smccrory

This past weekend I went to the gun show at the Franklin County Fairgrounds (Hilliard Ohio). it's been a while since I went to this location - 10 years ago it was awesome and filled three buildings to the brim, but I think the Westland show took a lot of the vendors and it shrunk this one considerably. Still, I was bored and didn't mind spending $6 on cheap entertainment. It beats the going rate for hookers, cocaine and motorcycle parts, especially with Rider's Discount hanging out on the O.R. corner - that bastard sold me an awesome Zumo 390LM last month. The show was still small especially compared to the always large and entertaining Dayton show, but I've seen in the past that if you're looking for something old, rare or off-beat, you're more likely to find it at little fairground shows like Hilliard than Westland, the latter of which seemed to trend more towards modern pistols and sporting rifles. I've got nothing against modern stuff and own multiple items myself, but one gets tired of seeing them exclusively after a while. There's more to life, man, like lever action guns and revolvers, ya know? So, I almost picked up a late 60s Winchester 94 but couldn't bring myself to the guy's asking price. It's not that the gun was priced high, it's just that it wasn't a killer deal and I didn't need the extra 30-30 caliber to care and feed at this time. I recently bought a Rossi 94 in .44 and re-did the stock, smoothed the mechanicals and hand-made a leather butt pad and lever wrap, so maybe my thirst had already been sufficiently whet. I did spot and score a blue $90 mini-griptillian folding knife I had almost ordered online days before, for $50(!) from a seller who must have just wanted to get his money back, and also picked up a CRKT Mirage for $25, which you just can't find any more but it has the sharpest damned semi-serrated blade of any mid-level knife I know except maybe the SOG Flash. I've already "blueprinted" both of them with wet-dry on edges and oil in the pivots, and am really enjoying carry of both, especially the mini-grip. Finally I spotted a Heritage Arms .22 revolver I read about but never seem to see in stores. They're heavy, not at all the same quality of a Ruger or Smith, but should be perfect for introducing novice shooters and just plain having fun with a single action gun. You know, everyone needs a single action revolver in their collection. Here's the thing, I paid $170 OTD with a second .22 mag cylinder included. Alas, .22 mag is impossible to find in stock right now, but that's a pretty smoking deal for a solid .22 plinker with cocobolo grips.

Did you just advocate dressing around the gun you're comfortable and then describe the several guns you switch around based on what you're wearing so as to be comfortable? ;-) Nothing wrong with that, just sounded odd after the soundbite. Re: Kahrs; A lot of people have trouble with them and rightfully so, especially the 380. Almost always it comes down to plastic mag followers that must to be smoothened out or replaced with an aluminum one, feed ramps to be honed and polished, and/or barrel hoods that must be fluted and polished. My CM45 FTE'd about every 10-20 rounds and my CM9 nose-dove almost every round #2 or #3 until I applied those fixes and now they are dead reliable. Wait, check that - my 45 is just as sensitive to limp wrists as every 1911 I've owned, but I blame me and the round, not the CM45. To be fair, I haven't personally seen a Glock hiccup in 25 years of pistol shooting, and I do love my little LCP, which hasn't balked at range ammo or Critical Defense in over 500 rounds.

That's the problem IMHO with a G19. Although some carry it fine, I think it's too big and I prefer a G26 for 10+1 round cold weather carry, and slot in a G19 magazine and spacer for 15+1 rounds of home defense. That said, even the G26 is a little bulky for warm weather carry, and I prefer a CM9 or even an LCP when it's 80+ outside. None of those are a joy to shoot all day at the range, but 100-200 rounds through each is easy peezy and are accurate enough for 7-10 yard engagements. If I had to keep only one gun, it would be my G26 with HD night sights and both 10 and 15 round magazines, carried in a Nemesis pocket sleeve and a kydex PJ Holster IWB clip.

Snot, I'm in as well if he approves.

Sounds excellent. Think about it - you experienced one hell of a trauma that shook your very foundations - of course your brain and body are still recoiling. I had a really minor lay-down on an on-ramp a couple years ago. I bruised my knee up pretty good but I was otherwise OK. Even with that small amount of damage, I was more cautious with right-hand leaning turns than left-hand ones. Your case was far, far worse. Be patient and focus on the incremental improvements. It's going to take a bunch of work, but you're already generating your own rewards!

Excellent point. I hope I don't offend anyone here (that would be a first), but I will take just a little delight in watching all of the bastards who hoarded ammo for profit to be fleeced on the way down. As prices fall, the general populous will buy from the supply chain instead of using their reserves (or they'll resupply on the fly - same difference), likely driving prices even lower. I met one guy in Lewis Center a couple years ago sitting on several hundred Gs of ammo bought at now-current prices who'd better unload it fast if he wants to even break even. It's the (ammo) stock market. It rises and falls. It'll also squeeze the economic of handloading, at least for the most popular of calibers. Cabella's is running another special on Hornady "get loaded" kits, but with .380 under 30c/rd, 9mm under 20c/rd and .223 under 30c/rd, you'd have to shoot a lot or fire the rare and expensive stuff to make it a no-brainer.

Good find. 30c/rd isn't bad at all for .380.

Awesome links and info, thank you! Yea, I had JUST come back from my sister's house in VA over the holidays when the AG announced he was cancelling reciprocity - reciprocity I had used during the entire trip. It majorly pissed off a huge group of politically influential residents of VA who work in and around DC, and it took less than two months to play out in (potentially) the reverse. As a tangent, not to hijack my own thread, I suppose that also means that any of the Oregon ranchers who carried weapons into the facility may also be subject to firearm possession charges since federal law prohibits it. If the feds have pictures and choose to prosecute, all those guys will face some serious time and/or fines in addition to their primary charges.

