Bassoneer

Never thought I would own a Glock.  I'm a "revolver guy".  Disliked all semi-autos since I had jamming problems with Colt, Springfield, Sig, two 1911's...just a "revolver guy" because they are dependable and I don't like worrying about whether the gun will fire when I need it.  But for some odd reason I got to thinking I wanted a Glock (crazy, I know) and so I started doing my research.  I had shot a few Glocks in the past, all of the .40's including the 35, but I really was intrigued by the 9mm ballistics because they appeared to be better than the .38 +P I was carrying around in my little 5-round revolver.  Well, after some research, I purchased a Glock 19, Generation 4.  Still skeptical, I went to TAC in Knoxville and put 220 rounds downrange without any issues other than a blister on the top of my thumb.  The gun was flawless in every way.  My problem may have been that I installed the biggest backstrap and beavertail on the gun and it caused me to rotate my hand around to reach the trigger, and the recoil slammed the beavertail down into the bone/knuckle on top of my thumb.  So, now I have removed the backstrap and I'm going to bare Gen 4 (which may be smaller than even the Gen 3?).  Anyway, the gun works.  The person at PDO in Knoxville where I purchased it said it would be pretty much jam free because it was a Glock.  So, I now have a leather holster (DeSantis) and I'm planning on carrying the Glock 19.  Not much bigger than the revolvers and it holds 15 rounds...and the Speer Gold Dot 124 grain +P has about 410 ft-kb of energy.  I'm thinking I may like this setup.  I'm not 100% ready to say I'm now a Glock person, but maybe I can be a "revolver + Glock" person.   Best Wishes, B

My wife and I live in a subdivision but have 11 acres in Anderson County, mostly wooded.  We may build out there one of these days but for now I like making trails and have been making some general improvements.  I never used a chainsaw growing up but have slowly learned how to handle them.  I have a Stihl 290 farm boss and a 170 (the smallest one they make).  I cut a lot of limbs and deadfall with the little one...it is actually my favorite because it is light.  I also have a 3-foot Fiskars axe, but my 17-year old son is much better with it than I am.  I love going out in the woods and working, but you guys are very impressive.  I'm much too old and fat to climb a tree!  Best wishes!  B

Mother's Mag Polish, an old T-shirt and lots of elbow grease.  Two or three evenings working while watching TV and you'll have a masterpiece!

Done

I don't wear boots much, but go on construction sites from time to time.  I bought a pair of RedWing boots about 25 years ago and still wear them when needed.  They come with various types of soles and with/without steel toes.  Mine don't have steel toes and have a slick sole, but that's not very good for working out on my property as I slide around.  I've been meaning to pick up a pair with some good tread on them, but overall I have been extremely happy with the RedWings.  They have been extremely comfortable.  Don't know how long they would last if worn every day, but I have a feeling they are one of the better boots - a little pricey too, but worth it in my opinion.  I believe you're supposed to oil them down once a year, but I have not done so and they are still in great shape.  You can also pick up some inserts to better match the shape of your feet and try them on with the boots - it may help your back also.  Best wishes, B

I stepped on a next of yellow jackets in the Smokies when I was a little boy...stung 12 or 13 times and still hate those things.  Good luck on your mission - let us know how it turns out.  B

Found these grips on e-bay for around $40...don't know what kind of wood they are, but looks sort of like the Cocabola Ahrends on one of my other guns. The seller's name is Jauwan and it took 2 to 3 weeks for them to get from Bangkok, Thailand to Knoxville, TN USA. Anyway, this guy must have some modern machinery because they fit perfectly on the Ruger frame. The round butt keeps the 3" GP100 in a good shape for carry, but these things wrap around the backstrap and fit my big paws very nicely. If you are looking for some nice grips that don't cost a fortune, look at this guy's stuff on e-bay...I think he did a good job on them. Best wishes, B

Hands down my favorite is S&W 686-4P with an extra round (7) with 4" barrel and Ahrends cocabola combat grips.  Reliable, deadly accurate, ergonomic, beautiful, durable, and oh yeah...reliable.  I also like Ruger GP100 with a 3" barrel, S&W 642 (for EDC), and basically almost any revolver without an internal lock.  But 686 is the best for my preferences.  Best wishes, B

When "Red" was at Gander Mountain he worked on one of my pistols and I was unhappy with the results.     However, "Bob" at Predator is a master gunsmith with training and experience and has done extremely nice work on a couple of S&W revolvers for me.  Go to "Bob" at Predators.  Best wishes, B 

I got a Stihl Farm Boss a couple of years ago and it is great - 20" bar.  Great for cutting trees.  However, it gets heavy if you're just cutting branches and dismantling the trees that you cut down.  For that, I bought the smallest Stihl (like a 170 or something) and it was less than $200.  It has a 16" bar and would have a hard time with a big tree, but does great with small stuff and is a lot lighter.  So, my advice would be to get a couple of chain saws (maybe not all at the same time).  A good size one to cut the big stuff and a baby one to cut the little branches - I spend a lot more time cutting branches once the big cuts have been made.  Best wishes, B

Thanks for the responses...I agree, I have just ignored the red letter signs and only look for correct postings.  If a place is correctly posted I try to respect that and go somewhere else.

