JAB

Personally, I don't see that rifle as being particularly 'ugly' for the type. Then, again, I can't say that I think any rifle with plastic furniture is 'pretty'. Don't get me wrong - I have nothing against such rifles but to me in order to be 'pretty' its going to have to have wood and blued (or sometimes stainless) steel. Sounds like a really nice rifle from the standpoint of using it, though.

Interesting. I would have thought that the current regs - stating that only ten people can be on the 'list' to hunt hogs on a particular property, etc. - would have stopped lodges from allowing such hunts. Glad that they haven't and I might have to check into something like that, myself, one of these days. I think I know where that lodge is - I think I have seen it on my way to the Mennonite settlement at Muddy Pond. I live close to Knoxville but head to Crossville periodically to hit the flea market and to go to the Muddy Pond General Store for spices and to hit up a couple of other places at Muddy Pond for the baked goods, etc.

And I have one crazy a$$ cousin in Georgia that hunts them with dogs and a big knife. As far as hog hunting goes, I kind of wanted to get into it myself at one point but then Tennessee basically decided that the best way to get rid of pest hogs was to make them a defacto protected species instead of the 'kill all you want, whenever you want' approach they took, before and that many, other states take. Sometimes I wonder where the 'braniacs' that come up with our hunting regulations came from and what the heck they have been smoking.

Did the cops at least let him take it to weigh in before they hauled it away? Sorry - I and my often dark sense of humor couldn't resist.

I agree with CZ9MM. She probably needs to face some kind of charges but I would think 'negligence' or some such - something less than manslaughter, anyhow - would be more appropriate. If I were on a jury I don't know that I would agree to convinct on manslaughter - at least not given the details that are currently available. Truthfully, I'd be largely tempted to give him a Darwin award (except it appears that he has already polluted the next generation of the gene pool), give her the assist and let it go. That said, in a society where a woman can be found guilty of manslaughter for her boyfriend's suicide - s u i c i d e - because she 'talked him into it' I guess we have to have someone to blame for Ruiz's stupidity other than Ruiz.

Okay, y'all, I wasn't on here a lot last week during the whole incident with the death of Otto Warmbier and the related discussion but I didn't see any thread about it so I started one to posit and idea I had. Paranoid idea? Maybe, but... Supposedly North Korea released him to return to the U.S. for 'humanitarian' reasons. Also, there was a pretty shaky explanation as to why he was in a coma in the first place. Finally, keep in mind Little Kim (Jong-Un's) insistence that he/North Korea is going to strike at the United States. My thoughts: 1. North Korea and Lil' Kim don't seem to even know what the word 'humanitarian' means much less how to act that way. Keep in mind this is a dude that had one of his top officials executed with anti-aircraft guns. More to the point, this is a guy who (or whose intelligence department) had his own half brother bumped off using a method straight out of a spy thriller and who used two (probably) completely innocent women to deliver the killing blow. Which brings me to the meat of my thought: 2. I think it is possible that there was nothing 'humanitarian' about the release and return of Otto Warmbier. I also think that North Korea probably knows exactly what put him in a coma because they likely created and administered whatever it was. In other words, I think that Otto Warmbier was being used by North Korea as a delivery system for a biological agent. I think he was intended to be 'patient zero' in a hoped for (by NK) outbreak/epidemic OR he was put in a coma with some kind of non-contagious means and used by NK as a test run to see how easily they might be able to get another, actually infected individual back into the U.S. Either way, the biological agent would likely be something newly developed by NK which they at least think would be undetectable until it is too late. Thoughts?

Thanks for the links but - as I suspected - no FEG mags on any of them. FEG was a Hungarian company and the SMC-380 is a Walther PPK copy so the mags and parts are a little difficult to find. Even Numrich doesn't have anything. The places I have found online want $40 for one, little six round magazine - kinda steep for a gun I rarely shoot. It is a good little pistol, though, so I wouldn't mind having a few. The ones at the gun show might be just as expensive but at least there I can inspect them before I buy and there won't be any shipping costs, etc.

