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I was fortunate to, yes. Hal Rugg, the steel player that usually did their material had double booked himself and asked me if I could cover a TV show with them for him. Hal was the only steel player that could read legit music. Bill Walker was the arranger on the show, and I knew he'd have exact parts written out. I said to Hal that I didn't read. He said not to worry, Bill would have it taken care of. So I went to do the show. Bill was a dear friend of my Dad, too. When I got there, Bill came up to me and said, "So you're Tex's boy? Great to meet you, Mike! Here's your book." I said, "Bill, I don't read." He just winked at me and told me to open the book. I did, and on the sheet music in the spots where I was supposed to play, it was marked "steel fill here." Bill was fantastic, and it went off without a hitch.

Wife: Did I get fat during quarantine? Husband: You were never really that thin. Time of death: 4/26/20 18:30 EST Cause of death: Corona virus

Nashville Farmers Market (currently doing drive thru services) has some great vendors that sell some high quality meat. Bit higher in price as you mention, and I can see them having a limited supply, but they're great to do business with.

I'll second whats already been said. Faulty ring. On the bright side it failed as designed. The ring gave way and nothing else. Being the softest piece in that area I would be surprised if there was any meaningful damage.

I thought I'd throw this in here just as a FYI. As most of you know, I'm a tried and true 1911 addict. I've got a bunch of 'em. However, I only own one double stack. A Para-Ordnance SF-45A. Honestly, I'm not real fond of it as a shooter. Oh, it shoots very well. But, the double stack grip just feels wrong. But it is special to me in other ways. Back in 2009-10 Para special made these and only offered them to active duty military serving in the sandbox. For what it is, the price was amazing. My son was serving in Iraq at the time and bought two. He kept one and gave the other to me. So, while it may not be my favorite 1911, I'll never sell it either. N0, they decided not to got for all the bells and whistles with the unit markings as these drove the price up. But the patch for 278th Armored Calvary of the Tennessee National Guard is on the left side. Sorry, no pic.

Man I would so like to hear hours and hours of your stories...and some of the tunes you played on. As I was listening to literally several hours of The Statlers u-tube clips last night, I ran across Lew's short comments about his life and how he felt sort of unfulfilled by his work as he tried to do some solo recordings. That was both sad and telling of a man who made millions happy with his guitar and voice. That just got me thinking on my life and accomplishments, or lack thereof, and you come to mind. I know it probably wasn't easy or pretty all the time, but I'm sure a bit envious of your life in the music business. I've absolutely loved music all my life. Pretty much all types. From Jimmy Rogers, and Little Jimmy Dickens; to Meatloaf and Al Stewart. Bluegrass to hardcore rock. Even some of the 80s and 90s music. lol And much to the wife's amazement at times...show tunes to classical. She will listen to about anything I play, but really draws the line at any "metal," which is a real shame. I have to either send her away or go to the car to listen to early Deep Purple and Uriah Heap. Nothing quite like Smoke on the Water and Demons and Wizards played back to back. She goes for the ear plugs then. I just never made the time, nor had the drive to sit and learn to play anything. Loved the piano and stand up bass, steel and acoustic guitar, and of all things...the saxophone. Plus the bagpipes! Ok, just wasting your time. Just in a mood.

An inexpensive low power scope would make a lot of difference when your trying to thread those shots through the leaves.

Yet he’s holding one right now. He’s not going to give up the free publicity in an election year.

The Rock Island Arsenal just added this info about the 1918 Spanish Influenza. Based on what we have today, its very interesting. Also, plenty of interesting military firearms stuff on their web site. https://www.arsenalhistoricalsociety.org/blog.php Quad City Times article on the 1918 flu. As I was reading it, I found myself checking to see if they were talking about today or 100 years ago. https://qctimes.com/news/102-years-ago-the-spanish-flu-slammed-the-quad-cities-heres-what-it-teaches-us/article_d81c84ac-715d-527f-af26-c1d96ac35904.html

