Dolomite_supafly

That cannot be good for you, either short or long term.

ACE sells Zip Strip.

Never, ever carry in a purse or bag. The reason is that is the first thing most bad guys grab leaving you without a way to protect yourself.

They make some great stuff and they have sales ALL the time. Christmas was a 50% off everything sale.

The right hand shoulder patch is his "combat patch" and was awarded while he was in the 7th Infantry Division. You are allowed to wear the patch of the unit you were in combat with. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7th_Infantry_Division_(United_States)   The other, left shoulder, patch was likely the last unit he was with in the military. The left hand patch changes when you change duty assignments. BTW, that is the patch of the an armored division. What is odd is they normally have a number at the top of the patch to indicate which armored division it was. If I was a betting person I bet it was some sort of Class A thing that there is not a number at the top. The patch itself is from the most prestigious armored unit in the Army and has been around for a very, very long time.   The rank insignia is for a 1st Sergeant, or E-8, so he was in fact in charge of a company. It is possible to be a E-8 without being in charge so to get to lead some soldiers meant he was a great guy as well.   The blue rope on the shoulder is his Infantry Blue Cord and is worn by all qualified infantryman.

Not sure what records you have but you can also get his service record for free from the NPRC. http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/

Yeah, just like those open carry buffoons. Every time something goes our way gun owners jump around and say "nanny, nanny, boo, boo" to those in charge rather than just shut up and enjoy the win. If we want to do something we should call those in charge and thank them for making the right decision. Even those at the ATF would like to hear "great job" from time to time and if it comes from the gun community, rather than constant criticism, it might make them act more favorably towards us.   Personally I think a lot of these letters are from those who openly hate the Sig brace and what it represents, which is a way to avoid the fees and rules associated with owning a SBR. And those people are not friends to gun owners even though they might own guns. They are saboteurs who will find another cause to champion to screw over their fellow gun owners when this Sig brace issue is settled.   At one point I got so disgusted with the gun community that I sold every single gun I owned except one. I am starting to get that same feeling again as I watch people who claim to be gun advocates tear the gun community apart. Not saying I would sell my guns again but at times I want to avoid most of the mainstream "gun owners" because they are looking to single out anyone who is different from them. I don't understand why we cannot all be "gun owners" rather than owners of ARs, AKs, bolt guns or any other classification that separates us. Ultimately we are all gun owners but some do not see it that way and that is what is wrong with the gun community today, to much divisive actions when we should all be standing shoulder to shoulder. When a group of gun owners loose a right they do not fight back, they accept the loss then attack those who still have the rights they lost.

To me it looks like something was pinned to the Bronze Star ribbon. I would check to see if maybe it was a V device. Based on the rest of the ribbons it would not surprise me.

The magazine covers are there for storage more than anything else. With most polymer magazines the lips spread if they are left loaded with the rounds pressing on the feed lips. The magazine covers push down on the rounds to take the pressure off the feed lips. But anything on your kit should be ready to go so ditch the covers on the magazines while they are on your kit. Maybe swap them out with other magazines from time to time and replace the covers to keep the lips from spreading. I am a huge fan of Magpul magazines but in my kit I have metal magazines so I do not need to worry about swapping out magazines.   As far as slings go I prefer a two point sling. Single points tend to flop around too much, especially when running. A two point sling will cause the weapon to snug up to your body when you transition.   I would also consider getting another holster and putting it on the carrier itself. Some carriers can interfere with drawing your sidearm.   Having a leaky bladder is never a good thing. In the winter it can make things very miserable. And even in the summer it can be a pain in the butt, literally. I know the times I had something leak it always made things itchy and sore if I could not change it immediately. I always had bottles of water handy so the bladder was a novelty most of the time. And considering you have to clean it regularly it was just too much of a pain to deal with.   I really like that carrier. What brand is it? I have several but always looking for something better.

You can load for pretty cheap. You can pick up brass for a little over a dime a piece, same for the bullets, a pound of powder will last you over 400 rounds if you load supersonic and primers are like 4 cents each. You can buy a cheap press for under $40 and a set of dies for under $30. Then a scale to measure out the powder and a way to pour it into the case.   It would be under $120 for a bare bones setup to load ammo . Now it won't be fast at all but it is possible.   Personally the 5.56 is a 300 yard MAX cartridge. Yes you can tweak it with the various bullets to make it more lethal within that range but I believe the range is still the same. Now if all you want to do is punch holes in something then the range is much longer. As far as punching through hard things that is dependent on range. One of the hardest calibers to defeat at point blank range is the 5.56. I have steel plates that have stopped all kinds of calibers including 308 and 7.62x39 yet 5.56 punches right though it.

My reason for using the Sig brace has zero to do with an SBR. I already have 3 SBRs so another would have not been an issue. For me it is the ability to carry a "rifle" with me anywhere I carry my sidearm. If I SBR my Sig braced equipped gun I can no longer carry it in a bag with me when I get out of the vehicle. I can no longer carry it in the woods or anywhere else really.   I have even wrote representatives asking for rifle carry to be addressed in this state. I have had this discussion with several members here before settling on the Sig brace for the AK I carry every day. If I could rifle carry in this state there is no way in hell I would have bought the Sig brace.

