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I was in the Air Force in the 820th Red Horse Battalion. We were trained by the Navy Cee Bees at Point Mugu, and Port Hueneme located around Oxnard California, Santa Barbara in 1966. Before we left for Nam we went through survival training At Eglin AFB, on field 2. While there, we were given extended training on hand to hand combat plus training on the M 16. I had one the whole time I was in Nam. Most of the other military branches had real problems with their m-16, early in the beginning, because they had bad ammo, as testing showed. Ours were flawless and ran fine if you kept them clean. We used different ammo than the Army or Marines did. That is how they discovered it was an ammo problem. Our M-16's ran flawlessly. I carried a m-16, in Vietnam, and qualified expert with my rifle. I can't remember what one had to fire to qualify expert, but it was hard. I think one had to fire 97 out of 100 on a man's chest sized target at 75 yards with peep sites. Once I learned the peep site, I was off to the races. The rifle I qualified with, I took with me to Vietnam. I then gave it to my replacement after my tour was over. Luckily, we never were in combat, but during the Tet offensive, in 1968, we were back-up to the Marines on the south end perimeter, of the base, at Danang AB. The enemy overran the opposite end (North end next to the Ho Che Min Trail) of the base, and only sent a diversionary force to our end of the base. I could of and would of used the m-16 if forced too. I shot a lot of deer rifles at 100 yards before joining the military so I had no problems with the m-16. That siege lasted for 3 weeks from dusk till dawn. I was dug in, in a fox hole" just 50 yards behind the Marine bunkers along the south perimeter of the air base. We did a lot of off base construction as I was a Construction Equipment Operator. People always think you fly something when you are in the Air Force. When asked, I told them I flew a "Bull Dozer." That always brought on conversation. You guys are right most "zoomies" never touched a m-16, however some did. And "believe it or not" I could shoot.

After nearly two years of waiting my customer Cumberland Valley rifle is finished and I am loving it. My Gr gr gr grandfather settled in Mid TN around 1801 and in an area where some prolific rifle makers of that genre (ie. Thomas Simpson, Jacob Young, etc.) were in their heyday. I wanted a rifle that would be as close to "possibly" what he would have owned on the TN frontier of the first third of the 19th century. Posting a picture below but it is a .40 caliber flintlock with a 48 inch barrel. It has a 14.75" length of pull so it is a long rifle. Fits me pretty well, though as I am 6' 6". The stock is curly maple and really pops in the sunlight. I would have posted more photos but I hit my size max with the one below. thanks,

The Charles H. Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center will have its grand opening tomorrow (Saturday) at 10:00 AM in Chattanooga. Thirteen Medal of Honor recipients will be present along with two four-star generals, the governor, etc. A great way to spend a Saturday and for children to learn about the sacrifices veterans make for our country. Tickets are required.

Thanks Brasil and PeeJ. Regarding the purpling of GA. Because it has been a strong conservative Southern community (outside of Atlanta), the state is on the radar of the progressives. They see the cracks (mostly demographic-caused) and are exploiting them. GA, Macon and Savannah have outsized influence so that's been the progressive's focus. So yes, I think it will cave and go full blue in an election cycle. It's still a great state in many ways but demographics are destiny.

That story had me wincing in pain! Sounds about like my own luck, though. I am glad to say that I am probably 95% or better on my knee now. The first week was terrible and consisted of keeping it elevated almost around the clock. The second week it got a little better with a visit to TOA in Nashville for x-rays, an enormous Cortisone shot into the knee, and a really nice $150 Breg-brand knee brace. The last half-week has been more like normal with quite a bit more mobility, infinitely less pain, and lessening stiffness. I think within another two weeks I will be back to normal and able to start strengthening exercises again. Thanks to all who expressed concern! My daughter is doing very well but we are now facing sleep apnea problems with her due to the cleft in her soft pallet. As we are learning, this is a common problem for children as young as her with a hole in the pallet, and it tends to go away as they grow older and absolutely goes away once the surgery is done to close the hole. Of course, the problem in the meantime is making sure that the apnea spells aren't fatal. We're not getting a whole lot of sleep, but we have a retail-grade blood oximeter to alert us for now, and a medical grade one coming. Unfortunately surgery just won't be an option for her until at least the end of November, so it's still going to be a long year.