Yep. That's what I thought when they were first caught and I am sticking with it.

Captured by a homeowner AND no 'blaze of glory' for these guys. Good. Also shows them to be cowards at heart. Sure, they could 'ambush' and murder corrections officers and they had no problem strutting around, threatening and tying up an elderly couple and holding them for three hours but when one guy with a gun gets the drop on them they just apparently give up and go quietly. I hope they not only receive fitting punishment for all the things they have done to escape and while on the run but that having their run end this way will turn any 'respect' fellow inmates might have had into disdain for having been captured in such a manner.

I kind of have 'tiers' of 'get home stuff', I suppose. When I had the medical issues (colostomy bag that was, eventually, reversed - thankfully) I had to carry supplies with me all the time. I also, in the beginning - due to surgical wounds - couldn't stand wearing any kind of pants except ones with loose, elastic waistbands and no belt. That meant not really carrying anything in my pockets, anyway. Because of this I got used to carrying an edc bag and by the time the immediate medical need ended, I had decided that I really liked doing so. For that reason I began trying out different edc bags and items. I have one of the 5.11 PUSH packs like peejman linked, above (mine is flat dark earth color) that I carried for about a year and liked but then decided to try the RUSH MOAB 6. That pack, paired with a Rothco (I think) bottle carrier is my current edc. It comes in to work with me every day and sits beside me at my desk. I really like it for that purpose although I must admit it is a bit much for carrying around on weekends when I am out and about with friends, etc. so it often stays in the truck rather than going with me on those occasions. In fact, I am thinking about setting the PUSH pack up as my 'weekend warrior' with a slightly different/more streamlined and stripped down list of supplies. I also have a SOG sling pack that stays in the truck. It has a few supplemental items and has room to toss a few other, slightly larger items I keep in the truck into. I don't have the sling pack full but, instead, am thinking that if I really had to go on foot I would put some or all of the contents of the RUSH pack into the sling pack. I actually used the sling pack as my edc before getting the PUSH pack but it is a little less convenient to carry and use on a daily basis than the PUSH or the RUSH, IMO. However, it would be easier to deal with and carry in a 'have to walk home and might take a couple of days' situation. The third tier is a clear, plastic tote/bin with a lid. In it I keep a few bottles of water, a couple of can's of Campbell's soup, a can of SPAM and a few, other things along with a Sterno folding stove and a few cans of fuel. These wouldn't be so much for taking with me as for in case - for some reason - I had to shelter in place with my vehicle for some time before I even could begin walking home or in case it is possible to get home in my vehicle but road conditions, etc. that I have to stop for extended periods of time or even in case I got stranded for some reason in a non SHTF event and had to hunker down for an extended period. I also keep a couple of Mountain House type meals in the truck that I would take with me if I had to abandon the vehicle. This is the RUSH pack as it sits at my desk: The small compartment made onto the strap - probably intended to hold an MP3 player, etc. but mine holds: Yeah, the paint on the Sabre can is a little beaten up but the spray is good until 2020 The bottle holder has: I don't keep the bottle full of water for weight purposes but if I had time before heading out of work, etc. I would fill it with potable water before leaving. I plan to eventually replace the bottle with a single walled stainless version but for now the cup could be used to boil water, if necessary. As shot of the contents of the small, rear compartment on the bag, itself: The usual - bank line, paracord, etc. Funny thing, the mini sewing kit might seem a little out of place but as this is also an edc bag the chances of me needing that are probably higher than needing a lot of the other stuff. Some more stuff in that compartment that isn't immediately visible in the above pic: The small, lightly padded sunglasses compartment holds, surprise - a cheap pair of sunglasses. But I keep them rolled up in a 100% cotton bandana to both help further protect the sunglasses and provide me with a cotton cloth if needed. The larger, middle compartment holds: Just a few of the things in there are soft leather work gloves, a headlamp, a lightweight backpacker's tarp, a super-compact umbrella and a very large, clear trash can liner. The mesh compartment holds a small Ozark Trail brand flashlight on which the end section slides up so that it can double as a small lantern (which is why it is in there) as well as a SAK, small measuring tape and sundry cables for cell phone, etc. There is a second, zippered compartment below the mesh compartment that holds a small, Band-Aid brand travel first aid kit that I have supplemented by adding a few OTC pain pills, etc. And finally the front compartment: Among its contents is a more 'tactical' flashlight - not high end, just a Bushnell but it works well, is bright enough for me, seems sturdily built and has a pretty mean strike bezel. You might notice I have multiple, small lights - as well as pretty much always carrying some type of small light on my keychain. Also in that compartment is a retractable honing steel, Gerber Suspension multitool (yeah, I know there are Gerber multitool haters but I like them pretty well), a couple of 'disposable' rain panchos (remember, this is also an edc bag), a small spray container of bug repellent, some liquid bandage, a comb, travel toothbrush, travel-sized toothpaste, pens, a small fire kit in an Altoids tin and maybe a few, sundry other things (this reminds me I need to replace the small pad of paper I had in there.) I do not use the concealed carry compartment on this bag as I can't carry at work and really am not a fan of off body carry, anyhow. When not at work and in a location where I can carry my primary handgun would be whatever I am carrying on me at the time. I may or may not have a handgun in a lockbox in my vehicle. While there are a few things that are included with a view to SHTF, etc. many of things in the bag - although it might seem a bit much for edc - have actually proven to be useful in daily activities. I try not to go too overboard but at the same time I am a fan of the old saw that it is better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

