jgradyc

My lights... From left to right... Thrunite Ti, Sipik 68 clone, Sipik 68 clone, Sipik 98 clone, some Ultrafire with a pressure pad, SolarForce Lm2, some Ultrafire, Defiant 3C (Home Depot 3 C cells). Only the SolarForce ($30) and the Defiant ($23) cost more than $20. Unless you need a light to withstand the impact of recoil, there's no need to buy an expensive light anymore.

Since Kel Tec parts are so cheap (okay, inexpensive), it's tempting to try things you'd never do on, say, a $500 Glock. I forget what it's called, but I did a "soap bar sanding" of my P11 frame. Basically, you just find any rough edges or contours to the grip you don't like and sand them off, so the finished project looks like a bar of soap after it's been used a few times.  All the rough edges are gone.   It makes the gun look a little less like a stamped piece of plastic. I didn't like how the grip felt in the webbing of my thumb, so I just ground it down. The gun looked completely stock until you put it side by side with another P11, but then the differences were noticeable. There's a vendor on KTOG who'll do the same thing with the slide, taking off the sharp angles, and then nickel plate it or whatever you prefer. It used to be very inexpensive... $50 or so.

The SCCY is almost a clone of the Kel Tec P11. There's an active Kel Tec forum at www.thektog.org that occasionally discusses the SCCY. You should go there and read the posts before making a decision.   The Gen 2 SCCY is apparently a lot better than Gen 1. Even so, I'd go with the Kel Tec P11 over the SCCY.    With the SCCY, you're kinda on your own. With the P11, you have replacement triggers, aftermarket springs, 22lr kits, and a robust owners' forum. The KTOG forum explains how to fluff and buff the P11, replace the trigger (which you can do later), shorten the trigger pull, and generally make it into a very good gun. Parts are so cheap you can attempt a trigger mod that you'd never do on other guns.   Still, Kel Tecs are tinkerers' guns and a bit hit or miss on purchasing. Some are excellent right out of the box; others you might have to tweak a bit to get it right for you, but that's all explained on KTOG.   Almost all of these little 9mm require a special grip to prevent FTEs. FTEs are caused by "limp wristing," which is a bit of a misnomer because it involves more than the wrist. You may have to relearn how to hold the P11/SCCY/TCP/LCP/P32/P3-AT and other mouse guns, but it's easy enough. Again, it's explained on KTOG and there are bound to be YouTube videos on the topic.

Colt Commander manufactured in 1979, purchased in 1980.  I still have it... never really liked shooting it.

Scam, scam, SCAM.  You respond an ad in NH, but the gun is in Oklahoma... and the guy asks if you can do a ftf or ship to doorstep. NOTE: Both of these options are ILLEGAL. That should be a clue. What are the chances that an Oklahoma resident is going to reply to a NH ad... not much better than winning the lottery. Thus, selling to a non-OK resident would be illegal. Shipping to your doorstep is also illegal. It would have to be shipped to an FFL.   EDITED: On retrospect, I am impressed that he asked you to break the law two different ways in one sentence. That's not easy to do.

I had this issue of no guns in the employer's parking lot a few years back. I just parked in the lot next door. It was literally only 50 feet farther to walk. I also never told anyone that I worked with that I had a permit. I was never asked if I had a gun in the car.

You're under 45?  I feel for you, man, and I hope for the best in your recovery.  I really don't know how to say this, especially online where you can't really convey emotion or sincerity, so I'll just type the words and let them fall where they may. You really need to start taking better care of your health. I just finished ghost writing a book for a scientist on anti-aging medicine. Most people in their forties today will probably live to 90 or more. Many will live those extra years in diminished capacity because of decades of neglected health.   Take it for what it's worth, but my advice is to see a sports doc as others have recommended, rehab that knee, get into an exercise program, lose some weight, and get that BP down before it kills you. Your doctor might not be so blunt, but that's the reality you're facing.    I'm 65. I cycled to today with two riders 30 years younger than me. Tomorrow, I'll do a running work out on Vanderbilt track. I try to exercise every day. If you give up, you'll get old... you gotta keep active.

