Jamie Jackson

HI David;   I too use gmail and have before today never had any issue receiving updates to threads I follow etc...but as of this morning I am no longer being notified. I checked my spam folder and nothing there...   Any thoughts or suggestions?   John C, yours still working OK?

I would, of course, recommend giving any and all of your business to Mr.David.   But I see you list as "Knoxville".   I've had a lot of luck purchasing from Proneshooter in West Knoxville. He is not a vendor here (wish he was), but Phil and Lori have a nice little shop, decent supply of components, reasonable pricing and have treated me well. Just in case... :pleased:

I think having the armor is sound thinking Tim.   Dolomite made some very good points. The majority of incoming rounds we may take during "normal times" would most likely be handgun rounds...but those other times? Rifle rated plates would be high on my list to have.   Unless it's a truly bad situation, grid down and SHTF scenario, it's not highly likely we would have the time to access our kit before the dust settles...but "what if?". And it's the "what if?" we need to be prepared for imho. btw...a ballistic helmet makes a lot of sense as well.   I have a set of steel plates in a Condor carrier (Thank for Dolo's recommendation on the Condor) that you can try out and see what you think as far as the weight goes. We picked them up from Maingun at a great deal back in '14. There is a thread on here about the PIA Linex of Knoxville was in getting them coated...so I would purchase coated steel and save yourself the hassle if you can.   Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it...and if politics continue down the path we're heading we may have a challenge in even purchasing armor.   If I had the extra bucks I would look into one of these: http://www.ar500armor.com/ar500-armor-micro-plate-carrier-w-armor-and-pouches.html#.VyHkMXqncpU

  I thin you might well be describing more than 1/2 the population at any given moment angler...unfortunately.   Happy to hear all went well. :up:       It's really a crying shame m16ty. It definitely reflects the perils of the times and conditions we find ourselves in. Church should be one of the safest places a person could be. But you speak the truth Sir.

Erik, PM me and I will get you contact info and directions. I am currently out of town. Be back tomorrow. Look forward to seeing you there.

+1 Dolo...very fishy indeed.   And Yes JohnC..."we" can be our own worst enemies at times.   While I am not advocating "hoarding" nor inciting "panic buying", now might just well be a good time to consider what "you" will need in terms of shooting for the foreseeable future.   Change, and not the good kind, seems inevitable.

I know some people hate 'em...but in my experience they don't understand them and therefore wear them wrong. I'm talking about a bellyband holster.   They suck as far as reholstering as they require 2 hands to do so safely. And they should be worn at, or below, the beltline...not way above it as so many interweb photos demonstrate.   I am on my 3rd or 4th bellyband and wear one in nonpermissive environments daily, have for years.   Just a suggestion for your consideration.   Congratulations and Best wishes to your son!       Here's a vid with Lenny Magill...he's quite the salesman, but at about 3:00 you can see a decent demo of correct placement. I carry appendix as well, but they work fine of strong side carry.     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sf-59UbMOC8

While I hate to see another "Panic buying frenzy", it will probably be inevitable. That said, it may well be prudent to pick up some of those items you have been waiting to purchase...   I saw the below linked off Drudge this morning. Thanks Kevin for kicking off the conversation. I know I'm looking to up my handloading components...we'll use them no matter what and they won't get any less expensive over the next few years.   http://www.atr.org/1000-gun-tax-pushed-role-model-states   While it is a fact that Hilary initially started speaking of the increased tax issue in 1993, the article sites 2016 examples and you can believe the Left is considering [u][b]any[/b][/u] measure to weaken our 2nd Amendment protected Rights...   from the linked article: “The Second Amendment makes it difficult to legally ban guns, but Hillary has led the way to explaining you can achieve the same thing with high taxes.”

Sorry to hear this, but thank you for sharing your experiences vontar.   We've been using the Big Berkey for about 8 years now...daily, constantly and it still works as good as it did when we first purged the ceramic filters. We added the PF-4 unit after the first year and wish we had done so initially.   I clean the white ceramic filters quarterly by using a green "scruffy" pad under running water and that's all the maintenance it's required.   PF-4 link in case anyone is interested: http://www.directive21.com/products/berkey-pf-4-fluoride-and-arsenic-reduction-elements/   Jeff Gleason that runs Directive 21 is a great guy and easily reached by phone or e-mail if you have any questions. Jeff's a "Prepper", whatever that is LOL, and a regular guy just like us.I have no financial interest in his company, just a satisfied customer.