My most carried handgun is my S&W 642. I like the .38/.38+P cartridge. I like that it is a S&W. I like that it is a revolver. I like that it rides pretty well in a pocket holster in most of the pants I own. I did not like the hard to hang onto, exposed backstrap, palm beating, inaccuracy promoting (even at close ranges), follow-up shot destroying, sorry excuse for vestigial grips that came on it from the factory - so some time back I changed them out for a set of Pachmayr grips that are much easier to grip, much more comfortable and which make the gun much easier to shoot accurately, and ride just about as easily in my pocket. Now I am happy with it!

I haven't been to a gun show in...well, I can't remember exactly how many years but I'd say at least three or four. I have been thinking about going to one of the Knoxville Expo or Chilhowee Park ones specifically because there is a guy there who sells some hard-to-find magazines usually for a little cheaper than I have found online, especially when you factor in shipping. I would like to find a couple extra for my FEG SMC-380. It isn't a priority, though, because the one mag I have with it works fine and I rarely even shoot it - more just a 'if I have the gun I'd like to have extra mags' thing. Last time I checked he didn't have the SMC-380 but had the mags for the slightly larger 'brother' to the SMC and those mags will work in the SMC but will protrude a little from the mag well. Bonus, though, is that they hold an extra round or two over the SMC mags. There used to be a guy who was affiliated with a brick and mortar gun store who would come to the smaller show (Great American Gun and Knife Shows were the promoters) that were held at the National Guard Armory in Maryville. I used to really like going to that show but only because he was there. He would sell things that the store had acquired but didn't necessarily want to sell in the store. These were old but still serviceable guns that were nothing special but were good shooters/user guns and many were priced at under $100. I actually bought several from him over the course of a few, different shows. Those are the kinds of things I like coming across at gun shows. If I am going to spend several hundred dollars on a gun I want to go to an LGS where I will have a good, solid point of contact after the sale, just in case.

There probably was some special ammunition. At the same time, unless I am mistaken one of her most famous trick shots was that Butler would hold a cigarette in his mouth and Annie would turn her back to him, lay the rifle on her shoulder, use a mirror to sight and shoot the cig out of his mouth. Probably wouldn't want to do that with scatter shot. I have also read that she was quoted as saying she became such a good shot because she had to help supplement her family's food supply by hunting small game such as squirrels. She said something along the lines that if missing a shot means you don't eat you learn not to miss pretty quickly.

