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Sure, the noise and sights are fun. But do you know WHY we shoot off fireworks on the 4th of July? Originally, we didn't shoot fireworks. We shot cannons, muskets, and rifles. We did it as a reminder that this country was born from war. It was reminder that freedom is not free, and that a lot of very fine people gave up their lives, health, property, and made other sacrifices in order to win it. As such, the early Independance Day celebrations were celebrating the winning of a long, exhausting war. On July 4th, 1776, the war had already been in progress for over a year. And the end of the war didn't come until September 1783, seven years later! In 1776, the US population was only 2.5 million. About 1/3 of those supported independance from Britain. Another 1/3rd supported remaining British. The remaining 1/3rd didn't really care. Of the ~1,000,000 who supported the cause of Independance, over 100,000 men actually served in the military at some point. Half of those became casualties, either killed or wounded. And 'wounded' back then didn't mean a 'John Kerry' wound. Wounded meant 'incapacitated' for a period of time, such as losing a limb, being shot, slashed, or stabbed in the body, or similar injuries. The US had a smallpox epidemic from 1775 through 1782. Over 150,000 died from smallpox during that period. Many others died from other diseases, hunger caused by crop destruction, and a variety of other causes related to a country that had conflicting armies crossing it. So, by 1783 when the war ended, the new country was in very poor shape. Nearly 1/10th of the male population had been killed or badly wounded. Manufacturing was practically non-existent. The dollar was worthless, reflected by the common phrase "Not worth a Continental". So, when you see the fireworks tonight, remember that you are hearing the reminder of crashing volleys of muskets and deafening roar of cannons that would have torn great gaps in the American troops. Remember the dedication of those who died to protect the retreat of the American Army at Brooklyn Heights. They did not die to win victory, but to keep the war going. Remember those who died in all of the other American defeats during that war. Every defeat left the army weaker, but with more experience and tenacity. Remember the line from our National Anthem "And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,"? It's not about pretty fireworks. It's about the bombardment of Ft. McHenry in September 1814. After burning Washington to the ground, the British were determined to destroy the major port of Baltimore. After two failed ground assaults on the city, and a lengthy bombardment of the fort in the harbor, the fort still held out. So the British were forced to withdraw. We hear the first verse of that song a lot. But to me, the most important verse is the fourth one. When you see the flashes, and hear the crashing explosions tonight, think of it. "O thus be it ever, when free men shall stand Between their loved home and the war's desolation. Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation! Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: "In God is our trust." And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"

If your boss came up to you and said "We are cutting your income by half!", I'll bet that you would be looking for something else real quickly! Well, THAT is exactly what the Feds are doing to doctors, but in small increments. When your income is getting smaller, at some point you have to decide to make a change. What would YOU do?

At this point, I haven't seen a lot of doctors quitting medicine entirely. As of now, doctors CAN quit taking Medicare and Medicaid patients. And a lot ARE quitting Medicare and Medicaid. If the best and brightest doctors quit federal medicine, that leaves lower-quality and fewer doctors for the very people that the federal programs are supposed to help. My prediction is that if that trend continues, Congress will have to force doctors to take Medicare and Medicaid patients. When THAT happens, you will see fewer people go to medical school in the first place, and existing doctors will either decide to retire or look for other jobs in medicine. Also, you may have noticed that a lot of doctors seem to be from other countries. How many of those doctors will stay here if they are forced to work for low wages? How many doctors will come to the US in the future under those conditions? All of that will cause a reduction in the number of doctors without a single existing doctor having to change careers. All of that adds up to fewer doctors each passing year. Britain has seen this happen already. Their doctor shortage is so bad that women are no longer being allowed to go to a hospital or have a doctor present to give birth unless there are known complications (or they are well-connected).

If you enjoy muzzle blast, recoil, and fireballs, go for the 2.5" barrel. Personally, I've never been a fan of short-barrel .357s. An extra 1.5" of barrel makes a huge world of difference with the .357. The 686 is a larger frame than the 66, so it will be significantly heavier beacuse of that and the longer full-lug barrel. I like my 4" 686 a lot, but have not considered it a viable concealed-carry revolver. Still, if I had to, I could probably make it work. The smaller, lighter M66 would work well for CCW. And in the dark, you would probably blind anyone you fired at even if you missed!