Enlightening article barewoolf, thanks for posting this.   I too read this article before and there are some lessons to be learned indeed. Primarily... as Randy has previously said "handguns suck" as defensive tools (I agree 100%)...but they are very likely to be "the" tool we have when things go down.   With quality modern handgun ammunition the caliber question isn't as significant as it once was. Having seen the wounds from most handgun calibers I can honestly say it's nearly impossible to tell what caliber someone was hit with...skin is very elastic and the majority of entrance wounds are very tiny holes...The terminal effect is dependent on the structure damaged and the persons response to it. Unless it's a CNS hit (the "brainbox"), people take a loooong time to bleed out enough to affect their level of consciousness.   From the article"In this free-for-all, the assailant had, in fact, been struck 14 times. Any one of six of these wounds — in the heart, right lung, left lung, liver, diaphragm, and right kidney — could have produced fatal consequences…“in time,” Gramins emphasizes."   Statistically "average gunfights" are close range and end in 3-5 rounds from what I read...I couldn't imagine any gunfight being "average" nor would I count on any statistical data. While I could never envision myself carry 145 rounds of ammo, I can certainly understand why this officer would want to consider having more rounds available in his future! fwiw...I don't think it's totally a "spray & pray" scenario in this case, the officer was getting some good hits...the BG just didn't choose to stop his attack...there are some determined evil people out there...and from FOF training I've learned to appreciate that a moving twisting "target", under pressure, is a challenge to get good solid hits on...and that's only with SIMS rounds coming at me.   This is another good point: "Gramins, also empty, escaped his squad — “a coffin,” he calls it — and reloaded on his run to cover behind the passenger-side rear of the Bonneville.   Mobility and good cover. Not that an auto body is "good cover", but it would beat the heck out of sitting still and taking incoming rounds.   Just a few thoughts/observations and opinions ...    

That's pretty clever! Thanks for the pics as well.   Good job!

Prayers out for you, Tommy and family Sir. God Bless.

  LOL   I wish I hadn't seen it myself!   I guess I need to buy a lottery ticket...it could happen!? :drool:

Opinions are indeed multifaceted Leroy, and while ours certainly differ, I respect yours and appreciate your clarification as to your points.   We can, in fact, agree to disagree.   I don't teach "gunfighting", but I am a lifelong student and find that even at my age I can always learn. It is our responsibility as a student to spend our funds wisely and vet our instructors. I know I do.   I also agree that "You cannot measure the mettle, will, and determination of men or women and find out whether, in fact; they are the "real deal" too...", but I don't think any of us can say assuredly that these attributes are within us until that moment. And I hope that moment never comes for me, but I'll continue to prepare nonetheless, and remain grateful that there are good folks willing to teach us.   Have a good day Leroy...I gotta get to work.

Maybe you guys are seeing/reading something I'm not.   I reread this thread and maybe I missed the "hero" statement...I don't know...   I did make a statement that I had respect for the men that lost, or nearly lost, their lives. Not because they are cops or Feds, but because they choose to do their job and most of them continued to fight courageously, i.e. Mireles.   Did they screw up? Was some of this a total CF? Yep...Big Time. Major.   I respect anyone that does their job and doesn't infringe on my God Given Constitutionally Protected Rights. But we aren't discussing that here, with all due respect.   I appreciate the lessons we can learn and implement from their screwups.   I hold in high esteem men like Jeff Cooper...I've sat at his table and feel fortunate to have been able to spend that time with him. I've trained with Tom Givens, Craig Douglas, Hershel Davis and others that have that "real world" experience and many others that have trained with such people and are able to distill and share knowledge from those instructors and share that information with the willing.   I have never been in a gunfight and pray I never am. I have had my bacon saved on a couple of occasions because of training I've received, the Good Lord's Grace and blind luck. eta: The training I attribute this to was from individuals that had not "shot" other individuals as in not been in a gunfight...but that had incredibly valuable ( to me) information they taught. I am grateful for that.   I intend no disrespect to anyone posting here, but I don't understand the direction of some of the posts. Just my opinion and observation.

Here are a couple of pics of slide's from John Hearne's excellent powerpoint presented at IALEFI "The FBI's Miami Firefight: Lessons that still resonate" There are some interesting photos that reveal the incredibly close proximity of the firefight...the stories from it make it sound as though there was much greater distance involved. Of particular interest in motivating my training regime are these 2 slides: These 2 guys were well trained, well practiced, highly motivated psychopaths/sociopaths...they are not the only ones out there my friends. The "explanation" regarding the 2 slides linked are within the pdf. It's well worth reading imho. LINK to PDF http://www.ialefi.com/conf2012/Instructor%20Proposals/Hearne,%20John/FBI-Miami%20Handouts.pdf

Randy also wrote "Pistols suck at stopping people." Yes they do suck! They suck bad at this job.   I've seen people shot multiple times and not really seriously care about the fact. I had a guy that had 9 rounds in him help me get a guy out of the car he was driving that had been shot 7 times and get him into our ER. 9 round dude had been shot before and knew his wounds weren't life, nor apparently fight, ending as he slipped out later to go "finish" his "business"....yes, there were officers all over the place...it happens...but a large portion of the survivable handgun "stops" are psychological....they just don't want to be shot anymore...   Face shots are a good thing. They take a lot of the fight out of most folks, maybe even get one in the brainbox...even better.   Rapid surgical placement is something I still struggle with...but at least I know it's required.

