smccrory

Excellent American Rifleman article on the subject: http://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2013/12/17/why-weve-had-an-ammunition-shortage/

Anyone here work for Halliburton?

Wow. I'd love to hear the details but I think it's best we curb our curiosity until your legal matters are settled. Really glad you're alive and add mine to an offer to help in some way.

Honestly I haven't a clue, but I'm guessing that among the millennials, smart phones are tables stakes for even just a flirt. Or an ironic beard.

I somewhat understand that tunnel. I was in a darker place than I'm willing to admit leading up to 4-level cervical spine surgery a couple months ago. But I won't pretend to understand what you're up against.

From hot women, probably. Waka waka.

Absolutely, and... FWIW I've worked in the financial industry for 16 years (in I.T., but privy to how banks and investment houses make money). If you use a professional brokerage house with an adviser that takes 1% of your portfolio holdings for give you professional advice, then pay another 1-2% in front-loaded acquisition fees, then pay another 1-2% in management fees (expense ratios) on the stocks you buy, you need to make 3-5% just to break even. That may not seem like a lot with a tiny portfolio in aggressive investments where you're largely gambling on making (or losing) big, but with large balances usually found in IRAs, even (of not especially) when you're highly diversified, you're essentially giving 3-5% of your value away every year. I.e. with a $100,000 IRA, that's several thousand dollars a year. It didn't take me long to chafe, even knowing that my then-employer was benefiting from the arrangement, which secondarily improved my stock price. A better alternative (for me anyway) has been to stick with index funds with very low management fees. Vanguard and Fidelity have some of the lowest, especially with their SP500 funds, but other low-cost ETFs are available as well - you just have to look at their holding classifications, expense ratios, historical performance compared to peer funds and pick sets that make the most sense for your risk appetite. For me at 48, that means a lot of Vanguard SP500, some small and medium cap index funds and a "target retirement year" fund that auto-scales its risk stance year after year, from more aggressive to more conservative as I age. I'm leaving out some details but that's the majority of my investment strategy and it's doing as well for me as I need. I'm delighted not to lose several grand/yr on dubious management advice and I'm OK not having to chase the latest hot stock every month, day or hour.

Not yet either, but I have my eyes on pannier mounts, a 1-gal rotopax, and dry bags for my DR650.

Gotcha. Yea, side cases on a V-Strom seemed (to me anyway) to give it a fat arse and takes away from its sport-like curvy lines that I appreciate. Plus it makes it awfully wide in the garage. Maybe that's different with the FZ1, which I sort of recall having a more slender waist - LOL.

I know this may not answer your question directly, but maybe my thinking will help. I got an E450 top case (very similar to your E460 option) and I leave it attached 99.9% of the time, mainly because I also added an "Admore" lighting kit that supplements running, stop and turn signal lights for better visibility - I really don't want to get rear-ended. It also acts as a backrest for pillion riding and has enough storage to put my full-face helmet plus water, earplugs, backup maps, first aid, energy bars and other crap, or I can stick a gallon of milk and a few other things in there when running errands. The only time I remove the top box is when I plan to be on rougher gravel and dirt road rides and only need what I can lash down in a small dry bag (so as not to beat up my E450). So for me, the ability to use a side case as a top case didn't matter, since I wanted to light up the top case. Note that Admore does have a kit for the E460s: http://www.admorelighting.com/top-mounts/Givi-E360-E460-top-case-LED-light-kit-TS Once that was decided, I went with V35 side panniers because I love how they hug the bike more than square ADV-style ammo cases that everyone else seems to put on their Stroms, BMW GSes, Teneres, etc. I say this because the FZ1 has similar flowing lines. I didn't get a lighting kit for those because it would have felt excessive after lighting my top case. Yea, the V35s have less space than the E360Ns, but I only use them when traveling. I can easily pack for 3-4 days using only the three cases if I'm not camping. If I do camp, I use my pillion spot for a tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, tarp, etc. It works out well. Anyway, I'm sure you'll be happy either way, but if you ever wanted to light up your cases, you won't need (or be able to use) convertibility from side to top.

Reminds me of a game I played with my nephew last weekend while he held an unloaded M9. I moved around him while he kept the muzzle pointed away from me and in a safe direction. Got funny at one point. He did well. I told him to imagine a flesh-cutting laser always shining from the nose of the gun.

You're right, there's no chance this will pass with a republican congress but I disagree about its prospects with a Dem majority. It appears that Dems are betting they'll gain political points with their base for the 2016 election, by looking like they're trying to curb gun violence, while the GOP stonewalls. They may try to use it to argue for a congressional sweep, believing their proposal to be "common sense." I say let it go to the floor and for the chips to fall where they may. There's a lot that can be said and done to show exactly how this DOES move us towards emaciating the 2A, creation of a gun registry and ultimate confiscation, and I can't imagine that being fruitful to the Dems in any way except for the most left of fringes. Still, worth writing your reps and keeping up with the NRA's strategy and timing.