Really cool pic - and has anyone ever commented that your great-grandad looked a lot like Kevin Bacon. Or, I guess technically Kevin Bacon looks a lot like your great-grandad.

Well, I thought about bikinis but I don't think I'd want to see most of the folks that I have seen at past gun shows in bikinis so that's out. Prepping stuff? Maybe it would be more appropriate to have a prepping show/expo with a portion of the sales floor dedicated to guns/ammo/reloading supplies rather than vice versa. I guess I'll go with 'nothing'. Honestly, about the only think I'd like to see that is usually missing from gun shows would be actual deals rather than people trying to sell guns for $50 to $100 more than I can buy them at an LGS.

I definitely see your point and in many cases would be inclined to agree with you. In this case, however, it appears to me that the two of them - based on their actions, alone - would probably greatly prefer a few ounces of hot lead to going back to prison. I think it would be allowing them to commit 'suicide by cop' and add to their infamy. That is why I would like to see them denied that end and, instead, let them rot in solitary confinement - if that is legally allowed - until the day they are simply 'put down' like rabid dogs. No blaze of glory, no last stand, just strapped to a table with a needle in their arm.

"Blaze of glory" would make sense. They have to know that there is no way in Hades they are getting away forever and probably not for very long. They might be trying to do so, on an outside chance. but I'd bet they are more focused on maybe getting drunk, getting laid and then going out in what they probably think is an 'epic' fashion. It might be better if they are captured, their sorry butts dragged back to prison, put on trial and sentenced to slowly waste away on death row (where, yes, they just might be seen as 'heroes' or celebrities by other inmates) until they get the needle. Steal every bit of their thunder and take away their chance for 'glory'.

When I was in high school a buddy of mine lived across from the railroad tracks - their living room faced the street and the tracks were across the street. One day I came in to visit and noticed a hole in one of the front windows and a hole in the wall directly across from the window, above their couch. I asked if someone had shot through their window. My buddy said that no one had shot through the window. Instead, the grass in the area beside the train tracks was being mowed and the mower threw something with enough force that it traveled across the road and across their small front yard - a total distance of probably 35-40 yards or so, give or take, through the window glass and still had enough force to punch a hole in the wall. Because of the angles involved if anyone had been sitting on the couch whatever it was likely would have hit them in the head and probably killed them. So, lawnmower thrown object sounds plausible, to me. However... There is a channel on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/taofledermaus - which is largely centered around trying out different types of shotgun slugs or even replacing the normal loads in live shotgun shells with various objects and firing them from a shotgun. I can't tell for sure from the pic but am thinking that thing looks like it just might fit into a 12 gauge shell. Someone might have decided to try shooting it from a shotgun in the wooded area you described. Accuracy with such an improvised projectile would likely be poor so - if that scenario is actually what took place - the person who fired it may have been aiming at a 'safe' target but the projectile may have gone off in an unexpected direction or the person may have not thought it would travel very far. That would mean - if it were actually fired from a gun - the person who fired it was stupid and negligent but probably not acting with intentional malice. One thing that made me think of the shotgun theory is that the bulge in the center and on one end of the object are pretty bright and shiny while the rest is pretty heavily rusted. I wonder if the middle bulge lost its rust while traveling down the barrel of a shotgun and maybe the one end had the rust burned off by the gunpowder blast? Of course, the rust could have been rubbed off when the projectile hit the wall but it would have had to be traveling pretty fast when it hit said wall to shine those areas up so much while passing through what was probably not a very thick barrier. I thought of this because the shape of the object kind of reminds me a bit of this Russian shotgun slug they tested. Not exactly like it but similar enough that I could see someone trying it. Still, the lawnmower theory probably makes the most sense.