Congratulations!!! When I got the .357 fever a couple of years ago, I ended up buying a Stainless Taurus 627 Tracker. I didn't want to break the bank, and at $482 out the door, Taurus offered the best bang for the dollar. New Rugers were running $150 higher and S&W's started at $700. I just wasn't willing to spend that kind of change on what would primarily be a range and woods gun. I couldn't be happier with my selection. It's ported and therefore soft shooting, though the flash is a big much in lower light.

I have 3 Taurus mdl 617's which is a snub nose 2" brl 38Spl/357Mag 7 shot revolver. These are my EDC revolvers. I have carried one of these revolver for about 7 years now. Some of the 617's had heating problems(cylinder would seize up after prolonged firing) and the cylinder would quit turning until they cooled a bit. Luckily, my 3 have never experienced that problem. Taurus made the revolvers a little too tight and cured the problem with a thin shim, but corrected the problem in later run revolvers. The 617 is a K frame size revolver. I pocket carry these guns. They are nice revolvers that needed no repairs out of the box. One of my 3 is a feather weight which only fires 38Spl ammo. I was pleasantly surprised when I purchased the first one, and when I went back to revolver carry, I decided to purchase the other two. My problems came with old age, diabetic neuropathy, plus arthritis in my hands appeared. I limp wrist sometimes without knowing it and most pistols are unforgiving, when one does that, and fail to cycle properly. I have found a couple pistols that will do the job for me, but the revolvers were my first liked guns in the early 50's. I can and do carry a S W M P 9C 2.0, with the 4" brl when I need too. They work for me. When one bets his safety on a handgun, it, for sure, needs to function reliably for her or him. I like my 7 shot snubbies.

Nice Review. Thankfully, Ruger will put a dent in the Heritage run away train with the Wrangler. To check for shaving lead on any wheel gun, take some medium card stock, fold it over the top strap to hang over the cylinders and fire each cylinder that way while you finger hold the paper in place at the top strap. A small cut in the side blast gas mark will indicate an out of alignment cylinder. Cylinder barrel gap is a very important spec. You should idealy have about .004-.005 there with a feeler gauge. Too much really sucks and makes the gun not worth owning. Keep in mind, another key area to look at is the finish of the bore cone there at the mouth of the barrel. If Ruger skimped out on honing it smooth in the Wrangler, you will get just what you have there pretty quick. Reason being, as the lead bullet begins to get lands swaging its OD, circular machine lines rather than a smooth honed forcing cone will tear lead from the newly cutting groove and leave those tiny lead particles free in the hot burn of the powder behind the bullet. The burn vaporises those particles and that vapor is then deposited as a layer or coating of flaky lead/powder residue exactly like you have pictured. Copper coated bullets fair a bit better in dealing with course forcing cones. Take a good look at the forcing cone in the gun and see if you can spot circular machine cut lines right into the rifling lands. If they are loud, you can have a competent smith hone them out. Thanks for your time on the review.

No such thing, honest is as honest does. Am honest person will not steal.

My new gun safe:

So if you left $20 on a table at work, it's your fault if I steal it? I'm not following this line of thinking that criminals stealing things that aren't locked up or nailed down is the owner's fault.

Prosecute the thief's. We have a real problem in my area and it's generally the same small group that are arrested and turned back out in the judicial process. There are three teens that have stolen and wrecked over 5 vehicles in this small area in the last 6-7 months and have never seen jail time. Not to mention the dozens of property thefts from cars. Confirmed from the officers patrolling. They're known, roam openly and freely, on numerous security cams, and nothing. This is the real problem.

