ZenDog

Have fun! If I can I'll tune in.

There's a cool website written mostly by women shooters and geared toward women called Cornered Cat. I like it- I have learned a lot from that website. She has an article on semi vs revolver at: http://www.corneredcat.com/FirstGun/semivsrevo.aspx

Hi neighbor- Welcome to TGO. I have a G17, 19, and 26. Love 'em all.

Welcome from E. Memphis near U of M / Audubon Park.

I live, work, walk, shop, and bike in Memphis, just a couple of miles from Orange Mound. G17 topped off with 18 rounds + an extra 17 round mag = 35. Sometimes I'll add the G26 as a bug for another 10. And I often have a wife with me who has 5 rounds in her 642 or 15 in her g19. On walks we both carry OC for dogs and pesky panhandlers. I'll usually have a knife or 3 as well, in case I need to trim a broken fingernail or something. Haven't figured out how to conceal the RPG yet, so I'm carrying a folding stock AK in a skateboard bag with 3 30 round mags in case we have to engage in house-to-house fighting to get home from shopping (just kidding about the AK, at the moment, however, if the economy keeps dropping... well, the AK folder might start making sense)

I'll serve as sec of state. I'm prettier than her.

A great podcast by some world-class firearms folks on the home defense shotgun is located for free on the web at http://proarms.podbean.com/2008/12/21/017a-homing-in-on-the-defensive-shotgun/ And, Tom Givens at Rangemaster has a new 2-hour DVD on the home defense shotgun- I have not personally seen it but people I trust said it is very well done- and the good thing is it is strictly home defense, not SWAT or military, just home. And here's a thought- the Mossberg Maverick is even cheaper. It is not as durable as the 870 or the 500/590, but if all you do is shoot it a couple of times a year to stay familiar with it, it can serve as a a fine reliable econo-shotty for home defense- you can get a couple of Mavericks, heck, keep one in every room.