Excellent topic Randy!   I first read of this incident back in '88-'89 in, iirc, an issue of Handguns Magazine. (I still have the issue in the basement somewhere).   I have a copy of "In the Line of Duty" on DVD. It was remarkably accurate in it's portrayal from what I've read on the subject.             Quite a bit, but sometimes it seems not enough. Fighting institutional dogma, both within Law Enforcement Training and the general training community has been, and on some level, still is, an uphill battle.   This fight was up close, fast, against 2 well armed, practiced and determined individuals and a complete paradigm shift from what was currently taught at that time.   The FBI and the Gun Media deflected the mistakes that were clearly a "training issue" to "a failure of the ammo issue...The 9mm Winchester Silvertip in particular. Ammo isn't the answer in most cases, but having the will to fight, adequate tools (and realistic expectations of their capabilities), and quality realistic training can make a difference. Will make a difference imho.   John Hearne, one of the finest critical thinkers and researchers within our community has an excellent powerpoint presentation on the fight that is probably available on the interwebs somewhere.   I have incredible respect for several of the agents involved, Ed Mireles in particular...Man! You talk about determination and force of will! I don't even think the one hand operation of a 12g pump was being taught at the time, but Mireles put it to use!   Also, again iirc, as this was the very early days of the autoloader and revolvers were still the norm, agents were trained to transition to a second gun (generally a 5 shot J frame) when their primary went empty...a handgun markedly more difficult to shoot rapidly and accurately by comparison...     (You guys have already covered other aspects and improvements quite well and much better I could articulate)       My edited version of Randy's post brings to mind our recent discussion of preparing for a worst case scenario...having to fight a "Todd"...maybe a couple of them, as in this incident. Talk about your day going from bad to worse...   Platt and Matix apparently made a habit of frequent practice, we are talking ammo by the case load. They were knowledgeable of, and utilized some pretty sound tactics, and their level of aggression was obvious.   I am a civilian and it's not my job to chase down bad actors like this...but you never know what will come down the pike. I pray I never find myself in this type of situation, but I am thankful for the positive advances in the art of fighting that is a direct result of the lessons learned from the sacrifice of these gentlemen.

You make some good points David.   I appreciate reading AAR's from members here, as it helps me to allocate my limited "training" funds. I don't believe your post was directed totally at rn29306 nor my encouragement of his AAR. I have attended a class with the OP before, so I felt his AAR would be beneficial to our community. Hence my encouragement.   Your point is very valid though, as I too have seen quite a few folks (as TDR mentioned), out of state even, posting in relatively unveiled advertisement mode...   I would have thought Valor Ridge would have taken advantage of joining our community as a vendor...perplexing to say the least, because, as you mentioned, TGO definitely is an influential force in the TN firearms community at large.   Thanks for the hard work you and all of the mods do in keeping TGO the quality site it is.

  Thanks for the recommendation and the link David (and TNPopo). Got one ordered. Great price and shipping.

  If you don't mind me asking David, what holster do you use for pocket carry?   I have had my magazine pop twice in a soft Mika pocket holster... I know, that's what you'd call a "clue"...I returned my J Frame back to it's pocket carry role until a more suitable holster is chosen... hence the question.   fwiw I carry in Carhartt carpenter jeans, nice roomy pockets.

Thank you rn29306.   Well written AAR and I appreciate the vid link. Wow! Very nice setup. You can tell a lot of thought and hard work went into the development of the facility. Good on Reid and PN.   Thank you for sharing this with us.       Also Thank you Jon Abrams. Good info.

    I wish I could go simply to meet you because of your disclaimer!    :cheers:   Enjoy yourselves folks.

Thanks for the head's up jgrady.   I agree with you hipower...it can really be a challenge finding truly decent works in this genre of books. Generally Amazon reviews are relatively reliable, but individual tastes vary widely... That's the main reason I check here frequently for recommendations...we all generally seem to be on the same "page" (pardon the pun) in regards to books.

    While not 1fast4by...   The general "feel" of a handgun is very subjective...unique to each individual.   I'm a hardcore Glock guy...but I own a 9mm Shield and find it one of the best little guns I've ever own. Great handling, very good stock trigger, reliable, and as has been mentioned, it shoots as easily as a full sized handgun. I only have about 1500 rounds through it thus far, but it's fed pretty much everything I've put into it without issues.   One of our group was in the market for a single stack compact 9mm. We brought out my Shield, Matt's Glock 43 and an XDs and let our friend shoot all 3. He choose the Glock 43 because it "felt" the best "for him". Very subjective thing.   If you have the opportunity to try before you buy, that wouldn't be a bad thing. But I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Shield to anyone. Great little gun imho!