peejman

I appreciate the effort, but ....

As stated, FMJ's are for perforating paper (or military use) only. Buy one box of a couple different JHP rounds and try them. Pick the one that performs best (no malfuctions, best groups, ...) and go buy a few more boxes of it. Shoot 100 or so rounds of FMJ's to get the gun dirty, then shoot all of the JHP's to verify no malfunctions. Then go buy a few more boxes for carry use. There's a "rule of thumb" that 200 rounds with no malfuctions is good enough for carry. Obviously at $1+ a shot, that gets expensive. There's another rule of thumb that says buy new carry rounds once a year. Use your own judgement. I use Hornady TAP 200gr JHP's. They're hard to find anymore so I assume I'll have to switch to something else when I run out. Be aware of bullet "set-back" when re-chambering a round. For example, your carry gun has JHP's in it. You go to the range, unload those rounds and perforate some paper with FMJ's. Then reload the JHP's when you leave. The act of chambering the same cartridge several times can push the bullet down in the case a bit. This can cause the pressure to increase to an unsafe level. .45 ACP ammo is known to be more prone to set-back than others.

She's never been stalked by a pack of coyotes while walking to her tree stand by moonlight at 4am while carrying only a bow. That happened to a friend a couple years ago. He said he could hear them growling and walking through the leaves... said he's never been so scared. He made it up his stand, waited until daylight, climbed back down, drove straight to the gun store and bought a pistol. He's carried it while bow hunting ever since. The game wardens he's met have never said a word about it.

+1 to most everything collinp2 said... Save some cash and get a nice used camera body. Spend your money on the lenses.. that 28-135 is excellent. Canon brand lenses work best. Don't get hung up on 10 MP vs 15 MP... a good 10 MP image will make poster sized enlargements. Anything more is over-kill and just fills up your hard-drive IMO. Dont' get hung up on LCD size... use the viewfinder with an SLR. *gasp* B&H Photo Video | Digital Cameras, Camcorders Buy & Sell New & Used Cameras ? Canon, Nikon, Hasselblad, Leica & More - KEH.com and if you're a savy buyer... ebay.

Sounds like your "dominant" eye really isn't that much stronger than the other eye. It's not that uncommon. I've read that you can train one eye to be dominant by wearing a patch on your shooting glasses over your non-dominant eye, but still keeping both eyes open.

I made similar observations while practicing (no combat cut). The trick I found for drawing was to drive my thumb down rather forcefully. I suspect that if I took a class that required lots of drawing, I'd need to tape my thumb up because it rubs heavily on the leather backing.

Which overflow/drain hose is the fuel coming from? If it's the tank overflow hose, then you likely have a clogged/pinched vent hose. If it's the carb overflow hose, then it's like the float/needle issues mentioned. I rode a '93 GS500 for a couple of years, they're fun bikes. If you're reasonably mechanically inclined, working on the carbs is pretty easy. A good shop manual will walk you through it step-by-step. And yes, the ethanol in gas sucks. The tank rusted on my CBR and I've had to repair it and go through the entire fuel system to clean everything out. Oh, and there's a good group of riders here ... http://www.easttnriders.com/forum/index.php

Find a local Women On Target class (or similar) and send her to it. If she's the type that needs moral support, talk a few of her friend's husbands into sending their wives too. My wife wasn't really interested in shooting until we had our son. I guess the idea of having to protect him motivated her. I took her shooting with a .22 pistol one time prior to the class so she'd know how to operate it... turns out she's a pretty good shot too. I intentionally provided minimal instruction, just the basics. She went into the class quite anxious. She came home after the class and announced that she wanted a .40 subcompact to carry. We've been shooting several times since and she's since decided that she prefers 9mm. Life's other little expenses have precluded purchasing one yet and her excitement has dwindled a bit, but I think once spring rolls around her interest may pick back up.

I haven't seen any 7.62x39 ammo locally other than hunting type cartridges, and those aren't cheap. If bulk plinking ammo is what you're after, I'd suggest searching online for the best deal. Some places offer free shipping. I've not have any issues with various iterations of Wolf ammo in my Yugo SKS. edit... just remembered, a coworker was selling bulk Wolf ammo for a good price locally. If you're interested, I'll PM contact info.

According to Remington.com, the 700 SPS Varmit weighs 1.25 lbs more than the standard BDL in .243. Unless you're concerned about the barrel hanging up on stuff in the woods, I wouldn't bother shortening it.

Welcome!

I went in the gun cabin a month or so ago and was quite disappointed. Everything looked 20 years old and prices were very high IMO. Nice dog though...

Thanks for the pics and thanks to your wife. My Dad went on 6-8 church mission trips to Haiti ending about 8 years ago. I've seen many pictures from there. If you've never been to a place like that, it's hard to comprehend just how bad is really is. They worked at L'Hopital St. Croix in Leagon which was very near the epi-center of the quake. When they finally got word from the missionaries who lived there, they said the structures he helped build were the only things left undamaged.

MIDLAND PLAZA IN ALCOA! CLICK HERE!

I've never been to Frozen Head, but did spend a weekend at Rock Island a couple years ago. We had a family reunion there and stayed in the cabins they have. Other than being blistering hot (mid-July), we had a good time. The park itself is nice with a few hiking trails (relatively flat) and a couple of big water falls. I believe it's got the usual pool, tennis/basketball courts, playground, etc. It's not very big and there's not much around it so you might get a bit bored after a whole week. Just depends on what your family likes to do.