Seems like this might be the right place for this topic. I have been avidly following the guns? what guns? thread here at TGO and there are a lot of good ideas and differing opinions. If you think someone is coming to take your weapons and you do not have the means to stop them from doing so, the topic of weapons caching might be worth considering and researching. Got this in an email a few weeks ago from warriortalk.com WEAPONS CACHE 101 I don't believe in burying weapons. Still, I have received so many emails about this that I guess I need to mention something. Whatever you do, you need to keep at least one weapon set (pistol and rifle) with you along with the accompanying ammo. But for those with extensive arsenals who want to secure them better and outside of the "gun safe" method, read on. To cache means to hide something. You don't learn to cache the sorts of things we are talking about in police academy, you learn it from criminals. A true cache, like we are discussing, should be able to lay undetected for years. There may be varying levels of caches as well. An E&E (escape and evasion) cache will contain a complete getaway kit in addition to a pistol and maybe a folding stock AK, that while well hidden, can be grabbed up and used in a blink of an eye. Think of that as a hidden bug out kit. Such a cache will contain stuff to fight with, stuff to treat injuries with, stuff to eat, and stuff to use to change your appearance. A few $100 bills would be a good idea too. All of that can go in a small backpack (except for the AK). I don't think anyone has interest in the cache of "sports guns", so we will focus on the cache of fighting weapons such as assault rifles and combat pistols. Remember to make certain to leave no fingerprints on any cache item. All caching must be done with latex gloves on and those of you with hairy arms, wear long sleeves taped at the cuffs. Free market guns (private party anonymous purchases) are better for this than those whose numbers are married to you. Remember that it is not enough to dig and bury as the "fresh grave" in your front yard will only draw attention. You need to "hide" it. Look at three broad categories: rural caches, urban caches, and underwater caches. Rural Cache - In the countryside, cache options abound. Needless to say that a cache can be located on your property, but look to cache stuff either on someone else's land, or in public land. Look for old piles of metal or used up farm equipment. These make great places as few snoopers will want to move a bunch of rusty junk around. And all that metal wreaks havoc on any technical search methods. Abandoned farmhouses, ruins, and foundations provide countless hiding places, as do small caves, old mines, and even graveyards. Just look for places where people would tend to not want to go, or places that would be overlooked. It is a good idea to GPS the coordinates and memorize them like your birthday. The Urban Cache - In cities you must be more creative. You need to find a quiet dark out of the way corner were you can remove some tile or blocks or panels to create an improvised vault. Remember, make it look nasty and few people will put their hands in there. The Underwater Cache - Arms may be sealed into a big PVC pipe, then sunk. The Swiss did this during WW2 as a fallback in the event Hitler's forces invaded No matter where your cache will be located, you should go to great pains to make sure that it remains sealed and moisture proof. A large PVC pipe works fine, but I am more in favor of a large Pelican Case. Remember that if your cache is damaged by nature, you will have wasted your time. A Pelican case can not only be made water proof, but is as strong as steel. A chunk of dry ice dropped into a watertight package and allowed to "steam off" before sealing will purge out the rust producing oxygen. Silica desiccant bags are also necessary -specially for an ammo cache. Where possible, for long term storage seal the lids with a bead of silicone glue. Where tight space is a consideration, as in urban caches, you may have to merely wrap your weapons in plastic. In this case use the biggest thickest heavy duty lawn and garden bags you can find. After placing the arms inside, suck out all the air you can, twist the end, and duct tape the hell out of the entire bag. Memorize the location of your cache. Take compass readings and GPS coordinates as well as the use of landmarks. Keep an eye on it regularly by simply driving by if nothing else. Be alert to construction around your cache. If you see signs of activity, or the survey stakes go up, move it out immediately. When you look for a cache location, consider that you will need an excuse for being near it. This is easy in rural areas but slightly more complicated in the urban environment. When returning to a cache, do some counter-surveillance. Move through the area looking for anyone or anything out of place, or anyone who may be staking it out, or even a new "utility box" which may contain a remotely operated camera. When making a final approach, don't walk right up to it. Just as discussed in Roger's Ranger Rule Book, "fish hook" your trail, double back and observe your own path in to check for followers. This may take some time, but is well worth it. Finally, walk right past your cache and make it appear you are doing something, or unloading something into an adjacent area. This is simply a ruse for the event you are compromised. If you are contacted at this point, your adversaries may not find the true cache, and your "cover for action" is believable. Only when you are truly sure of your safety should you go to the cache and unload it. Consider leaving tell-tale secret marks which will tell you if anyone has disturbed and replaced your cache. It is a favorite trick of security forces to put tracking devices into cached weapons in order to follow the guerrilla back to his base and catch the entire band. A tell-tale may be a bit of thread or a pebble etc. placed in such a way that if the cache is disturbed it will break or fall out without the security forces noticing it. Having written all of this, I want to make a point - I don't like the idea of caching weapons for the reasons most folks will do it. Freedoms are not given, they are taken. And once possessed, they cannot be taken away while the original owner lives and is willing to kill and die to keep them. We would be a different nation if those who live here today had not forgotten that lesson of yesterday. Gabe Suarez Suarez International USA, Inc. One Source Tactical info@suarezinternational.com Office 928-776-4492

Welcome.

Hey, glad you made it over here, bro! Welcome.

I think this is how my first wife and I got together.

I am inspired- I am going to edit it and send it to my TN House rep.

Wow, that's a nice looking storage setup - How long do you think it will last and how many people and animals are you feeding?

I'm getting there- of course, I am buying a stockpile for 4 people- myself, wife, son, and daughter. 9mm, 7.62x39, .223. .22LR, 12ga. and a smidge of .38.

I respect standing up for what you believe in-- this country is founded on the blood and bones of brave men. And, I think there is a time to lie to the Nazis (Guns? I ain't got no guns, bro!) so that you can live to fight another day. Strategery.

Is it morally wrong if I get turned on by smart women who are into guns?

I am aware that if I am stupid or inattentive I can make an error with my firearm that will make me a soul brother of Plaxico Burris. So I am quite attentive to holstering properly, etc. I don't mess with my weapons (well, except maybe my knives) when I am enjoying adult beverages. And, sure enough, I have cut myself several times when playing with knives while slightly under the influence. That means I need to stay the h#ll away from firearms when imbibing. And probably staying away from knives, too, would be smart. But, stone cold sober, I just do everything I need to do to be safe with pocket carry. It is as safe as any form of carry as far as I am concerned.

Yeah, I liked this in general. I rewrote some of it for myself and changed it all to TN terminology-- HCP etc. I think I will keep a copy on my computer and use it as talking points when I post on the local Memphis newspaper and TV websites about 2A/self defense issues.