Big congrats on the new Daughter!!! Off course the fall couldn't happen at some latter date when things are settled out some. Now for some possibly good news for you and hipower. About 6 years ago I damaged my left knee working some big ass logs for firewood, Didn't think much about it and thought I would wait it out. A month latter it was getting worse so I figured its time to see what I screwed up. nothing showed up in the xray. The Dr. I had was dr Frank Lombardo. A young ( latest & greatest) surgeon that specializes in hip & knee replacements. Clearly one of the very best surgeons in NY. He gave me a script that had to be mixed by a compounding Pharmacy that happen to be Willow Pharmacy in Madisonville, LA. They shipped me this cream for my knee and the stuff is like gold in its healing effect. At first it wasn't working for me until I put plastic wrap over the creamed up knee then 30 minutes with a heating pad over the plastic. Before this I did everything as well as what they told you to do just without the cortisone shot. Do your self a favor and copy this stuff and see if your Doc will paper you for it. Trust me this is great for non surgery damage to the knee parts. C1 KETOPROFEN/BACLOFEN/CYCLOBENZAPRINE/GABAPENTIN/LIDOCAINE 20/2/2/6/2 % CREAM FROM THE SUDDEN PAIN THAT WOULD OUT OF NO WARE STOP ME IN MY TRACKS with just walking or turning, I was self convinced I was going to need surgery of some sort. Thank God for these new guys that are on top of the best meds. It took about 2 -3 weeks to be completely pain free. To this day, that knee has been normal. So, get well soon! you know you got to be ready to run after that new gal of yours soon..... so get the cream!!!

Well, after building the 1892 Winchester in 357, I guess I got horned into 357 and just had to finally spring for a nice wheel gun. My taste is in S&W but I want a nice handling range gun and the K frame is just right as not being too heavy. Besides I carried a M10 S&W as a duty gun for 18 years and became fond of my qualifying scores with that action. Problem is, I think S&W has been giving the shooting public the screws on their K frame magnums for a very long time. Frame cutting, and burned throats aside, That I can understand but I draw the line at poor barrel shank design. Iv seen a few K's with bore bulges just forward the barrel shank threads inside the frame mouth. Its ugly and should not happen. Reason being, they stop the barrel treads into a "root diameter" opening cut of the shank rather than stopping the threads into thread OD. Taurus correctly decided long ago that they would correct this deficiency and that is one main reason why I bought a 669 rather than a 66 S&W aside from the $$$ difference. The barrel cylinder gap on the Taurus is perfect at .004. It needs a trigger job and a forcing cone hone that I figured would be needed but all in all, this particular Taurus 357 is going to be a very sweet shooter. Its a bit beefier in the frame than a S&W 66 and the finish is exceptional for the 5 bones even OTD on a GB purchase. The Taurus shank

More like $700+.

Maybe I can remember the right order of the letters now.

Did you read the TCA above? Out of sight, doors locked. Anything else in addition is a cherry on top. I do prefer a small lock box with attached cable for an extra measure of security. Nothing is fool proof, but helps keep honest people honest.

I sure wish he was closer. I’d use him for sure.

Exactly. A DA could charge you with that if you left your windows down and a gun lying on the seat in plain view, if he thought he could get a jury to buy it. But we are discussing those of us who may have to leave a gun in the glove box or console out of sight in a locked car vs. those that think we need a safe built into our car if we own a gun, and will still want to charge us if a criminal breaks in and gets it. We have laws in place to deal with reckless conduct. We don’t need any new laws.

I've used the LA police gear Atlas 24 backpack as my primary gym bag for the past three years so I decided to upgrade to the LA Police Gear Operators backpack to get a little more space. The Atlas 24 is 2400 cu in. The Operators is 2900 cu in. The biggest difference is that the main compartment of the Atlas bag only unzips halfway down. If you have something in the bottom of the bag, you have to unpack or dig around to find it. The Operators bag unzips all the way like a suitcase. I had thought this would be a big benefit, but the stuff at the top of the bag tends to fall out when you unzip it all the way. There are internal straps and if you strapped that stuff in, it wouldn't be a problem if I used them. This is more of a user issue than a design issue. Maybe I'll get the hang of packing it with more time. On outside pockets, the Operator wins hands down. The Atlas has two roughly equal sizes pockets on the back. The Operator has a large upper pocket and a smaller lower pocket. The upper pocket is similar to a computer bag with slots for pens and other small stuff. The Operator also has two small side pockets. I love the side pockets because they make it easier to find small items that get lost in a bigger pocket: stopwatch, shampoo, padlock, Chapstick, energy bars, coaches tape, weightlifting gloves, etc. I'd prefer that one side pocket be mesh to carry a water bottle, but they are still nice. As far as straps are concerned, the Operator has tie-down straps inside the main compartment and cinch straps on the outside to keep the bag tight when it's not full. I had to laugh when I put on the waist strap. It's huge. I'm guessing it would accommodate a 54" waist with a jacket on. I'll be cutting off the excess. The water protector flap over the zippers is still really stiff and makes the zippers hard to operate. I assume the material will soften up with use. It if doesn't, this would be major flaw. I'm guessing The Operators bag is $53 + shipping and tax. LA Police Gear routinely gives 5, 10, and 15% discounts. I got tired of waiting and bought it with a 10% discount.