I know, none of us are lawyers, lawmakers or cops, but I figure the collective here is about as informed, so... As far as I can tell, if you're legally permitted to carry in the encompassing state, you're legit in the state and national forests, with the usual exception of buildings/facilities unless they are separate comfort pavilions. This appears to be true with Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia - the states I ride through the most. In contrast, Maryland's Green Ridge State Forest would NOT be legit because it is doubtful any of us has a recognized permit in MD. http://handgunlaw.us/states/ohio.pdf http://handgunlaw.us/states/pennsylvania.pdf http://handgunlaw.us/states/virginia.pdf Am I interpreting this correctly? Thanks in advance!

Hey Bob, I have a Chicom knockoff you can borrow. I paid $57 with shipping and spent another $20 on extra batteries and a memory card. It comes with a surprising number of mounts and accessories. As far as quality, I'd put it above a Hero 1 and about equal to the Hero 2 (which I also have), but the Hero 3 & 4 smoke it in video and still image quality. Battery life is pretty anemic too, hence the extras. I doubt I'd get a full hour of video with one battery, whereas my Hero 2 will go 2-2 1/2 hours on a charge. What that means is that I'll still use my Hero2 as primary and will mount the Chicom in a secondary position with external mini USB power.

I swear that since I started riding 3 1/2 years ago, I'm now around more concealed and open-carried guns on a weekly basis than I've been around all my life, even with a fire marshal uncle and cop best friend. Not only that, but you bastards made me comfortable getting my own CHL and carry gear. But here's where I'm confused. At what point can I expect one of y'all's gats to look at me funny? I may be a nerd but I still get more nervous when a blonde smiles at me than when I see strangers casually carrying weaponry.

Exactly. And the excitement of building a business is different than the experience of running it after it's gotten to a certain size, even if it is profitable. Nothing wrong with cashing out, catching your breath and figuring out what you want to do in the next chapter of your life.

Ditto. I've been wondering, and hope to hear how you're doing Travis.

Easy - he dropped out of the race.

Downplay it maybe, but not re-tool. Remember, Trump came into the business world a spoiled brat with Daddy's million-dollar backing and has had paid sycophants around him for 30+ years. Every behavior he's shown has been honed over time to micro-adapt to the New York real estate development sector he chose to make a name in. For those of you well-versed in "Business New Yorker" culture, you know what I'm talking about (a decade of working for a Wall Street mega-bank taught me a few things). What you see is who he is, and he sees it as a perfect adaptation that's paid dividend upon dividend. Honestly I think he's bored with real estate and reality TV success and was yearning for something more, like "Carnegie/Morgan/Westinghouse"-esque legacy in public "service." I can't decide which voice I dislike more - Clinton's or Trump's. Unfortunately Rand is now out, and so are my hopes for greater libertarian representation in the White House for 4 more years.

At his age, free feels are free feels!

The best way to abuse a masochist is NOT to hit him... :-D

Well, I decided to bail on the show - been a hell of a busy week and I have another thing Sunday I need to attend. Need to sleep in and collect my scattered soul. Enjoy all, and post impressions and anything cool you see there!

Weird theme, but I'l eventually adapt.

Excellent point Tonik. I've found counseling to be very helpful. It always made me feel like I was doing something about my situation, like I was taking charge.

Travis I'll take a stab at this even though I'm rotten at this sort of thing... I'm guessing because you're a rider, you may be a very proud person, independent at heart and don't want to burden others. My grandpa and dad were very much that way, and I have a very strong streak of it as well. In fact, I pushed away my last GF because of it, but that's another story entirely. Anyway, only you are going to be able to determine what we can help you with because we don't want to disrespect you or make you feel any more hurt by this accident, but at the same time, we do want to help. People like us, trying to help, will make a few mistakes about what to say or do. We might not always be available because of our own obligations, but we'll find ways. And yes, we might accidentally make you uncomfortable just by offering to help because it could remind you of the long road to recovery and maybe coming to terms with some health limitations you never thought you'd have at this age. You might even worry about being felt sorry for or for bringing us down or that you might tear up around us. Or not - I don't know, I'm just casting those out there. The point is that having people to talk with about it, or anything else except the accident - your choice - WILL HELP, I earnestly believe that. In my own case with 4-level cervical stenosis and a scary surgery in Germany, I found it vital to talk with as many people as I could to give the thing a shared reality and extra perspectives to help me think through options. Anyone who knows me could confirm that admitting I couldn't figure it all out on my own was a huge impediment to me until I broke that habit and went the opposite direction. It was a huge breakthrough, and helped me see options and take action that ultimately helped me in untold ways. Honestly, having people to talk to without fear of judgement or pity is huge. Could a few of us meet you in Galion sometime? Or how about a phone call? FaceTime or Skype? I'm not trying to pick you up - LOL - but if you let us get creative, we might be able to broaden your perspective and calm down some of the spiraling that can frankly become obsessing. Like I said, I suck at this, but does any of that connect in any way for the better? - Scott

He's about as authentic as they get, I'll give him credit there. Except for several recent walk-backs now that he's actually competitive... But that's chump change compared to Calculus Clinton.

At one point I wanted to work for a series-2 funded startup company on the east side of the San Fran bay, but even with a generous relo bonus, there's no way I could sustain it, and have time to enjoy the area. That's part of the problem - to make enough money to live there with anything close to Ohio standards of living, you have to work like a slave, which precludes enjoying the location you're paying and working so hard to live in.

It is, unless it's my freedom to happily take liberties with your wealth! {Drum roll} Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week!

I like your thinking, provided you don't have a home to sell if/when the crash occurs and your cash and credit sources aren't tied to market indexes.