peejman

The value of the Six Sigma stuff is highly dependent on the environment you work in. High volume manufacturing operations think it's the solution to all the world's problems. (I think that's mostly because once the CEO's realized how much they paid some consultant to train all their engineers to do stuff they should already know how to do, they had to make it gospel so they didn't look like total morons... but that's another topic. ) Smaller volume operations could care less about it. I'd put near zero value on it in academia, unless needed for consulting.

What's your purpose for having the safe? Is it to help prevent theft if someone breaks in, or is it just to keep the firearms out of sight from house guests or kids? If you want to prevent theft, you need one of those monster 500lb safes. It needs to be so big and heavy as to be more trouble than it's worth. A light-weight safe will either be broken into or torn from the studs/floor and opened later. If you just want to keep your goodies out of sight, the light-weight kind is fine. I have the simple Stack-on key-locked safe for rifles (with trigger locks on all rifles) and a small electronic locked pistol safe for those that stay loaded. I have no illusions that either will deter theft. My only goal is to keep them out of my boys hands when I'm not around.

You'd have to get an extra loud siren. In our old house, my wife set off the alarm while I was in the shower and I didn't hear it. It was loud, but not unbearably so. It wasn't audible beyond 10 ft outside the house. OTOH... the siren in my parents house is absolutely deafening and audible a good 150ft from the house... though their nearest neighbors are 1000 yds away. That must be new. The system I had was installed about 6 years ago.

I've used several hundred rounds of FMJ ammo from WWB, Blazer Brass, American Eagle, Lawman, and Remington UMC with no issues. Unless you're buying bulk from somewhere online, WWB at walmart is as cheap as anything. And I continue to lust over an XD45 Compact. I'm curious to see when the XDm45 Compact comes out.

Heh, mine said... "Unless you have Girl Scout Cookies, I don't want what you're selling." ADT's alarm systems may be "state of the art" (I had one in my previous house), they're still rendered useless in less than 1 second. Disconnect the phone line and it's just a noise maker. No one pays attention to noise makers until they've gone off for at least an hour these days. I pointed that out to the sales rep. He said... "um, I guess you're right. I never thought of that."

If you intend on staying in academia, the the PhD is definitely the way to go. Not a requirement per se, but it will give you more opportunities. Just be prepared to move. I did my share of 18hr semesters. But honestly, the worst one I ever had was 12hrs in a summer semester, all engineering classes. That sucked.

I dug into building one about a year ago, but decided to build an FAL instead. At that time, the only reliable package was the Colt, which was more than I wanted to spend. Some rifles built by people worked well with little issues, some had major teething pains and required skilled hands to get them to run. Feeding, bolts, and mags seemed to be big problem areas. I'd still like to have one.

Congrats and excellent choice on the MBA. It'll help open lots of career doors for you. Be a little wary of the PhD... it tends to pigeon-hole you somewhat. Jobs become very few and far between, unless you intend to teach (and great if you do). I have a BSME and MSME and would like to pursue an MBA but haven't found the opportunity. When I was in school I was asked about continuing on to a PhD. My response was... "A PhD? I don't need one, already know how to use a Post hole Digger."

Technically, an AR-15 is the .223 (5.56) rifle while the AR-10 is the .308 (7.62x51) rifle. AR-10 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia AR-15 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ah and agreed...

I'll agree with this analogy assuming that everyone who carries a gun practices with it for about 2 hours per day (which is the average time a person spends driving).

Nice new toy. Just curious why you chose this model instead of the compact if concealed carry was the intent?

My wife and I celebrated Christmas at 12:00:01 with a very, very fussy 2 week old in my arms. He finally settled down about 1am only to wake up hungry at 2am, 4am, 6am, and 8am. Around then, his big brother woke up and we commenced with the present opening. About noon we headed to my in-laws to celebrate with her side of the family. Back home around 6pm with a very, very tired almost 3 yr old who didn't get his customary nap because he was far too busy playing with new toys and entertaining the family. We ate a simple dinner and got big brother in bed. Little brother must have been a little tired too as he went to sleep at about 10:30pm. (But was back up hungry at 12:30am, 3am, 5am... but technically that's the day after Christmas). A good, if very tiring day. But they're all tiring these days. The white Christmas was a nice bonus. Snow is like crack for our dog.

I'm a bit split on this topic. One one hand... I think there's far too many stupid people out there for anyone to be allowed to carry a gun. As stated, the test is a joke. I'd be happier if it was treated more like a professional license: a hard test, higher annual fee, annual training requirements, etc. That way, you'd be much more assured that those who can carry a gun know how to use it. On the other hand... The Constitution clearly states that the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. And I strongly support that. Perhaps if anyone was allowed to carry a gun, the stupid people would take care of themselves eventually. Similar to "illegal" drugs. Some folks (like me) wouldn't use stuff that would kill me, even if it was free. Those that do... will take care of themselves eventually.