  The 300 Blackout is effective as a 308 Winchester minus 275 yards. That is if a 155 grain SMK out of a 308 Winchester is considered "effective" to 1,000 yards then the same bullet in the 300 Blackout will be effective to 725 yards. The velocity of the 300 Blackout at the muzzle is equal to the 308 Winchester after 275 yards. So the 300 Blackout is an effective long range caliber, just depends on what someone considers long range. One also needs to take into consideration the type of bullet they use. Traditional hunting bullets may not have enough energy to expand out of the 300 Blackout.   As far as lethality I tell people the 300 Blackout is equal to a 30-30 as far as hunting goes. 200 yards is about max for the 300 Blackout which makes it well suited to east Tennessee.   The 300 Blackout does two things very well. It shoots lightweight bullets really well and heavy, silenced subsonic bullets really well.

Is you AR upper a DI or a blowback setup?

No they would not have to ban it.   It is like saying a handicap spot should be outlawed because someone used it as a regular spot. We should not punish those who have to use it as intended because someone else doesn't use it as intended.   I can guarantee with all the media coverage as well as the outrage coming out of this that we will know EXACTLY where we stand on this. Hopefully we, as gun owners, can get behind this and call our representatives to get the stupid SBR laws changed at a minimum. Problem is there are groups of gun owners who are already dividing us up into smaller groups. Whether you agree or disagree with NFA, the Sig brace or anything else gun related everyone should be supporting gun rights even if you do not agree. I see people distancing themselves from those who use a Sig brace when they should be joining together. I see posts regularly, by fellow gun owners, saying ARs and AKs should be outlawed because all you need is a bolt gun or shotgun. Same thing is now being said about the Sig brace, that if you want a shoulder stock then SBR the gun but not everyone can have an SBR. We are our own worst enemies because we try so hard divide, and distance, ourselves from other gun owners when we should be coming together because the common denominator that brings us all together is our guns.  And when we do this it makes it so easy for the antis to conquer us a little bit at a time.   Every single gun owner should be writing and calling their representatives the same way we did when magazines and "assault weapons" were under attack. The NFA system is nothing more than another attack on our rights and what is worse is it is some guy behind a desk is the one who is determining who will be a felon tomorrow. He is doing this without congress getting involved and without a single law being changed. It is just some guy who opines, which is HIS opinion, that something makes you a felon and not the rule of law. Eventually an opinion letter is going to come down that turns every gun owner into a felon so we need to stop this now. Think it can't happen, look at Colorado, Massachusetts as well as several other states where the possession of a certain magazine makes you a felon. And when the antis get what they want in one state they do not rest on their laurels and are happy, they move onto another state. And even though we seem like we are safe in Tennessee eventually those liberals will be at our borders wanting to change our laws as well.    Another option is donate to those who fight for your NFA rights and I am not talking about the NRA. The NRA could not care less about most of the NFA stuff going on. Even if you do not own anything that is NFA by supporting these people we might, some day, be able to buy or build a SBR, silencer or machine gun without having to pay through the nose or the near year long wait for approval. http://www.nfafa.org/ BTW, this is the same group who brought about the changes, for the good, of our knife rights in the state. They are also trying to change the laws in the state to make NFA stuff legal and not the current illegal but with a defense laws we have now.   We need to do something because at some point the opinions will be so widespread that it will be impossible to do anything legally as a gun owner. I understand not everyone wants something that is NFA but let me ask you this. If it did not require the government's approval, a years wait or you to pay a tax would you still feel the same way? I am sure most gun owners would own at least one item currently under NFA control if it did not have all the requirements. There is no reason not to have a silencer and they should not be regulated at all.   So please, I ask all of you, do not try to divide us into smaller groups and try to support your fellow gun owner. Even if it is a gun you would never own right now it might be something you might want to in the future when it is legal to own.

WOW, you used up some gun luck with that one. Glad it worked out.

I use acetone as well. Or they also sell some Zip Strip at Walmart for cheap.

  It is actually quite comfortable.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfFMAtmWb5s   I am not making it live because it is not safe for work, home or anywhere else but the video above fits this turn in the conversation perfectly.

Be careful doing that. If you drill through the jacket at the nose and the lead is exposed at the base the lead can be pushed out of the jacket as it is fired and leave the jacket behind. If you are lucky the jacket will be far enough behind to cause a malfunction. Worst case scenario is the jacket gets left far enough forward to let you chamber and shoot another round. If that happens the gun becomes a grenade.

USPS could not care less. They do not care to ship the entire AR, including the lower, so why would they care to ship just the upper. They ask if it is dangerous and just tell them it is not.

  No residue at all because it is the shot cup that touches the barrel, not the wax.

Yeah those zombies are pretty easy to kill but I suspect they will be more like you see in World War Z, the masses running full tilt. Now that scares the bejesus out of me.

Musicman, you are definitely getting a present. Your Secret Santa is a great guy who has been on the board a long time and is sending off the present sometime next week. There is a reason for the delay and I already explained in PM without giving away too much. Again, no worries because you are receiving a present but it will be a little delayed.   As far as reed1285 goes we are going to start the process of trying to track it down. I can promise everyone here, including reed1285, that he will not be left out of all the fun. Now he might be having his fun a little late but he definitely will not be getting a lump of coal either. BTW, your Secret Santa is also a member who has been on the board a long time. He has participated in other events without issue. If you have not received anything by Wednesday of next week please let me know.   I am sorry for the delays guys but I am working on getting everything sorted out and no matter what everyone will receive a gift.

Are the billets really in need of lapping? I know the forged ones have issues, but not billet uppers.

Ok, those who have not received a package give it a few more days please. The two secret Santas in question are long time members and do not fit the profile of those who have screwed things up in the past.