UPDATE I've been using this bag 3x/week for the past month. It's held up fine so far. I discovered that to access stuff in the bottom of the backpack without gear falling out, I had to lay it down and open it like a suitcase. Or if I knew where the item was, I could unzip the bag just in that spot. Now that I know how to do it, it's not a problem. It's way easier to access gear in the bottom of the backpack than my old LAPG Atlas 24 backpack. The stiffness of the zipper has resolved with time so it's no longer a concern. It's comfortable to wear with 12 pounds. I have no need for more weight so I can't comment on how it would work with 50 pounds of gear. I still wish it had a mesh side pocket on one side to carry a water bottle. That said, I use both side pockets. Since they have zippers, I don't have to worry about stuff falling out. I like it far better than the LAPG Atlas 24, which was my previous gym bag and cost about the same.

Chris Thank you for the update. I think you're right, the new law has made it easier to acquire the carry permit so an extensive background might be in order. I'm retired military and totally agree with this new procedure. So, a few more weeks it is. Again, I really appreciate the information.

Change state law so that this 'enhanced' permit is an actual enhanced permit so that we do not have to leave our gun in a car at places where it is now illegal to carry. It is difficult for a gun to be stolen when it is concealed on someone instead of left in a car.

My question is how much money did they spend to do this instead of just pulling the 2 pins and separating the upper and lower? Put something on the upper to retain the BCG and CH that can be removed easily. Such as this $10 device: https://rcsgear.com/topstop-ar-upper-receiver-cover/ People even make one for the lower https://www.shapeways.com/product/2K8V9VN28/ar15-lower-receiver-dust-cover-with-mag-rel-pin @Defender Never used them, but this is not expensive. Not as good as a box, but 1/4 the price. Looks like you get a vehicle kit to match what you have. https://arma15.com/products

I’m amazed at what I’m reading here, because of who it is coming from. That any gun owner would think I should be arrested because my car was burglarized. Or that I am irresponsible because I put my gun out of sight and lock my vehicle. But those of you concerned about your homes may be right. If they think it’s your responsibility to make your car a fortress, the next logical step is your house. According to at least one that is especially true if you happen to live in an area with a lot of burglaries.

I’m sorry (not really sorry) but the irresponsible actions of one, do not excuse, nor are they equivalent to, the malicious actions of another. Is it irresponsible to leave a firearm in an unlocked vehicle? No doubt. But in no way is it acceptable to criminalize a victim of a crime because they didn’t “take sufficient measures” to prevent the criminal actions of others. It’s just damn ridiculous to view making the victim of a crime a criminal as an acceptable solution to the problem of criminal behavior from folks acting with true criminal intent.

Why should one whose personal property is stolen be subject to any liability? While leaving firearms unsecured is generally not an entirely acceptable thing, you are indicating that even though the gun is no longer in one’s possession or control they should bear some responsibility for the act of a criminal after the theft of said property. The idea is ludicrous and such inane laws are already becoming the norm in many states and municipalities. Here’s just one of a thousand hypotheticals: What If I run run out to the store and forget to lock the door of my house. Someone invites themselves in, gets into the liquor cabinet, falls down the steps and breaks their neck, am I responsible for that? What If they take an axe from the garage and kills someone with it? Is that my fault?