How'd you convert muzzle velocity to acceleration? Would a kinetic energy comparison be more appropriate? KE = 0.5*m*v^2 125 grain bullet gives 50,625,000 grains*ft^2/s^2 while the 158 grain bullet gives 50,560,000 grains*ft^2/s^2 ... The lighter bullet has ~0.1% more energy. You'd then take these energy numbers and do an energy balance on the whole system to determine the net effect. But I don't remember all that off the top of my head an don't have time to drag out the books at the moment....

Aerodynamic drag is proportional to the square of velocity. In the theoretical example above, the 2x faster bullet would experience 4x the aerodynamic resistance. But the shape of the bullet itself is also a factor, hence the term "ballistic coefficient". It's a catch-all for several variables that really aren't worthwhile to characterize individually, unless you're designing computer simulations to model the flights of the bullet you're designing. I'm quite certain there's an expert or twelve at companies like Hornady, Nosler, Winchester, etc. that could easily answer all our questions.

I'm left handed but shoot right handed. A left handed friend recently bought a Stag AR and loves it. He's not mentioned any issues with adjusting to the differences.

Those are discreet? What else could possibly be in there? "oh, that's my .... um .... iphone case. Yeah, iphone case. " Seems like you're average hiking style fanny pack would be far less obvious than a big, black nylon bag that just screams "tacti-cool". The only thing I've seen like what the OP is asking for was a guy who modified a leather holster to fit on the shoulder and sternum straps. And he carried a 1911 in the woods that way, wide open for all to see. Good thing you don't see many people in the woods.

While muzzle rise may contribute to the difference in POI, don't forget about barrel harmonics, particularly with rifles. Super-slow video of a rifle barrel will clearly show that it vibrates while the bullet travels down the barrel. Where it is in it's oscillation cycle when the bullet exits the muzzle is important. I believe this video is of an air rifle. I'd assume the much higher pressures/forces would result in even more flex with a high powered rifle. YouTube - 29426129's Channel edit... here's one of a .50 BMG -> The idealized physics model assumes an infinitely stiff barrel mounted to a base of infinite mass, hence nothing moves. The photo above looks like a reasonable attempt at that idealization. That plus a chronometer would be excellent for a hand loader to test out various bullet types and provide some hard data to answer our many questions. And it sounds like GunTroll volunteered to build one for us.

A very good explanation, but the nerdy engineer will make a slight argument with the nerdy physicist (all in good fun )... The nerdy engineer says that while the above is true in the physicists' world, the engineer doesn't get to make such assumptions. Things like the ballistic coefficient play an increasing role in bullet trajectory at ranges beyond 100 yds. I assume these are both milsurp FMJ type rounds, though the design of the bullet itself may be enough different to cause a few inches difference in POI at 200 yds. Fixed... I'm reminded of something a math professor told us in class one day.... "Two men are 10 paces apart. When told to move, they decrease the distance between each other by 1/2. How long until they touch?" The physicist says, "they'll never touch". The engineer says, "after 3 steps, they'll be close enough." And in closing....

If it has some sentimental value, I'm quite sure a skilled welder and machinist could fix it.

FWIW... radial tires will flat spot too. They just don't do it the same extent as bias ply tires.

I have an old P85 MKII that I really like shooting. I didn't like it at first but decided to try a Hogue grip (which I see you have too) and that really transformed it. It's got eleventygillion rounds through it, gets properly cleaned maybe once a year, runs like a top and is plenty accurate.

While the A/C compressor may run when the defrost is used in the car, it's only when the outside temp is above the point at which frost would be forming on the glass. The compressor typically does not run when the ambient temp is below about 40 deg. It can't build adequate pressure at low temps. Try turning your home A/C on when it's below freezing. There's a temp sensor that'll prevent the compressor from running. Another thought... it's possible that after running the engine for a few minutes, the underhood temp may increase enough to allow the compressor to cycle.

It's basically as simple as taking any normal recipe and increasing the quantities by about 6x. Just be prepared for how much space all that food will take up. Cooking for 30 in a normal kitchen will be a PITA. The big aluminum pans you can buy at the grocery or walmart are handy and can typically be reused. BBQ is usually relatively easy.... say 15lbs pre-cooked weight. Slow cook it in an oven (or a smoker, if available). Split it into 4 lots and season each one differently. Burgers and Brats if you've got a grill of adequate size. A catfish fry if you've got a deep fryer. Would your group be willing to do "pot luck"? Side items can be bought pre-made from a grocery store deli counter. Call ahead for big quantities.