I have been in several places that have outdated signs...you know the ones that say it is a crime to carry a weapon where alcohol is sold.  They are normally about 8.5" x 11" and printed in red letters and they hang over a lot of bars.  I have seen them in Walgreens near the cashier, and at Puleo's Grill and numerous other places.  There are no postings on the door that say guns are not allowed.  Only this outdated sign for a law that no longer exists in Tennessee.  When I pass through the entrance of an establishment and see no signs prohibiting guns, what am I to think when I see an illogical/outdated/meaningless sign like this?  Do I turn around and leave, or do I ignore it because it no longer has meaning?  Thoughts?   Best wishes, B

You're right, those are very reasonable prices.  However, I tried putting some of that ammo in my shopping cart for purchase and it says "out of stock".  It is really tough to find ammo in stock.  Best wishes, B

22 cents per round is cheap even for surplus ammo like this.  It's the lowest price shown on gunbot.net for all 7.62 x 54R.  So, if you're going to shoot the Mosin anytime soon, that's the best you're gonna do.  I hope prices come down, but I don't expect it to happen anytime soon.  So, I stand by what I said...if you want the lowest price available right now for Mosin ammo, AmmoToGo has a spam can of 440 rounds for $94.95.  Best Wishes, B

Mosins are awesome!  I noticed AmmoToGo has 440 rounds in a can for less than $100...inexpensive guns and ammo, which is rare these days.  I love shooting mine, Best Wishes, B

Did Academy have any more of them in stock?  Is that a safety on the side?  Best Wishes, B

My wife has a P238 that we got at Academy for $499.  We got an extra mag and went through several types of ammo to find the one that works best.  She loves it...just got her permit two days ago and she carried it yesterday for the first time (cocked and locked).  Best wishes, B

If I'm going to Walmart in the middle of the day, I don't feel bad about carrying a 5-shot revolver.  If I'm going on patrol in a war zone at dusk that's another situation...one I hope I never find myself in.  For those situations, and for police I would probably choose a rifle or a shotgun or something with a high capacity back-up semi-auto pistol.  But if I pay attention to where I'm at, and don't get myself into bad situations, then I am not planning for war...I'm planning to defend myself against a thug at a gas station.  So, it honestly depends on your situation, time, where you are, who you're with and what you're doing.  Best wishes, B

I got one for my F150 at Tractor Supply.  It is deep, single lid, and is painted flat black...it actually looks awesome with my deep blue F150.  I can open the single lid from either side and it locks from the driver's side with a key.  Simple to install and bolt down with J-hooks to the side rails.  I don't remember how much it cost, but probably $200-$300.  I've had it for almost a year now and it still looks new...and it is packed full of stuff (tools, axe, hard hat, jumper cables, etc).  Best wishes, B

Poor_Dog...the gun wasn't hot.  Just loaded a few hollow points and it would not feed into the chamber without a lot of fidgeting and taps/racks/etc.  It repeated the same behavior multiple times, so it wasn't a matter of the gun being hot or cool.  

Nice gun.  I just got my wife the same gun a few weeks ago.  First time out we shot 50 perfect Remington UMC roundball through it without issue - mostly my wife shooting.  I'm not sure we ever filled the magazine all the way (we have the 7 round, but she was putting 5 and 6 rounds in it).  Second time out we tried Critical Defense and Speer Gold Dots...each time it would fail to feed the first round, so I assumed it did not like hollow points.  Since then I gave it a good cleaning and have read that we should not just "drop" the slide (by releasing the slide stop) to chamber the first round, but we should actually pull the slide back (even though it is just a little bit) to get a slight increase in force to push the first round into the chamber.  Has anybody else experienced this or is it unique to us?  Happened to me, my son and my wife.  The gun fits her well and she is ready to take her permit class in early March...would like to have resolution on this before she goes to class, and certainly before she carries.  Thanks, B

I had a bad canoe experience also, but it would take too long to write.  Let's just say fat guys shouldn't be in canoes because they turn over, and your kid gets dunked, and his happy meal goes all over the cove with thousands of french fries covering the water.  Was a day we will always remember...funny now, but not then :)  B

Holly, our blue female doberman at about 15 months old Axl, our male black and rust doberman at about 7 months old Axl and Holly running together. They are biological siblings but from different litters. Holly is just a little bigger still, but Axl will pass her up. They play rough with each other when they are awake, but they also like plenty of sleep time. They are great dogs. Here's a little older photo of Axl and Holly looking at the camera together. They are best buds. B

Got 2...going on truck and a box I use to carry guns to the range...

Awesome!! I like the last one also. B