I spent two of the last three winters in Florida. The gun shows were overwhelmingly Modern Sporting Rifles... never seen anything like it. Not a mix of guns like we see here. I carried all the time, mostly pocket carry of a small gun. But, I carry concealed, so as far as I know, no one ever made my firearm. I went by some of the pig hunting areas east of Sebring, but I was towing an RV so I never drove into them.   Don't let your guard down. The only time I've ever had to threaten to use a firearm was in Florida in broad daylight at an I-75 rest area.  Who would have thought it?

Anyone know if there will be ammo at reasonable prices at the Nashville gun show this weekend? I hate to pay to park, pay to enter, and then... actually, by the time I pay to park and pay to enter, I'm already ticked off before I get into the show.   Someone, give me a reason to go.

Welcome. It's a good group here, although I've only met a few members personally.

This is a big victory for the prosecution. I wonder if they'll only allow pictures of the 12-year-old Martin?

I can't make it, but here is my training lesson.   How to get ebooks of survival manuals for your laptop/phone/tablet.   Thousands of training and survival manuals are available online free. They are found on "torrents." But if you go to torrent sites, you'll get bombarded with porn escort service ads. I would suggest that you avoid directly searching the torrent sites. A better approach is to download free torrent software. These programs bypass the ads and search dozens of torrent sites for the keywords you are looking for.   I use qBitTorrent. It's open source (free) software. Once you find and download it online, do a search for "survival." You'll get thousands of links, mostly links to The Walking Dead episodes, movies, and music. To narrow the search, under categories, select books. It will narrow the list to a couple hundred.  I've also found interesting material under searches for emergency, rifle, shotgun, composting... whatever you're looking for.   Note: You will be violating copyright law if you download copyrighted material, however, government publications (Army, Air Force, DOD, etc) are in the public domain. The formats will vary... html, ePub, pdf, mobi... so you'll need an ebook reader, but they can also be downloaded free.  I use Aldiko or FBReader most of the time. They are free Android apps. I've never tried to transfer these ebooks to my Kindle account, but it should work, too.   If this sounds too complicated or if you prefer a real book, go to Amazon, search in the book category for "survival." When you find something you're interested in, check under used books. Unfortunately, used survival books are pricey... expect to pay $8-$15 with shipping included. Most other used books can be bought in the $4.00 to $7.00 range and that includes shipping.   Once you have your ebooks on your laptop, save them to a thumb drive along with the ebook reader programs and put the thumbdrive in your bug out bag . Now, you can use any computer to access your ebooks. You can share with your buddies. You don't need internet access to see your files.   Have a great time, guys. Stay safe.

What about weight and balance? I almost traded for an SKS recently. It was really heavy (over 8 pounds)  and a lot of that weight was at the front of the barrel so it was  hard to hold to get a steady sight picture. The ARs I've held all balanced fine. How does the 5.45 AK compare?

I live just outside Nashville. It's a really nice city... one of the best I have ever lived in. I don't see what the knock is on Nashville.   That said, there are lot of places I don't go, just like in any big city... the bad parts of town and the tourist area downtown, for example. I avoid rush hour traffic.  There are several decent Farmers Markets, great micro brew beers, decent pizza, and enough variety in culture and food for most people.   I live on several acres in rural setting, but downtown is less than 20 minutes away.