Found this on another board- Originally posted in California. It has some decent stuff in it. Uses the more prevalent term CCW instead of HCP like we have there on TN. Ten things you should know about CCW Holders Posted: 22 Jan 2009 07:52 PM CST 1. We don’t carry firearms so that we can ignore other basics of personal safety. Every permit holder that I know realizes that almost all dangerous situations can be avoided by vigilance, alertness and by simply making wise choices about where one goes and what one does. We don’t walk down dark alleys. We lock our cars. We don’t get intoxicated in public or hang out around people who do. We park our cars in well lighted spots and don’t hang out in bad parts of town where we have no business. A gun is our last resort, not our first. 2. We don’t think we are cops, spies, or superheroes. We aren’t hoping that somebody tries to rob the convenience store while we are there so we can shoot a criminal. We don’t take it upon ourselves to get involved in situations that are better handled by a 911 call or by simply standing by and being a good witness. We don’t believe our guns give us any authority over our fellow citizens. We also aren’t here to be your unpaid volunteer bodyguard. We’ll be glad to tell you where we trained and point you to some good gun shops if you feel you want to take this kind of responsibility for your personal safety. Except for extraordinary circumstances your business is your business, don’t expect us to help you out of situations you could have avoided. 3. We are LESS likely, not more likely, to be involved in fights or “rage†incidents than the general public. We recognize, better than many unarmed citizens, that we are responsible for our actions. We take the responsibility of carrying a firearm very seriously. We know that loss of temper, getting into fights or angrily confronting someone after a traffic incident could easily escalate into a dangerous situation. We are more likely to go out of our way to avoid these situations. We don’t pull our guns to settle arguments or to attempt to threaten people into doing what we want. 4. We are responsible gun owners. We secure our firearms so that children and other unauthorized people cannot access them. Most of us have invested in safes, cases and lock boxes as well as other security measures to keep our firearms secure. Many of us belong to various organizations that promote firearms safety and ownership. 5. Guns are not unsafe or unpredictable. Modern firearms are well made precision instruments. Pieces do not simply break off causing them to fire. A hot day will not set them off. Most modern firearms will not discharge even if dropped. There is no reason to be afraid of a gun simply lying on a table or in a holster. It is not going to discharge on its own. 6. We do not believe in the concept of “accidental dischargesâ€. There are no accidental discharges only negligent discharges or intentional discharges. We take responsibility for our actions and have learned how to safely handle firearms. Any case you have ever heard of about a gun “going off†was the result of negligence on somebody’s part. Our recognition of our responsibility and familiarity with firearms makes us among the safest firearms owners in America. 7. Permit holders do their best to keep our concealed weapons exactly that: concealed. However, there are times when an observant fellow citizen may spot our firearm or the print of our firearm under our clothes. We are very cognizant that concerns about terrorism and crime are in the forefront of the minds of most citizens. We also realize that our society does much to condition our fellow citizens to have sometimes irrational fears about firearms. We would encourage citizens who do happen to spot someone carrying a firearm to use good judgment and clear thinking if they feel the need to take action. Please recognize that it’s very uncommon for a criminal to use a holster. However, if you feel the need to report having spotted a firearm we would ask that you please be specific and detailed in your call to the police or in your report to a store manager or private security. Please don’t generalize or sensationalize what you observed. Comments like “there’s a guy running around in the store with a gun†or even simply “I saw a man with a gun in the store†could possibly cause a misunderstanding as to the true nature of the incident. 8. The fact that we carry a firearm to any given place does not mean that we believe that place to be inherently unsafe. If we believe a place to be unsafe, most of us would avoid that place all together if possible. However, we recognize that trouble could occur at any place and at any time. Criminals do not observe “gun free zonesâ€. If trouble does come, we do not want the only armed persons to be perpetrators. Therefore, we don’t usually make a determination about whether or not to carry at any given time based on “how safe†we think a location is. 9. Concealed weapon permit holders are an asset to the public in times of trouble. The fact that most permit holders have the good judgment to stay out of situations better handled by a 911 call or by simply being a careful and vigilant witness does not mean that we would fail to act in situations where the use of deadly force is appropriate to save lives. Review of high profile public shooting incidents shows that when killers are confronted by armed resistance they tend to either break off the attack and flee or choose to end their own life. Lives are saved when resistance engages a violent criminal. Lives are lost when the criminal can do as he pleases. 10. The fact that criminals know that some of the population may be armed at any given time helps to deter violence against all citizens. Permit holders don’t believe that every person should necessarily be armed. We recognize that some people may not be temperamentally suited to carry a firearm or simply may wish not to for personal reasons. However we do encourage you to respect our right to arm ourselves. Even if you choose not to carry a firearm yourself please oppose measures to limit the ability of law abiding citizens to be armed. As mentioned before: criminals do not observe “gun free zonesâ€. Help by not supporting laws that require citizens to be unarmed victims.