I'm glad you're taking it that way - it's a vote of confidence in YOUR ability to use the only real safety guns have - the human brain. But like I said, if a manual external safety rings your bell, go for it and train a lot, that's all - you'll be in good (Colt 1911) company. In either case, practice at home with thousands of draw-to-fire exercises (with the ammo put away of course!). I had the exact same concern, but once I started to carry an unloaded pistol around the house for several weeks, practicing my draws, re-holstering, etc. knowing that any mistake would only result in a silent mea culpa (which never happened), then I moved up to carrying a full mag without anything chambered and then finally full hot. For me, it was a progressive confidence builder that started with minimal risk and added just a layer at a time. Now I see my holster as my external safety, so to speak, and now none of my pistols have external levers on them to avoid flubbing up a draw in an emergency. The gun only leaves its holster when I'm preparing to shoot, unload or transition to another holster, always pointed in a safe direction of course and double-checked after unloading and before handling, even if just a few minutes have elapsed between phases and especially if it's left my sight and hands. Ever handled raw meat in the kitchen for even just a second, and your hands feel toxic until you wash them with hot water and soap? Or you avoid touching your eyes after handling hot peppers? Or your shoes smell like poop after walking through a bark park until you're sure they're clean? That's a lot like how guns feel to me until I've confirmed they are unloaded and they stay in my control that way. You intentionally create almost a neurological obsession about the gun's condition so that it sinks down into instinct. Others here probably have a far better description, but that's how I relate to it.

On a side note, rebates are highly profitable for manufacturers, retailers and card processors. Hopefully that tells you something.

It's ok to want a manual safety but if you do, TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN TRAIN on flipping that off during a draw until it becomes like breathing or else you'll lose 1-3 seconds in a fight figuring out what didn't happen. I've seen more people in defensive handgun classes flub up their simulated drills because of that than I've seen NDs (zero). If you keep a chambered pistol in a trigger guard-covering holster and exercise finger discipline, you won't ND, proven by millions of CHLs packing Glocks and such every day. The 9S/9Spro would be an excellent pick. I don't agree that the 40 shoots similarly and find the extra kick and weight to be unnecessary for a discrete carry piece, but that's just my opinion. I think if you're going to sling a 40, get a CM45 for similar capacity, recoil and weight for bigger holes.

+1 on the LC9S, PF9, CM9 (or CW9) and M&P subcompact 9. I have no idea why anyone would carry a .40 when so many great 9mm options are out there. Heck, might as well carry a .45 at that point, like a CM45 or Glock 30 - bigger holes with similar recoil to a 40. But 9mm is a far better carry package in my opinion. Critical Defense, Golden Saber and other great defensive rounds reset the 9mm debate.

Yes, .44 Mag rated and will also feed .44 spl as long as they're not super short. The block design is really strong - has the ascending dual block locks like the original Winchesters had. Many shooters are putting Hornandy LeverEvolution rounds through theirs at around $1.10/rd: http://www.hornady.com/store/44-Mag-225-gr-FTX-LEVERevolution/ while others are hunting with .70/rd soft points. Not cheap to shoot unless you reload, but I don't have interest in reloading yet.

I'm not surprised and I'm not under the illusion this'll be a slam-dunk, no issue project. I might even end up removing the buckhorn rear sight and mounting a low-profile red dot if my middle-aged eyes can't cope. I'll feel a lot less awful about customizing a Rossi than an old Winchester or pricey Alberti. I bet I'll get this rifle looking and operating nicely though. Call it my "Taming of the Shrew / Pygmalion" project for the winter.

Interesting, thanks. I bet you and your son will enjoy that muzzle loader - I've only seen others have a great time with them. Gotta love stainless too. A .44 Mag or .357 mag round in a handgun is a force to behold - heck, the concussion wave alone is jarring. Much less so in a rifle, but from what I've seen, it's still akin to a Mosin Nagant 91/30 or Enfield .303 based on the recoil charts. I wrung my knuckles over whether to get the .357 or .44 but in the end decided to man up and enjoy that fat nearly-45 caliber broadside. I'm sort of depending on softer .44 Special loads to be merciful when plinking at the range, while still having .44 Mag LeverEvolution power available. It's likely I'll sew in padding to a leather wrap butt pad.

Wow Bob, that's freakish. I'll be sure to check mine too before next ride, just to be sure. Glad you found such an easy to fix issue! I had this with a '76 CB125S I rehabilitated but never with a modern bike that only sat for a few weeks.

Brought home a stainless Rossi M92 lever action rifle yesterday in .44 magnum/.44 Special, 16" length. I took the best of four available. Fit and finish is typical Taurus/Rossi - passable but nothing to write home about, but I intentionally bought it as a starting point for a refinishing project. An Alberti or Henry would have been lovely but twice the cost and 2 lbs extra weight, so I didn't feel it. I plan to redo the stocks with a gazillion coats of Tru-Oil, carefully file and polish parts of its guts, replace the mag spring and follower and make a leather butt pad & lever wrap. Should be fun and end up with a different kind of range shooter with the option to hunt with it next season if I want (Ohio permits straight-walled cartridges). At 5 lbs, it's gonna kick hard like a shotgun, but .44 Specials should be much easier on the shoulder.

Merry Christmas to you too douchebag.

Anyone got a .357 or .44 magnum lever-action rifle to sell? It's a type I don't own and am looking around for deals. PM me if you have a Winchester 94 or Henry you'd like to part with; I might consider a Marlin 1894 or 336 as well. This weekend I watched my 9th grader nephew shoot trap (he did well) and advised my brother-in-law on his first centerfire handgun. He had a hard-on for a Beretta M9, so we found a great sample for a decent price (for Virginia anyway). Also signed up my daughter and her boyfriend for NRA memberships and picked up a couple more extended mags for an AR, LCP and 10/22.

My investment strategy is about cost averaging with ultra low expense ratio index funds. And some mad money too, maybe 10%. To me, everything else is white collar gambling or insider trading, and I'm too close to the financial sector to even remotely risk doing the latter.

I've had similar exchanges with people adamant about open carry. It's not about what's legal and righteous, but about decorum and not giving statists reason to froth.