Yeah Dad's photo skills leave a lot to be desired. I get lots of videos of their mutt dog riding the skate board belonging to the kids across the street. I am more interested in what this is than he is. So I doubt I will get any more pics or anything. Think he really just made it to cover up how bad his foot is doing.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/alito-dissent-gun-supreme-court The Supreme Court on Monday refused to decide on the constitutionality of a controversial New York City gun law that has since changed, ruling in an unsigned opinion that the case is now "moot" because of the changes in the law. The court's move to even hear the gun rights case despite a perceived procedural issue previously drew veiled threats from Democratic senators who filed a brief in the case, saying "[t]he Supreme Court is not well. And the people know it. Perhaps the Court can heal itself before the public demands it be 'restructured in order to reduce the influence of politics.'" The statute in question initially restricted the transportation of firearms outside city limits -- even when licensed, locked and unloaded. The city's statute was later amended after the Supreme Court agreed to review it and New York state passed a law overruling the original version of the city's law. The court heard arguments over the original measure anyway. "After we granted certiorari, the State of New York amended its firearm licensing statute, and the City amended the rule so that petitioners may now transport firearms to a second home or shooting range outside of the city, which is the precise relief that petitioners requested in the prayer for relief in their complaint," the unsigned opinion read. "Petitioners’ claim for declaratory and injunctive relief with respect to the City’s old rule is therefore moot," it continued. The Supreme Court sent the case back down to lower courts for undefined further action. But Justice Samuel Alito issued a lengthy dissent in which he not only disputed whether the case is moot, but tore into the original New York City law as clearly unconstitutional. Alito argued that the New York gun owners who sued over the original law didn't get "all the prospective relief they seek" because there was still a lack of clarity in the new version of the law on what travel restrictions actually apply to gun owners. Gun owners under the new law are told they have to bring their guns directly between their homes and gun ranges they wish to practice at with only "reasonably necessary" stops. "But the meaning of a 'reasonably necessary' stop is hardly clear," Alito wrote. "What about a stop to buy groceries just before coming home? Or a stop to pick up a friend who also wants to practice at a range outside the City? Or a quick visit to a sick relative or friend who lives near a range? The City does not know the answer to such questions." Alito also noted that if the Supreme Court ruled the original law was unconstitutional, then the gun owners on the case could seek damages from the city for the violation of their rights. On the actual merits of New York City's now-replaced law, Alito made clear he thinks it violates the Second Amendment. "This is not a close question," he wrote. "If history is not sufficient to show that the New York City ordinance is unconstitutional, any doubt is dispelled by the weakness of the City’s showing that its travel restriction significantly promoted public safety. Although the courts below claimed to apply heightened scrutiny, there was nothing heightened about what they did," Alito said. Alito continued, scolding the city over its arguments. "In sum, the City’s travel restriction burdened the very right recognized in Heller," Alito said, referring to the landmark gun rights case. "History provides no support for a restriction of this type. The City’s public safety arguments were weak on their face, were not substantiated in any way, and were accepted below with no serious probing. And once we granted review in this case, the City’s public safety concerns evaporated." Alito's dissent was joined in its entirety by Justice Neil Gorsuch and in part by Justice Clarence Thomas. Justice Brett Kavanaugh issued his own opinion, straddling the fence between the unsigned opinion that refused to rule on the merits of the New York City law while also agreeing with Alito that lower courts are not sufficiently protecting the Second Amendment. "I agree with the per curiam opinion’s resolution of the procedural issues before us—namely, that petitioners’ claim for injunctive relief against New York City’s old rule is moot," Kavanaugh wrote. "And I share JUSTICE ALITO’s concern that some federal and state courts may not be properly applying Heller and McDonald. The Court should address that issue soon, perhaps in one of the several Second Amendment cases with petitions for certiorari now pending before the Court." While the case is a defeat for gun rights advocates, there may be a silver lining for those who wish to see the Supreme Court reinforce Second Amendment rights in the near future. With Kavanaugh, Alito, Thomas and Gorsuch all putting their names on opinions raising concerns about infringement of gun rights, there appears to be a large enough contingent of justices with a desire to boost such rights to force the court to hear future cases on the issue -- likely without the messy procedural issues in the New York case. The Supreme Court agrees to hear cases under the "rule of four," meaning that if just four justices want the court to accept a case, the court will hear it. The dissenting and concurring opinions from conservative justices got the attention of at least one gun-control group. "We remain concerned that a number of Justices appear to have an appetite to expand gun rights at the risk of Americans’ rights to enact the gun laws they want and need," Brady United President Kris Brown said in a statement. "Brady remains determined and vigilant in our fight for Americans’ right to live, and self-determination on public safety issues, a fight which is far from over." But other gun-control advocates saw the case as a victory, pure and simple. "Today’s decision to dismiss the case as moot is a victory for the rule of law and common-sense, constitutional gun safety laws. It’s yet another loss for an NRA and gun lobby that are in disarray and at odds with the majority of Americans who want the government to keep them safe," Hannah Shearer, the litigation director at the Giffords Law Center, said in a statement. "This case is not moot," Alito concluded. "The City violated petitioners’ Second Amendment right, and we should so hold."