Well, this is just fun, especially after all the Barbie and Ken inauguration stuff. Obama vs Assault Weapons Wallpaper for your desktop

My wife has a 642 that she carries when shopping, jogging, etc. I borrow it now and then when I want something lighter than my usual G26 or especially lighter and smaller than my G17. We have a High Noon pocket holster we both will use with the 642. Nice little weapon, considerably lighter than the G26, and the roundness makes it easy to retrieve and handle.

Some thoughts on this stuff-- A lot of financial gurus think we might be heading for something of a financial system meltdown- And, because the economy is global now, no one really can predict where shortages and breakdowns will occur in the global networks. So, if there is a financial melt down, investing in basic survival needs is a better investment than playing the market via the stocks and bonds game. Gold is decent for wealth preservation in times of currency destabilization. People speculate in the short term trying to make money off of the shift in value of gold, but gold is better used (IMHO) as a long-term stable asset that holds its value relative to the economy. The basic survival items are food, medical stuff, self defense- aka Bullets, Beans, and Band Aids. And water. Silver is better for small time barter, small purchases. Gold is more portable. As I am writing this, the price of gold is 899 an ounce. A pound of gold is worth about $14,384. Today silver is listed at 11.98 an ounce. It would take 1200 ounces of silver, or 75 pounds of the stuff, to equal a pound of gold. I would rather carry the gold than the silver if I have to get out of dodge due to an earthquake or some Katrina-like situation. If you have a ton of money and already have all the bullets beans and bandaids you need, having a stash of Krugerrands is not a bad thing. When and if the financial system restabilizes or a newly valued currency is issued, cash 'em in. And, some think that there may be some catastrophic banking industry failures. Gold and silver in my possession is worth a lot more than unstable or devalued currency stored in a failed bank that might not be able to give me my money.

Just got back from running errands carrying my G26 iwb in a High Noon Holster's Bare Asset- works well for me. I sometimes carry the G19 in the same holster- works well for both of my 9mm Glocks. I shoot the G19 a little bit better better than the G26, but I definitely shoot the G26 good enough for self defense purposes.

