The Man

Does anyone know of where LEOSA  (HR 218) classes  in Loudon County or near there,  for active/retired law enforcement to carry concealed across all 50 State lines.  Thanks.   

Anxious??  Nope. It just like having my wallet & keys with me. If you're confident in firing  the weapon , you'll be confident in wearing it.  I do worry on occasion if my zipper is unzipped.  :rofl: 

I've carried a weapon for over 44 years now. Always kept it concealed. I agree with the thought that if you carry open, it would seem to be a  logical reason to have a holster that holds your weapon securely.  Myself, I don't think it's wise to carry open. Why advertise??    I also feel that there are folks around that may feel uncomfortable with some one carrying a firearm.  Why get them upset.  Not that I really care how they feel about guns.   How about those situations where a Police Officer may  approach you and inquire  about the exposed weapon.  The Officer is probably responding to a complaint and he's only acting in response to the complaint.   I know, there are those who enjoy going toe to toe with a PO in their legality to carry open and posting it on You tube.   Some folks get their kicks that way, I guess. Me, as I stated before, I prefer to carry concealed in a secured holster. No one knows what's in my belt under the shirt and that's just the way I like it.

I usually carry my Shield 9mm in my pocket but it's a bit heavier than my J-frame Ultra Light Taurus .38+P.  When I'm traveling on the road, I carry the .38. I load it with my self defense +P hollow points , I think they'll pack a wallop if needed. It's a lot more comfortable for me also.. I really like them both for pocket carry. Just depends where & when I carry one. :hat:

 I'd say you did fine.  I also think you'll like the Shield.  Ya can't go wrong getting  the laser either. I love my laser equipped Shield 9mm. :biglol:

I  have been using WIN231 , 4.4 powder load for 115 gr LRN.  Strictly 'plinking' with my S&W Shield 9mm.  Great results. I recently found a listing for Unique on 115 gr LRN 4.5 to start ~~Max 5.0   and    115 gr Jacketed bullet @ 4.5  to 5.5 max.  Win 231 has been pretty clean. I'll try Unique, since the WIN 231 has been so hard to find , and I have 3 jugs of Unique that I've been using for my .38's.       

I'm having a love affair with my 9 mm Shield.  Easy carry in the pocket, easy break down for cleaning.  Shoots nice. ;) 

I love my 9mm Shield.  Easy carry in the pocket. It's my carry weapon. Easy to break down and clean.  The 8 rd mag gives you a good defensive firearm. I've carried for over 40 years and my opinion is the Shield is my favorite.   :up: 

I'd check out their web site if you can't find them in stores.

I'm glad I'm not alone on my decision. I love the way my Shield fires. Of course, the guy behind it has a lot to do with it too.  The recoil is easy to take and with my Crimson Trace Laser, it's amazingly accurate. It breaks down very easily and is a sweetheart to clean.  

Good qquesti Good question~~ I used to carry a Walthers PPK stainless .380 as a CCW for many years. It was heavy and I did have a jamming problem. I eventually found that the Mag spring had lost it spring tension. I lost faith in it as a CCW and decided to go a little lighter and being a ;wheel man; from way back, moved over to a Taurus Ultra Lite 5 rd mdl 85 loaded with +P hollow point defense ammo. GREAT gun for pocket carry and basically jam proof.. Carried it for about 5 years but I felt that I was under gunned by 3-4 rds, I recently became aware that 'everyone and their Uncle' were carrying 9 mm's , when I started to do more & more gun range shooting. Empty 9 mm brass all over the place. It got me thinking if the good guys are carrying 9's , what are the bad guys carrying. Now the .38 has been around a long time and is an excellent handgun in my opinion, but still 5 rds vs 10 rds or more~~~well I decided to explore the world of 9's. I decided on a S&W M&P Shield in 9 mm. It's about as heavy as my .380 and has the same mag capacity (7rds) and 1 in the tube for 8 rds but I believe it has much better stopping power than the .380. I feel that I've come full circle with carry handguns and will stick with the Shield for a CCW. Just my opinion. So, I'd suggest that if you're looking at a .380, take a little bigger step up and go for a 'Shield ' type handgun in 9 mm. I don't think you'd feel sorry with that decision.

I'll answer this way. It's not how many I keep stocked~~~, it's how low do I let the bullets & primers get. When it get's to 1000 bullets & primers, I start looking to order a few thousand more of everything.  