Obviously quality pictures are as important in identifying trees as they are in identifying or selling guns.

You get props for the use of a $50 word today!

A friend of mine relayed to me a story of having dinner with the Col. at SHOT Show in 01. When asked his thoughts on the ACOG he said that if it continued to hold up in combat usage that it would be a passable optic. So I think that he would have approved of the LPVO on the scout rifle as it seems he wasn’t the luddite that some would portray him to be.

I remember those DEA rifles those were the coolest when I first got into ARs

Bad material or bad fit? Check everything out and replace if it is good to go. Never seen anything like that but my experience is with the M-16 family.

Rock River Arms DEA rifle, I miss this one my first AR

Not sure where I got this from so it may have been here. Just found it on my desktop and it bares repeating. Showed it to my wife and she sent it to her cousin who forwarded it to her all ladies shooting club.

Passed my General and Amateur Extra upgrades on HAM license.

You are kosher in all of those states for the kit you have outlined. I'm a truck driver and I’m in all of those states regularly. I’ve researched the weapons laws to know where I’m legally ok and not.

You get in a shootout out there in those western states and those boys will be using serious firepower. You will probably want a scoped AR10 for a rifle. But this just a free bump, I have no idea if any of those states are going to throw you in jail for what you are carrying. I guess like most everywhere, it depends on how what you are carrying becomes an issue. have a safe trip!

Me as well, 1st time since I have been trying for a few days.

Current events will have more impact on this issue than who is in office at the time. All its gonna take is for a tear jerker of a story involving a brace and they are on the chopping block.

Personally I’m an Infinity fanboy. Sandy Strayer, the founder, was one of the co-inventors of the 2011 in 1994 along with Virgil and Fred Tripp, and Chip McCormick was mixed in as well. Infinity makes every gun to order and they have several innovations they have patented that they incorporate into their guns. They also make all their parts in-house from pins to barrels and spare no expense doing it. STI makes a good version too. STI has changed hands several times since Strayer and Tripp started it, but they are still turning out good stuff. What they make is basically a high priced production model and not something I would put at true semi custom level. Everything other than Infinity or STI is a clone, as far as I’m concerned... but there are some good ones being built.

We’ve been very fortunate on that front. I believe the membership of this place is to thank for that.

Just a friendly regular reminder that time spent training with people like @Cruel Hand Luke who know what they’re doing is really worth it. Spending a day or two with some good folks, working on *correct* execution of drills you can bring home with you, and getting to put some rounds down range load testing your actual carry setup is so worth it. Really. Seriously. If you’ve never done it, take a defensive pistol course from a knowledgeable instructor. Randy is a great instructor, and we’re so thankful to have him on TGO. But he’s also a professional who has suggested good trainers in other areas to a whole bunch of folks over the years. Get some training. It’s worth it.

Yikes! I paid $89.00 each for both of these hex receiver Tula's a few years back. And both came with bayonets and all of the accessories. In all but perfect condition.

Yeah, no telling. I remember when you could get them for less than 100 bucks a piece. I love'em because they're built like a tank. Russian tank!

This is a Brute. 1/4" thick 1084 steel about 10" OAL and a 5" blade. Headed for a custom leather sheath.

I mean more prevalent across the region not necessarily on his property. Sweet gum saplings don't always present with wings that big, winged elm typically has more of a two-sided wing versus all around, but what I've learned from 15 years as professional forester that trees don't always look like they're supposed to and can vary from site to site. Leaves would make it easy, until then we'll just have to go with a photo that was taken with what looks like a potato.

From my perspective, there’s not much, if any, exaggeration there. I haul a reefer trailer and these meat plants in the Midwest are some of our biggest customers. We refer to the area from Denver to Chicago and down to Kansas City as the meat patch. Normally this is an area my friends and I love to be in for loading. Over the last 6 weeks it has died. There’s no freight there. To give an example of that supply chain interruption, IPB is a Tyson company. I will normally bring in large loads of beef from Iowa and Kansas to the IBP plant in Goodlettesville where it is finished and packaged for store DCs all through TN and surrounding states. Those loads aren’t happening like they used to. I don’t know how it’s affecting supplies in the area yet, but there’s no doubt in my mind that it’s going to at some point soon. I’d suggest looking to the way your grand, or even great-grandparents did things. (Assuming they didn’t raise their own here.) Find yourself an actual butcher who locally sources his supply and become a customer and make friends. It won’t be Walmart prices, but it’ll fresher and cleaner meat that you might be able to get when the that same Walmart has empty shelves.