I got this in an email this morning -- Something to think about regarding obtaining weapons, especially for those who are just beginning acquiring their weapons. Seems to make some sense, given the current political climate. And, honestly, I like anything that offers a good reason for me to go out and buy more weapons. ------------------------------ "You Snooze, You Lose ...Remember the $150 Glock magazines I spoke of? Stock up on magazines...." by Gabe Suarez These last few weeks I have been inundated with emails and calls about what people should buy. The concern, and it is not an unwarranted concern, is that if they don't equip themselves now, they may never be able to buy the weapons they want. Looking at the political upheaval taking place, I can't disagree with them. I remember the buying frenzy in California in 1989. I bought the last Springfield M1A in stock at the now defunct B&B Gun Sales for a whopping $599. That was all I could afford but I knew that I either bought it then or I was not going to get another chance. As it happened, I was right. I also recall high capacity Glock 17 magazines selling for $150 as recently as four years ago prior to the sunset of the Assault Weapons Ban under GW Bush. If I was to give any advice at all it would be this. Buy whatever you think you will want now. If you need to sell your plasma screen TV, or your cool Rolex watch, or even go to the limit on your credit card to do it, then I would say that you do it. You may be able to get another plasma and another watch, and you will pay off your debts, but whether you will be able to find another AR-15 or another Glock pistol is not certain. So buy it now; even at today's rapidly inflating prices. If you snooze, well...you know the rest. So the next question is what should you buy? I will list this in levels, as not everyone can go out and drop a couple of house payments on guns and ammo. Besides, some readers may already have some of these levels already taken care of. Level 1: Everyone needs a pistol. And by pistol I mean a full-size, semi-automatic fighting handgun. Revolvers may be cool for some readers, but you can buy them anywhere - even in Mexico. You may not be able to say the same about a Glock four years from now. The handgun is what most readers will be familiar with. Additionally, the handgun is important because of its utility and concealability. It can be carried and worn every waking moment and can go everywhere you go. I would look at something like a Glock, SIG, or Springfield XD. Even the S&W M&P pistol. Buy something modern and as good as you can afford. Used service pistols will also be just fine. And having three 9mm Glocks is better than having one super-cool competition pistol in a super-cool caliber. Moreover, I would make sure you have several magazines for it. I would say five magazines are an absolute minimum, and more is better. In the event of anti-magazine legislation in the future, magazines may be worth more than gold. Remember the $150 Glock magazines I spoke of? Stock up on magazines. The caliber should be something in common use like 9mm, 40 S&W, or 45.ACP. Avoid special calibers that would be difficult to find. For example, the 357 Sig may be a wonderful round with fantastic ballistics, but I will bet you won't find as many pistols or boxes of ammo for that as you will 9mm. Remember, if you can't find it easily, everywhere, choose a different caliber. Ammo quantity? Be sure you have at least 1000 rounds of good self-defense ammo for your pistols. Don't scrimp here. Look at any self-defense ammo from Winchester, Remington, Corbon, etc. Training ammo is next, but make sure you have the best stuff to load in your pistol for defensive uses. Training ammo depends on how much you want to train. As an absolute minimum, I like to keep ammo available for a monthly training session of 200 rounds. And I can do with less if needed. One year's worth of training ammo would be would be 2400 rounds. Four years worth would be approximately 10,000 rounds. Yes you can do with less, but ammo, like magazines, will never be cheaper than it is today. Level 2: Next to a pistol, I believe every American should have a rifle. What rifle you pick will be determined by where you live, what you can afford, and what type of freedom you enjoy. Again, just like the pistol, I think it will be a long time before the "sportsman's" Remington 700 deer gun will be in short supply. The same goes for the "Lever Gun". I would look at what may be in short supply now. By "rifle" I am not referring to a sporting firearm, I am referring to a self-defense fighting weapon. Some might want to call it an assault rifle, and that is not a bad name. I would pick a fighting rifle first. I would look at an AR-15, FAL, M1A or an AK-47 first. These will be much more costly than the pistol, but remember ... this may be your last chance. Any of these are good, and as usual, price may be a good indication of quality. Again, don't say, "I will get one someday". "Today" is someday. There are other choices of course. The old M1 Carbine is experiencing a rebirth and it is a fine weapon that is often overlooked due to its historical appearance. Similarly, the always affordable Simonov SKS carbine is also a great choice. And folks who live in areas where any of these would not be allowed can get a Ruger Mini-14. Even the non-martialized Saiga rifles will work fine here, and at a very affordable price. The point is to get something, and get it now. Along with the rifle, I would buy as many magazines as you can afford. You will want to keep at least five for your personal use, but if you get more you can store them as a speculative investment if nothing else. As an example, AR/M16 magazines and AK-47 magazines are selling now for between $10 and $35. I would look at the ammo requirements next. The same rule applies. 1000 rounds of good defensive ammo with additional training ammo added on as affordable. Level 3: Seek training in the use of the weapons you have bought. It may be a while before training is unavailable, but don't think elimination of gun training schools has not been considered. Follow the same line of thinking and get trained up in pistol first, and then with rifle. Seek to get through basic level training with each weapon first. So it would make more sense to attend basic level schools in pistol and in rifle than to attend basic, intermediate and advanced levels with a pistol and ignore the rifle. You can attend a great training session for probably less then the cost of the weapon you bought. Most two day sessions go for $400 or less. Additionally, if that is not possible for you, at least do some self-training via the available DVDs on the market, and some well directed and consistent range training on your own. My intent here is not to frighten anyone, but simply to convince you that putting off equipping yourself may lead to you not being able to equip yourself at all. Remember ... if you snooze, you lose. **** Gabe Suarez is the CEO of Suarez International, USA www.suarezinternational.com www.warriortalk.com www.onesourcetactical.com

Welcome from Memphis, aka Mogadishu on the Mississippi.