maddog909

Prefer firearms to be colored the way god intended.......silver, black or blue

Scary, very scary.

Just moved to Bristol,TN from Lenoir City and I'm looking for some firing ranges in the area. Around Knoxville there were plenty but I'm unfamiliar with the Bristol area.

Sure can. My daughter-in-law and her mother both qualified with a .22 cal. that was provided by the instructors. They did better than most of the men out there.

If that price is for a new one I'd go for it. Used, well...depending on it's condition. I have a sw990L in .40 cal. and it's been a good pistol. No real problems and pretty accurate. I don't think you can go wrong for $275.00. If I found a 9mm for that price I'd jump on it.

tnmom2amk, I had my drivers license renewed in mid May and I needed an address change on both my license and carry permit. Like you said, the license was done immediately. I got my carry permit back just yesterday so I'd say about 6 weeks and you should get yours.

I've got S&W's 990L fullsize in .40 which is pretty much the same gun. The set up I've been using to carry is nothing more than a cheap soft holster belted on in a crossdraw position at 11:00. During cooler weather just a jacket is all that's necessary to conceal but the summer brings it's challenges. When it's warmer I usually just wear oversized shirts untucked. I make sure they have some kind of pattern to break up any profile the gun has. It's worked for the past two years with no problems of being spotted.....I think, no one's mentioned anything to me anyway. When I first started carrying I bought a few holsters but was seeing a pattern developing in becoming a holster collector. I've got a couple in the drawer that I thought would be great but was sadly dissappointed. I just can't do the IWB carry. Maybe with a smaller handgun but not a fullsized one, but that's just me. I think the majority of folks carry IWB.

Are you considering using a .22 for conceal carry? If so I would reconsider the caliber. A .22 is great for target shooting and plinking but they certainly aren't what you need in a self-defense situation.

Considering the price and the Smith & Wesson lifetime warranty you really can't go wrong. They do have a heavy trigger pull but if you check out the S&W forum site there are fixes for that.

I've got a sw990L in 40 cal.. bought it new about a year ago. It's a DAO model without a decocker. From what I understand it's similar to a P99 QA though I'm not totally sure. The information S&W send with it isn't really clear. Initially the trigger felt a bit gritty and the accuracy seemed a bit off but after 600 rounds the trigger is fine and accuracy has improved, or I'm just getting more familiar with it. All in all I'm really happy with it. Not so much as a problem with it. Use it for a carry firearm most of the time.

Thombj, I've got a SW990L that's pretty much the same as the Walther p99. It's got the quick action trigger but doesn't have a decocker. Great gun, really like it. The trigger felt a little rough at first but after 600 rounds it's smoothed out real nice. Good balanced feel to it and fits the hand perfectly.

I'd have to say that personally I find either the Walther P99 or the Smith & Wesson SW99's to be the most comfortable in the hand. Good balance, grip and natural point shooters.

The fingerprinting fee is included in the $115 license fee you pay. I had mine taken at the local United Parcel Service store.

I was originally looking for a Walther P99 in .40 sw. The reason...it was one of the more comfortable handguns I had handled, it had adjustable backstraps and I liked the looks of it. The price, however, was $100 more than I wanted to spend. The great people at Frontier Firearms in Kingston TN. directed me to it's American clone the S&W 990L. Not quite as nice as the Walther but it fit my hand well and seems to have a slim profile which I like. I've only run about 400 rounds through it. No problems and seems to get better each time I shoot it.

Lenoir City TN: carry permitted in city parks, not permitted on athletic fields or the municipal pool. Also heard this morning that Knox County has approved carry in the county parks.

I open carry around the house and yard sometimes, especially if my intuition is sending an alarm. My handgun isn't totally out in the open when I do it. It's only partially covered, just enough for questionable door to door salesmen come around so they feel uncomfortable. I was spooked last week when two guys came up the driveway wanting to put signs in the yard advertising their home protection company. That didn't bother me so much at the time. I later learned from my girl friend that her uncle had a couple of guys make the same offer to him up near Bristol. A few days later his house was burgled. When I asked her what sign was put in his yard it was the same company that stopped by our place. Still on alert....

Someone stated at another forum that Ripley's Aquarium has a gun safe to store handguns. You have to ask the security officer there.