Different countries have different definitions for what is provided by the government as part of 'healthcare'. Many countries will pay for simple types of activities that can be done by a local doctor. Generally, the more specialized, difficult, or expensive activities are heavily restricted or not covered by the government unless you are part of teh political ruling class. In fact, there are very few countries which will provide the average person the quality and level of coverage that is covered by a basic health insurance policy in the US. There are more doctors each month that are refusing to take Medicare and Medicaid patients. Expect that trend to accelerate. Eventually, the Feds will make it mandatory for doctors to take those patients. At that point, we can expect to see a lot of drop-outs from the medical field who decide it just isn't worth being a doctor any longer. Fewer doctors plus 'free' care plus government regulation is simple formula leading to lower quality and very long waiting lines.

I'm going to go with the Dave Ramsey advice: Save your money until you can afford to buy it. To me it sounds like you are losing money with each 'trade'. Maybe I'm wrong, and I hope I am. But I see a lot of people who buy a nice firearm, then decide they want something else and sell it (or trade it in) to buy the new one. They buy a pistol for $500, then trade it in for a $500 rifle, but have to put up $200 cash plus their trade-in. Later, they decide they want a shotgun for $500, and again, get $300 trade-in on the rifle and have to put up $200 more in cash. At this point, they have spent $900 and only have one $500 shotgun. Not to mention they have also paid for three TICS checks ($30) and given the State $85.50 in sales tax. This makes no sense whatsoever. If you don't have the cash to buy something, you cannot afford it.

Eagles will eat carrion and rotting flesh like vultures do. Eagles are also known to steal prey from other raptors. Eagles are a common symbol of many European monarchies. Ol' Ben championed the wild turkey as our national symbol. Distinctly American, wily, strong family ties, and protective of chicks, it's not hard to see Franklin's reasoning.

You can buy any number of threaded barrel styles for the 10/22. Long, short, with FS, without, blued, stainless, etc. If you want a bolt-action, several models of the Savage MKII come with a threaded barrel. I think I remember seeing a Marlin bolt-action with one as well.

If Maggert loses in the primary, there will be a LOT of impact! The NRA endorsement is huge. I do not recall EVER seeing the NRA oppose a Republican in the primary who wasn't totally anti-gun. If you can spare a few bucks, LTC Rogers could use it. She is badly under-funded compared to Maggert. http://votecourtney.com/

Let's see, the problem is you want increased lethality with a single pull of the trigger. So, you design a rifle that weighs 50% more than a normal rifle, has more complicated mag changes, and uses ammo twice as fast. Why not just use a larger caliber? Sounds like a job for .... 6.5Grendel or 6.8Rem!!!

Dave, that just doesn't make sense. The number of illegal buyers for 5ft long obsolete bolt-action rifles has got to be amazingly small. Besides, the War on Drugs has also been a prime method for illegal firearms to be imported. If the bad guys want some heavy firepower, there are plenty of real full-auto Uzis, AKs, and M-16s around for them to buy that were brought in on top of a bale of pot or stack of cocaine. The reality is that stashes of C&R weapons overseas are subject to an large number of factors; currency exchange rates, whims of government officials overseas and in the USA, and shipping costs are just a few. As far as Mosin Nagant rifles goes, the existing stocks from the importers are getting low, the dollar is worth less (which means that the price goes up), and shipping costs have nearly doubled. Get them while the getting is good.

Don't be so quick to write it off. If the bore is anything other than a sewer pipe, I'd get a replacement stock and hardware and restore it to it's 1916 configuration. The Gew98 is very collectable. The wearlier the date, the better. And 1916 Erfurt is a good date. If the parts you have are matching numbers, it's a keeper.

Zimmerman WAS broke. His attorney had access to the money, Zimmerman does not. The second passport is more of an issue. I'll be interested to hear what the actual facts of that are. So far, everything I've heard from normal media sources has been 50% wrong.

Interesting, but unnecessary. After a long day hunting zombies, just knock the top off the bottle with your M9 or USMC bayonet, or any relatively heavy knife. Old US M7 bayonets don't work well, which is why I carried a Kabar. Google 'sabretage' to learn the technique.

This is pretty clearly a case of the prosecution trying to find anything to hang on Zimmerman to avoid being roasted by the people they whipped into a frenzy.