I was in Florida not too far away from Sanford when this happened, so I followed it a lot closer than most people. Martin's twitter and Facebook accounts were online for a while before being pulled. They paint a very different picture of Trayvon Martin than that presented by the press. Here's a link.  http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2012/05/24/update-26-part-2-trayvon-martin-shooting-a-year-of-drug-use-culminates-in-predictable-violence/   I can't repost it here because it's too profane, but it destroys the "innocent child" propaganda created by the media.   For example, Arizona Watermelon Fruit drink and Skittles are ingredients to make "purple drank" (also called lean) when mixed with codeine cough syrup. It's a popular way to get high that's mentioned in a lot of rap music. Martin was apparently dealing in marijuana and had been suspended from school for it. I didn't see it in this link, but there was also a conversation (Twitter/Facebook?... I don't remember) where he punches a bus driver a few days/weeks? before the incident. The driver apparently never pressed charges so it was only mentioned when one of his friends heard about it and tweeted/facebooked him about it. Also, they found women's jewellery and burglary tools in his possession.   I'm not an attorney, but it would seem that all this is relevant information... especially the assault on the bus driver... that a jury should hear since it supports Zimmerman's case that Martin was acting suspiciously and started the altercation.   The information in this link might be made up, but I saw a lot of it online in the days immediately following the shooting. Then, it disappeared when his Facebook and Twitter accounts were deleted.

The media did a poor job of reporting on this, so this misleading data keeps getting repeated. It's way off.   According to Seminole County booking information, Zimmerman was 5' 7", 185 lbs on the day of his arrest. At 5' 7" and 185, that's fat... about 30+ pounds overweight... borderline obese... obese would be 190 lbs.   Martin, according to the official coroner's report, was 71" (5" 11") and 158 lbs. That's after exsanguination, so it's likely he was around 160 at the time of the shooting.   The official reports are online.

After reading about several home invasions recently where the homeowner responded with a firearm, I'm disturbed by the fact that almost all said something like the robber was found blocks away or at a hospital emergency room. A lot of bad things could happen during those extra minutes. I'm thinking a one shot stopper is a better approach to home defense. As a result, I'm changing my approach to home defense from 40 cal handgun and 40 cal carbine to 12 ga buckshot for me and 410 Circuit Judge with buckshot for my arthritic wife.   EDITED: By the way, I know "one shot stop" isn't realistic, but eight 32 caliber pellets arriving at 1200fps are going to have a calming effect. :up:   I don't see a need to spend $500+ on a pump shotgun, when they can be had for under $300, so I'm considering the Norinco (IAC) Hawk 982 5+1. It looks like it's in stock at Cheaper than Dirt for $219 free shipping plus TICS at the TGO vendor I'll ship to. Anyone have any pro and con on this shotgun?    Whatever I get, I want a really short stock.  I have a Winchester Youth 120 20 ga with a 13" trigger pull that's about right for me. Trouble is, it's only 4+1.  I'd prefer more.    What do you guys think about home defense shotguns?

The DA did not recommend any charges at the time of the incident. Zimmerman was questioned for five hours. He returned to the scene the next day with investigators. It was only after the community outrage that Zimmerman was charged. I think more than a week passed, but it's easy to find out on the internet.

Here is the link to the unedited 911 call by Zimmerman. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L04Vh4do6bY   Key points: Zimmerman says guy is acting suspicious, like he's on drugs. Dispatcher (18sec into video) : Is he white, black, or hispanic? Z: He looks black. Z: Additional references to the kid. Something's wrong with him. 2:07 "He's running" 2:15: Car door opens. 2:25: Dispatch: Are you following him? Yes (labored breathing. Wind noise ) We don't need you to do that.  (The dispatcher never tells Z to return to his vehicle.) 2:45 Wind noise stops. Zimmerman's voice returns to normal breathing. 4:12  The call ends. Zimmerman asks responders to call him when they get to the neighborhood, the implication being that he is still going to be looking around. (Note: That's a minute and a half where no chase was being done.)   Here is a map of everything that is known for sure: Zimmerman's truck, the house where Martin was staying, and where the body was found. http://www.wagist.com/2012/dan-linehan/evidence-that-trayvon-martin-doubled-back     Here's my take on the map. Zimmerman is neighborhood watch. He has every right to continue to patrol. He has not been told not to continue to patrol. The dispatcher agrees to have the officer call him when he gets to the neighborhood.   Zimmerman is on the phone for 90 seconds after he loses sight of Martin and stops running.   The incident occurred about 100 yards from where Martin was staying.  I'm 65 and if I was being chased, I could cover 100 yards in less than 20 seconds.  Any 17-year-old should be able to jog 100 yards in 30 seconds, yet Zimmerman is on the phone for 90 seconds before hanging up.   It's obvious that Martin could have gotten home in that time. Yet the incident occurs over a hundred yards away, very close to where the chase stops initially. For some reason, Martin did not go home.   Now, lots of things could have happened, but what's the most logical? The most logical is that Martin doubled back and got the jump on Zimmerman, just as Zimmerman claims.   Other things could have happened, but a jury would have to believe that other thing happened "beyond a reasonable doubt."  I just don't see that happening.

