peejman

I'd recommend the Ruger, but I'm biased because I've got one. It's a tank of a gun, but plenty accurate and feeds anything. I've never owned a Sigma but have shot one once. Only gripe was the heavy trigger.

I don't think you'll go wrong with either one. I'm very happy with my PT. A friend has a CW9 and while I haven't shot it, it does feel good in my hand. There's a nice CW9 in the trading post at the moment.

It's very difficult to find flaws via X-ray when you don't already know where to look. A good option is a thorough external visual inspection with a strong flashlight and a 10x magnifier, and a lighted bore scope down the barrel by someone who knows what to look for. Fluorescent penetrant inspection is also a good idea... aerosol kits are available. Magnetic particle inspection is the big thing now with rifle barrels. While not the catch-all some seem to portray it as, it's a very good inspection method. It takes specialized equipment.

I got the P3AT earlier this year and have carried it a lot. It's so much easier in the summer, especially when chasing after my kids. No worrying about shirt tails coming up, printing, its lighter, cooler, ... basically invisible. I did carry the PT145 occasionally, but mostly in my man bag. Now that cooler weather is here, I'll carry the PT more. I put at least a few rounds through both when I go to the range. Recoil is similar, though the PT is much easier and more fun to shoot. Ammo cost is about the same. So to directly answer your question... something like 60/40 - 70/30, P3AT more than PT145.

Stray cat behind the cake, scorpions in front.

Best suggestion is to just go visit somewhere that carries a reasonable variety of hiking boots and try a bunch on. I have a pair of Hi-Tec hiking boots I've been happy with. They're reasonably light for hiking boots and mostly water-proof. Great for the price, IMO. The biggest driver for comfort and fit in hiking boots I've found is good footbeds (insoles). Seems like even the high-end boots come with terrible footbeds.

Love my PT145, bought it new about 5 years ago. I don't shoot it a ton, but it's got at least 1000 rds through it with no problems. Plenty accurate for it's intended purpose. I carry it in a crossbreed supertuck. I also pocket carry a P3AT.

The Stray Cats, next to the cake.

You can't. This forum doesn't allow attachments. Photobucket is free.

Breakfast & Lunch - Pancake pantry in Gatlinburg. You'll eat so much, it'll be good for both meals. Note that they do not accept credit cards. The Blue Moose is excellent as well. The Applewood restaurant may be good for breakfast, but lunch/dinner meals I've had there were mediocre at best. Visit the Sevier Indoor Range while you're there. Nice place. Further reading... http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/general-off-topic/63669-places-eat-around-pigeon-forge.html http://www.tngunowners.com/forums/general-off-topic/19709-leaving-gatlinburg-wed-where-must-go-places.html

#19 isn't the Blues Brothers... they didn't carry guitar/violin cases.

1. Green Day - On the calendar bottom right with one day colored green. 2. Match Box 20- Bottom of picture, to left of the calendar on the ground 3. B-52s - The two large airplanes at top center. 4. Gun's-n-roses bottom left 5. Led Zeppelin - the big zeppelin up in the sky. 6. Queen - bottom center-left 7. smashing pumpkins (right hand side on bottom) 8. Great White (left side next to the gold guy leaning on the building.) 9. Eagles (upper right hand side) 10. White Zombie-left hand side, under the Virgin sign, above the guns and roses. 11. Blur - Guy on the far right that is blurry. 12. Alice In Chains (right side next to the Blur guy) 13. Rolling Stones (back center and right side of street) Dang it! 14. Whitesnake (wrapped around the post on the left)

My choices would be ... and/or But really, the Ultimate weapon is...

A friend is French Canadian (I know, I claim him anyway...). He says when people find out he speaks French, large women frequently ask him to say something to them in French. The translation of his typical response, spoken very seductively, is "Stop eating so many ho-ho's, you fat cow." The women giggle and swoon. Anyone within earshot who speaks French struggles to contain their laughter. Ah, the language of romance.

As stated, the cheap plastic ones will work fine for trips to the range and back. If you're flying with it, get the Pelican case.

Given that they belong to his grandparents, why isn't "all of them" an option? I don't see anything really special there, but as family heirlooms, they might be priceless. Just seems odd that he'd have to buy them.

I do the same thing. I had trouble getting my thumb down around the grip and had to readjust before I had a comfortable grip. While watching the Crossbreed commercial on TV, I noticed the guy does that. So I tried it and found that it helped. I think of it more as putting my thumb against the back of the slide. As the gun clears the holster, my thumb comes down/around and catches the safety fairly naturally. I'm sure I don't practice it enough, but the improvement was immediate when I switched.

Here: https://www2.tn.wildlifelicense.com/start.php

Agreed. Nope, he's getting exactly what he wants. Attention. I suspect the cops will do the same thing they did to the Westboro Baptist people in Louisiana. They'll pull him over before he gets there and simply detain him until he either gets bored and goes home or does something stupid that they can arrest him for.

Interesting... My dorm's head resident was a drinking buddy (on a dry campus, in a dry county). I'd consider the gun to be far more safe in my possession than his.

Right, I was referring to the highest the humidity might be. Assuming the OP's concern was moisture related corrosion on his toys. One thing to consider is just how "sealed" your room/safe really is. Relative humidity is just that... relative. It's based on the ambient temperature and is a measure of the air's ability to hold water. Air holds more water at higher temps. Here's the rub... Say you have a nice, sealed gun safe. You open the door for a few minutes in the summer when it's 72 deg and 65% humidity in the house. You don't reopen it again until winter when it's 65 deg and 35% humidity in the house. If you don't have some sort of desiccant or other dehumidifier in the safe, you will find condensation (and possibly some corrosion) inside. Why? 65 deg air cannot hold the same amount of water vapor that 72 deg air can. So some of the water vapor will condense on surfaces inside the safe when the temperature drops. Same reason your cold beer bottle sweats in the summer. Point is... if your room/safe is really "sealed", you'd better have something in there to keep the humidity under control. Else it's better to let the room/safe breathe and let your home's HVAC system control the humidity.

Illinois isn't terrible, as long as you'll be a reasonable distance from Chicago. It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark... and we're wearing sunglasses. Hit it.

If it's inside your climate controlled house, it'll be fine. Just be sure you wipe off any fingerprints and lightly oil bare surfaces. Most houses run 40-60% relative humidity.

Apologies. I had visions of someone wanting to challenge the establishment based on technicalities in this regard. While a noble cause, likely also a futile one.

I agree that the risks are low. No issue with having a loaded gun in it's holster downrange. A gun without a magazine (and one in the chamber) is nothing more than an expensive hammer. Either way, if someone were to want your stuff while you're downrange, it's best to let them have it. You're likely outnumbered, outgunned, and have no cover. Chances are slim unless you're Chuck Norris. When shooting alone at a public range, I keep my sidearm ready, and I'm very aware of my surroundings before I go change targets.