I had a .22 for several years. The magazine was NEVER a problem. Bottom ejection was a great feature. Cleaning the .22 was a pain, and the sights were poor.

After WWII, the Belgians made a small infantry mortar that used a captive bolt to launch mortar bombs. The purpose was to eliminate the flash that gives away mortar teams at night. But it was also much quieter. I saw it demonstrated around 1978 at Ft Bragg. It launched a normal-looking 60mm sized mortar bomb out to about 500meters. The bolt travel was about 1 foot. The problem was that it was a bit heavier than a normal mortar, range was shorter, firing rate was slower, and the barrel and piston needed cleaning after about 50 rounds. It only made a 'thunk' sound and there was definitely no need to cover your ears when firing it. In this case, and also the Russian spy pistol, it is the firearm that is silent, not the special cartridge. In neither case is it an NFA weapon, as there is no silencer. Totally different technology.

Again +1 on the 6.5 Grendel. Even out of the short 16" barrels it has excellent energy past 200 yards. I don't like to limit my options to only short-range shots.

Actually this technology has been around a LOT longer than that. Look up 'spigot mortar'. For small arms, it was first proposed early in the smokeless powder era as a way to reduce bore erosion from the very hot and high velocity powder. It was dropped when barrel steels were improved instead. Another use of the same technology has been in captive bolt guns, also known as cattle killers.

Stories about Obama's homosexual relationships have been around for years. Several men have had very credible accounts of meeting Obama for sex. Some have also been killed. http://fellowshipofminds.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/mom-of-murdered-obama-gay-lover-speaks-up/

It's almost the same as the old Remington Model 12 pump .22. It's a well-made all steel and wood .22 that should outlast you and your kids if properly take care of. The Savage is not as desirable as the Remington. Even excellent specimens rarely bring more than $150. If you have a nice one, keep it. Poppert's has some parts if you need them. I doubt you will find a better value for a high-quality .22.

Colt S&W Dan Wesson DGFM FN Browning Star CZ FIE Tanfoglio Walther Mauser Erfurt Iver Johnson H&R Tokarev Norinco East German State Factory Webley Enfield Nagant Sig Sauer Sig Neuhausen Sauer Astra Bersa Glock MAB Beretta Helwan FEG Radom Inglis Hanyang Savage Remington Taurus Ruger Rock Island KelTec High Standard Eibar Charter Arms Nambu I think I've left out a couple. I was a dealer for 12 years, and have been collecting for another 20 years. I've sold or traded a lot away, and sold a bunch when I was divorced 20 years ago.

My wife's Savage 99 also likes the Remington 100gr load. I got lucky and found seven boxes at a flea market last year. Before that, my experience was that it liked 87gr bullets a lot more than heavier ones. The 100gr load I got best results with was 34.4gr of IMR 4064 topped with a Sierra 100gr GameKing BTSP at over 2700fps. I would suggest only boat-tail 100gr bullets. I never got a flat-base bullet over 90gr to group worthwhile.

Before buying any ammo for this pistol, measure the chamber length. There is .32 Long and also .32 Short. The 'Short' came out in 1878, is the older of the two, and your revolver may only be rated for that cartridge. The .32 Long didn't show up until 1896. Any factory .32 Short ammo is safe to fire in your revolver. Generally, '.32 S&W' refers to the shorter cartridge, and '.32 Long' means .32 S&W Long. For inexpensive plinking, a .32 round ball on top of 2.0 grains of Unique worked well for me. Alternately, a .25acp case full of FFFg black powder also works with a .32 round ball pressed in with your thumb. These old revolvers can be surprisingly accurate. I've perforated many soda cans with old IJ and H&R top-break revolvers.

A couple of points about porting: 1) You will lose velocity. In a short-barreled weapon, this can be a very significant amount. 2) In low-light conditions, you may get a significant amount of flash obscuring your target. 3) With lead bullets, you can get lead build-up in the ports. 4) There will be a significant amount of gas, lead, and/or jacket particles exiting the ports. Firing a ported .357 with a 4" or shorter barrel from the hip is not recommended. 5) The higher the gas pressure, the more effective porting will be. Ports on low-pressure cartridges are rarely effective (eg; .22, .32, .38Spl, .44Spl) Hope this helps.