Road bikes and mountain bikes are like race cars vs. pickup trucks.   I average about 15-16 on moderately hard rides and I'm a below average road cyclist. When I do my one hour course every week, I average 18-19. I usually sit up when my speed tops 32mph... no sense in going faster and I still have control at that speed.   I was talking to a friend who rides with a group and they average 23mph for their entire ride.  That's pretty good, not professional level, but decent.

I think most of us would agree with this, but you're assuming Zimmerman started this altercation. Where is the proof of this?  Remember, it has to be proof beyond a reasonable doubt. Where is the proof that an out of shape guy who stopped running when the dispatcher told him to? (Listen to the 911 call. You can hear his breath returning after stopping running.) Prosecution will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Zimmerman somehow caught Martin. That simply doesn't fit the police reports of where the altercation took place.   Maybe there is something that hasn't been released yet, but there has been a lot of information on this case released in local media that hasn't gotten national attention. There's just no case for 2nd degree murder, as defined by Florida law.   I predict either a hung jury or not guilty verdict... probably not guilty.

There was a witness who said he say a man in red on the ground getting beat by another man. Zimmerman was wearing red. Unless this witness changes his story, I don't see how a jury could find Zimmerman guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt."   Also, there's no way an out of shape Zimmerman could have run down a 17 year old high school athlete. The kid pretty much had to come back.   Regardless, since I won't be on the jury, the real takeaway for me is "never let your guard down."  If Zimmerman had been on high alert, Martin wouldn't have got close enough to punch him.

  Absolutely. Fifteen years ago, I went for an easy ride to clear the cobwebs. I was in a senior retirement community and didn't plan to leave the community... just a quick 10 minute ride. I went into a cul-de-sac and made a u-turn at the end. I was moving less than 10mph. A mower had chopped up and thrown a foot long section of tree branch on the road. The road was partially shaded. In the dappled sunlight I never even saw it.  It flipped me over the handlebars and I landed on the back of my head.   I was unconcious for a while, but the wheels were still spinning when I looked around. My helmet was cracked, but still intact on my head. I walked home and forced myself to stay awake until my wife got home. I even wrote her a note in case I passed out. I had headaches for weeks. I'm sure I would have either had permanent brain damage or be dead without the helmet.    So... On a short ride in a neighborhood with no traffic with a 25mph speed limit on a dead-end cul-de-sac I had a potentially fatal bicycle crash. I always wear a helmet. I buy a new helmet every 2-3 years.

^This.  Then you can just smile when your buddies talk about how much they can haul with their trucks.

I have a 2010 Cannondale SystemSix Carbon... a road bike.  I ride 2-3 times per week when the temperature is over 65 degrees. I did the 30 miler Tour de Nashville last Saturday because a friend didn't want to ride it alone. Otherwise, I ride mostly by myself out in the country west of Nashville. I never, never ride in the city.  If I go out near dusk, I'll carry a small 18650-battery flashlight in case it gets dark before I get back. It's easy enough to hold the flashlight like a cigar while keeping my hand on the handlebar.