Believe me Dave, I agree with you 100% when it comes to metro not doing anywhere near enough to curb the gun thefts in Metro considering the 700 plus guns are just in Nashville area according to the news. They know they have a problem and have done nothing to address the issue. They know what areas are targeted the most so place some unmarked cars with officers in those areas and catch these kids checking vehicles doors to see if they are unlocked would be a good start. If you catch them before they can steal a gun good but if you catch them with a gun then put them in jail till Momma can come and bail them out which happens all to often also. If my son was caught doing that he would sit it out in jail till court day. They have made a decision that two of the kids that killed that singer will be tried in adult court. I think all of them involved should be tried in Adult court. They need to quit treating these kids with a slap on the wrist for committing adult crimes. They say that the kids are not really aware of what they are doing is wrong. That is a crock!! They know right from wrong long before they reach teenagers and many of them have been caught several times so they know its wrong but the slap on the wrist doesn't teach them anything except if that is all I'm going to get I will do it again......JMHO

Sort of a joke, but...Soon we are going to be told that if a firearm is stolen in a home burglary... We will be liable for that! Didn't secure it from home theft.

As a former Police Officer, I get mad every time I see this topic come up. You can’t make a person a criminal because they are a victim of a burglary. Metro PD needs to get off their lazy azz and go do the job they get paid to do. The Chief of Police where I was would have laughed at this and the told those planning it “You can’t be serious”. I keep a handgun in my car and am planning on having a rifle. My vehicle is always locked; even when parked inside, in my garage. If a gun is stolen from my vehicle in a burglary and then discovered on a criminal that has just committed a crime, what do you think the criminal is going to say when asked if the vehicle was locked? Then a DA can make a name for himself by going after the terrible citizen that left his car “unlocked” with a gun in it. This is BS. Rant off.

Great news of the new baby, hope and pray all will be well with new daughter and your physical problems. Was dismounting a tractor a coupe of weeks ago and thought my foot was on the bottom step, actually on the next to bottom and did that long step fall, had to do the drop and roll but came up laughing because how easy it is to miscalculate something you have done thousands of times, at 73 could have been bad.

Congrats on the new daughter, David.

@Capbyrd & @DaveTN my apologies, I took your use of MSR out of context and thought you were referring to Remington’s MSR rifle, which stands for Modular Sniper Rifle. Makes allot more sense now with the proper context, and I agree with you about the other MSR meaning. It is essentially elements of the gun industry trying to take a PC approach to a topic that we don’t need to church up and make it out to be something its not. Again, sorry for my confusion and thank you for your clarification.

That goober resurrecting that for sale ad from 4 years ago piqued my curiousity….I see why he was wanting to jump on one of these ol turds (yes yes they aren't junk but theres a reason nobody bought them)...discontinuation makes the heart grow fonder lol. https://www.gunbroker.com/item/857075869 for those that don't click $3300 rang the bell for this used model with no description.

M29 Davy Crockett Atomic Rifle

Only if you can save the world Untitled by Johnny Rotten, on Flickr

Probably for the first tests to Mars they would.

Never left the window down, but gone are the days of a gun rack in the back window of a pick-up.

"TOH-GA! TOH-GA! TOH-GA!" "WE'RE GOING STREAKING!!!"

Let me add my congratulation on the increasing family, David. Also commiserating with you on the knee pains. I've had both knees replaced in the last 16 months. both surgeries went well. Until...the day I finished PT on the second one, the right knee. I came home and somehow managed to fall off the single step on my porch, corkscrewing to my right and bouncing my butt off a huge commercial ceramic flower pot before hitting the ground. You should have seen the monster bruises I got from it! During this I managed to twist my new knee under my butt and fall on it. Nothing hurt until I tried to get up. Then it did. Terribly and violently. Orthopedist said no physical/organic damage that he could see, but I'd strained all the tendons and ligaments he'd just worked so hard to get back into place. Essentially, I'd taken myself back to day one and I've started over. So it's better. lol I'm slow and limping, but getting better. My prayers for you and your family, and of course your recovery. Rest well knowing your other little child, TGO, is in our fine hands and we won't intentionally "fubar" it too much. Maybe.