and State agencies, Game and Fish Departments, College Security and most other law enforcement agencies around the country. The company has a very active brass exchange program, which allows agencies to procure quality ammunition at competitive prices. For many years HSM has provided sniper and counter-sniper ammunition to law enforcement agencies in .223, .308, .30-06, 7mm Remington Magnum and .300 Winchester Magnum. They are capable of manufacturing most specialty ammunition and have expanded our sniper ammunition line to include the manufacture of factory new 50 Caliber ammunition. HSM's new facility has greatly expanded production capacity and enhanced ability to produce quality ammo." "HSM, or the Hunting Shack munitions is well known for providing materials to the leading ammunition names like Hornady, Sierra, PMC, Nosler, Barnes, and many more. When it comes to precision and accuracy HSM is the leader in American ammunition." AR-15 Armory.com Review: "Never shot their (HSM) pistol ammo, but I have bought a lot of .204 Ruger and .223 rifle ammo and it is first class and accurate."