I did not get the combat cut. I've read that it's easy enough to cut it yourself. I've thought about doing it, but haven't convinced myself that it's necessary.

I came to the conclusion that you can buy much more cost effectively than you can build during my relatively recently ('08) relocation (from Church Hill). Our house sold early in Feb, our first child was born in late Feb, we lived in an apt for 6 months, and bought a house in July. We lived apart for almost the last 4 months of her pregnacy as I'd started a new job 100 miles away. That really wasn't fun. While I wasn't able to sell my house for what I wanted, it did sell in about 6 months. Cost per sq ft wise, it's nearly impossible to build one for what you can buy one for. Many houses we looked at were in the $80/sqft range. It'll be difficult to build anything for less than $100/sqft... unless you have connections. I also helped my parents build their house about 10 years ago. Scheduling work and inspections are a hassle. Really, the whole process is a hassle. Likely not something you want to be dealing with while you've got a new baby. Personally, I'd say contractors are like lawyers... 99% of them give the rest a bad name. It's hard to find a good one. The mortgage thing isn't a big deal if you've got good credit and enough cash for a 20% downpayment. If you (and not the bank) own your current house, that shouldn't be a problem. Get pre-approved through a couple of different lenders prior to house shopping. Again, IF you've got good credit, play them against one another to get the best deal. EVERYTHING is negotiable. If you want to work with a realtor, I know one in the area I'll recommend.

Me too, though only once. That's one thing to aware of with the "bury the wire" version.... when the thunderstorms roll in, unplug the system. I believe they make some sort of doodad that protects the system now. I'd recommend a squirt gun (super soaker ) with ammonia or vinegar. Drive back and forth, when the dog comes charging out, blast 'em.

Racking the slide is about technique. The trick is to not pull the slide back, but drive the gun forward aggressively. Cornered Cat - Rack the Slide My 5'3" wife can rack the slide on my subcompact .45 easily. If her trigger finger was tired after 50 rds... I'd call that normal. Regular practice will build strength.

I've had mine for 6 months or so. I got the horsehide version and love it. My main reason for purchasing the Supertuck was at the time, it was the only good holster I could find for my pistol (PT145). The Supertuck and Beltman belt are an excellent combination. I wear it at 4-5 o'clock as well. I've got mine canted a bit more which I found aids both draw and holster moves as well as pulls the grip in a little tighter.

We've had the invisible fence at both our houses and love it. The versions you see at Walmart, Lowes, and Home Depot are all the same thing. The collars are even interchangeable. If you decide to get the "bury the wire" type (what I have), go to your nearest equipment rental place and ask for a landscape trencher with straight blade. Tell them you're installing an underground fence and they'll know what you need. I did the perimeter of my 1/2 acre lot in 20 minutes. As for the dog running through it... as stated, it's usually a matter of training unless you've got a really, really stubborn dog. Our dog has run through it a couple of times and within a couple of minutes, she's pacing around the outer edge and whining wanting to come back in. Now she won't leave the yard even if she's not wearing the collar. As the last kennel place we used discovered, our dog can also scale a 6' privacy fence. She hates being in a fenced yard and commences digging or climbing within minutes. She's perfectly happy to just lay in the yard with the invisible fence.

If you don't have kids, then the order you've listed sounds right to me. If you do have kids, get a safe first.

Check your employer's policies. Most places that prohibit firearms include having one in your car. Everywhere I've worked had such a policy. I'm not aware of any actual searches, and I do know plenty of people who keep one in their car anyway. One of my sister's coworkers was fired for bringing a firearm to work. They had a birthday party on the premises after work hours. One of the gifts was a handgun. Ironically, it was a husband and wife (both employees)... the wife bought her husband a pistol. When the management learned what happened, they got them together and said "one of you is going home today, you decide who." Per company policy, they could have fired both of them. It sucks, but such is life when you work for someone else.

I see your point with regard to self defense regardless of location and it sounds like we generally agree. I think the state provides minimum requirements. If any specific instructor chooses to exceed those requirements and the students agree (we did), all the better. Regarding voting... honestly, yes I think there should be some requirements for basic understanding of the issues being voted on, both for us and for our elected officials when they vote on our behalf. I'm sure most everyone has gone to the poll and seen bills on the ballot that they've never heard of. I think lots of people would be shocked at how little some of our elected officials know about the bills they vote on. If you're uninformed, how is your vote relevant? While we don't need to agree on various topics of interest, we do need to be informed. Particularly in today's society, there is no excuse for ignorance.

While we all have a right to keep and bear arms, I view having a HCP as a privilege. The written and shooting tests are way too easy. I liken the HCP to a professional certification. The initial class should be more like the "advanced concealed carry" type classes offered various places. In order to renew one's permit, I think we should be required to maintain some sort of proficiency via continuing education. Periodically attending one of the classes at any of the schools that advertize here should be mandatory. I'm sure you, like me, looked around during your HCP class and thought to yourself that the idea of a few of those folks carrying a handgun was a little scary. Maybe some of them thought the same thing about us. If a handgun permit was much more difficult to acquire, the masses might hold it in a little higher regard and laws would be written accordingly. But that's all just my opinion, YMMV.