I will always write a letter to the business stating that as a legal firearm owner for over 40 years & plus a retired PO , I will not do business with them , since they have a sign stating NO GUNS ALLOWED.  I mention  that if the State considers me to be capable of carrying a firearm , then I should be trusted to enter their place of business with a concealed firearm.The letter is not a nasty gram, just a polite letter.  They have a right to deny me entrance but I too have a right to take my business else where. I always include the  question,' Do you really think the stickup person is going to obey your sign as a legal gun owner will???'   Who would they prefer, a legal firearm owner looking to purchase an item or a stickup person looking to make a withdrawal????. Both have firearms but only one has evil intent............. I'll also state, that I belong to a large organisation called the NRA and I' will mention  the business's narrow mindedness to ALL my firearm friends. In finishing  I'll also write,~~ I don't need them, they need me to stay in business.  There's ALWAYS another store, down the road apiece.    

I find that if I chamber a rd from the 8 rd mag and then replace the rd and try to put the mag back in, it does not seat properly.So I  end up with  8 rds.  If I put the full 7 rd mag in with a rd chambered, It will not seat properly , Then I have 7 rds.. Anyone else have that situation? I don't want to jam it in. Weird!   

I maintain a 9 mm Shield with the 1 rd in the tube with a full 7 rd mag.and  next to it, a 8 rd mag with JHP. The wife has a S&W mdl 10 with 6 rds .in her night table.  We've discussed various tactics that would be applied if there ever came a time with intruders attempting to or have entered the home at night. I'm not that brave to attempt going down to the lower level to find the bad guy. The advantage is on their side. We feel that using the advantage of surprise is better. The bad guys would be surprised when they enter the stairway . If all goes well, they'll never reach the 2nd fl level. 

I received this notice from a friend of mine. If it opens too small, double click it.   http://imageshack.us/f/15/dxfb.jpg/

http://www.youtube.com/embed/jsQWGS-P9Pk?rel=0

There is a problem on some Shields manufactured before August 23rd. A simple test will determine if your's has the problem. This a video from the S&W website.  http://www.youtube.com/embed/jsQWGS-P9Pk?rel=0

There is a recall on all M&P SHIELDS.  Here is the S&W web site video explaining what's the problem and how to test your SHIELD.  It's legit!   It's a  You Tune video but it's from the S&W web site. http://www.youtube.com/embed/jsQWGS-P9Pk?rel=0

I believe that the present Presidential Admin is reaching out and telling these Big name stores to start reducing the availability of ammo to the public.  It's a known fact that there have been 'closed door' discussions with Gander Mountain, Wal-Marts and a few other CEO's at these meetings with VP Biden. Now,  suddenly, these 'Assault rounds' are disappearing and not being restocked. Once they're sold , that's it.  I know these rounds are 'hot' right now, maybe it's just a matter of resupplying. But when store managers are saying now, right after these closed door meetings in Wash DC that they 'Can't or won't order ' any more, something stinks in Washington DC.  I think a total war is being declared on gun owners and we've only seen the beginning. Anti-gunners have said for years, take away the ammo, or tax it so high that folks can't afford it. Then guns become useless. No guns~~No crime. In their minds, it's a" Sensible Gun Law'.  :eek:

I carry my Ultra-Light Taurus Mdl 85 .38 cal  everywhere for the last 4 years. Fits great in a  pocket holster, hardly know I have it.  I'm a confirmed wheel gun guy.

FLYBOY~~ As many have said here, READ,READ, watch U Tube movies, talk to other re loaders and WATCH them do it before you attempt to do it yourself.  Powders used in reloading,  vary with the weight of the bullet, style of firearm, etc etc. There is really no one powder fits all. Get yourself 2 or 3 Reloading books and compare the info with the caliber you're interested in reloading. It's down right dangerous attempting to reload rounds and fire them in your gun and walking away  in the same condition as when you started, when you don't know what you're doing.. You can do a lot of damage to your gun and you if you do it wrong. I'm always rechecking my powder weight and the other actions while reloading. You can't do it in a hurry. Good luck. Reloading is fun if it's done right.

I've been reloading .380 only recently. My 1st try at it , I used Unique, at a measured load of 2.8 g r n s.  I used a 95 LRN bullet. I had a couple of jams and one round actually made a fizzing noise and the bullet never made a 25' distance target. I went to 3.0 grns and had the same results.   I went back to my powder book and to a few forums  decided to try WIN231. It seemed to be the most recommended powder for .380    What a difference. I used a measured load of 3.0 grns  for 25 rds and another 25 rds at  3.1 Grns.  The MAX recommended was 3.2 Grns.  I also micro measured the length of the completed round to exactly .984   No jams with either load..  I have a Walthers PPK .  The rounds were into the black at 25 '.   It's important to use the right powder and the absolute correct powder load along with the correct finished length in semi-autos for the firearm to operate correctly.   Good luck

Welcome friend!

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