I hadn't heard about Adam West's death until I saw this thread, just now. I was born in 1971 so when I watched the show as a kid it was reruns. I also don't think I realized how silly it was at the time - I just knew that there was a show about comic book characters so I loved it. Plus Yvonne Craig in that Batgirl costume was probably one of the first women I 'noticed' - even though I might not have fully realized what it was I was noticing at the time (the various actresses playing Catwoman never caught my attention the way Batgirl did but then I was always a Mary Anne guy over Ginger.) In more recent years, as I lived next door to my mom, I would often hang out with her on Saturday evenings just to spend time with her. There wasn't much on television at that time so we would often watch the old shows on MeTV, including Batman. We realized it was campy and, honestly, pretty stupid sometimes - my mom would even comment on how stupid it was - but we usually watched it, anyway. I particularly remember watching it when I was staying at her house, largely bedridden (in a small bed she kept in her den where the television was) while recovering after the surgeries when my colon ruptured and I found out I had cancer. The silliness and memories of childish thoughts that comic book heroes could be 'real' were a help during that rough time - and so was mom who had to pretty much take care of me, at least for the first week or so. Many of you know that mom passed away on March 31 from brain cancer and her house burned down a few weeks later due to a power surge. So Adam West and his stupid, campy, beautiful television show filled my childhood with dreams of heroes, lifted my spirits during one of the most trying times in my life and helped me create memories of my mom in a house I lived in as a child and which, now, no longer exists. I don't think I realized until just now how much all those 'BOFFs' and 'POWs' really meant to me.

It is my understanding that, biologically, the reason we die of 'old age' basically comes down to oxidation. If oxygen weren't necessary for metabolism we might live forever (barring other fatal conditions or injuries) - so all that darned breathing is slowly killing us. Of course, attempting to stop all that darned breathing would only hurry us along all that much faster.

That's certainly true. Just 'ask' Jim Fixx.

My great grandmother was a pretty hefty lady until she got to be, oh, probably in her late '80s. She lived to be 96 and would have lived longer except she had an accidental fall that lead to her death, not old age. Good for Mr. Overton for enjoying his cigar and his life!

I honestly can't think why it would make any difference. As you said, there is nothing on the website about it. Still, in such a case I think I would want to call or email and get the answer straight from the horse's mouth, as it were. I would probably just try the 1-800 number and see if anyone can answer your question: http://www.portno.com/contact Contact Us Port of New Orleans 1350 Port of New Orleans Place New Orleans, LA 70130 1-800-PRO-NOLA (776-6652) (504) 522-2551 Fax: (504) 524-4156 P.O. Box No. 60046 New Orleans, LA 70160

In a world where the government can tell a business that they have to let a man use the women's restroom because he 'identifies' as a woman or a bakery can be sued because they don't want to bake a cake for a particular wedding I have no problem with a business being told that they have to honor handgun carry permits. At least we have to take a class, be vetted and carry a card saying that we really are what we say we are. And, no, I don't agree with the first two - and maybe Tennessee hasn't gotten entirely gotten there (yet) but as those things are becoming more widespread every day and we are being told more and more that we have to 'accept' these things I do not think HCP holders should have to just go along with being an ostracized class. People can just learn to 'accept' that we have made the 'lifestyle choice' to 'identify' as someone who is equipped and prepared to defend himself or herself.

I agree about the government. It is especially onerous that I can't carry my firearm into the place where I have to go to renew my permit in person. As for the other, frankly, my way of thinking is that if it isn't 'worth it' to the owner of the property to post the sign in such a manner that it is easily spotted and clearly posted then it isn't 'worth it' to me to go on an Easter egg hunt to find the darned thing. I have been places where I didn't see a posting until I was on the way out because the way the door opened when I entered covered the sign up. You know what? I legitimately did not see the sign, carried into those places and no one ever knew because I was carrying concealed. Honestly, I think a lot of places post - and probably intentionally put the sign where it isn't front and center - just to shut the bedwetters up. If, however, they have a very obvious sign clearly posted then I take that to mean they are more serious about said posting. As OhShoot has said, before, I go to a restaurant to eat not to read signs. I am not encouraging anyone else to adopt my mindset and, as I said, I generally avoid places that I know are posted whenever I can. Further, I view a business as different from a person's home.