redmanfixit

It's true, I'm kind of new to this forum, although I've been lurking for awhile. Hope I don't annoy you but I thought I'd put this up here. I found it clear and to the point. I think that when all the sweetness and the sourness of the human experience is washed away the remaining essence, the core, of the human experience can be reduced to a few simple elements. One of them is: All human relationships are about power and control. Much can be learned about people in your sphere by looking at the relationship an individual, couple or group has with this dynamic. Looking in the mirror while considering this can teach us important things about ourselves. I've seen a lot of interesting threads here with interesting interplay. The text below made something clear to me as a shooter and besides, I spent a LOT of time with the Marines! > The Gun is Civilization by Maj. L. Caudill USMC (Ret) > Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception. Reason or force, that's it. > > In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some. > > > When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force. > The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gang banger, and a single guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender. > There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we'd be more civilized if all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a [armed] mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger's potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat--it has no validity when most of a mugger's potential marks are armed. > People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that's the exact opposite of a civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly. > Then there's the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. > Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser. > People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don't constitute lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of it with a bloody lip at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed, the field is level. > The gun is the only weapon that's as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weight lifter. It simply wouldn't work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn't both lethal and easily employable. > > When I carry a gun, I don't do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I'm looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. > > I don't carry it because I'm afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn't limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation...and that's why carrying a gun is a civilized act. > By Maj. L. Caudill USMC (Ret) > So the greatest civilization is one where all citizens are equally armed and can only be persuaded, never forced. > > > > It's not about Right vs Left, Liberal vs. Conservative, Republican vs. Democrat > > It's about supporting the US Constitution. > >I read this following post here and I need a t-shirt for it. Gun control is NOT about guns, it's about control.

I have sort of thought of it in the movie making perspective. If it's true, as I've heard now and again, that you see your life pass before your eyes at the end, then it can be thought of as a film and YOU are the editor. Moment to moment, you make editing decisions about what's going to be in your movie on the last day and what's on the cutting room floor. It's good to ask yourself a question now and then regarding the script and the editorial policy. At the end will I want to see this film more than once? Or, will I squirm in my seat eyes covered with my hands, peeking out occasionally through the narrow crack between my clenched fingers saying "Oh No not that again!!" In my own case, my skill at the first part of my movie was a little short, but hey, I was a kid it was confusing. The general theme now is "Wow that was a kick in the ass, lets do it again!" I kind of like movies. Bad ones are Hell! "Hey Hey Hey now, don't be mean, don't be mean. Remember, NO Matter where you go, there you are!" Buckaroo Bonzai- Into the Eighth Dimension

This would be a VERY good time to introduce Douglas Adams mythical Babelfish. Could make some money that way. Koreans are remarkably tough and stubborn. Ask a Korean war vet about it! I think the undercurrent is fear of someone that will work that hard and not complain! It would be good for more Americans to be at least bi-lingual, if not poly-glot. At least you need a nodding familiarity with Chinese and Spanish! We WILL be dealing with them. Many of those folks I know are wicked smart! Makes me squirmy! Happens to me a matches when I see someone smooth and fast and I feel the sensation of being slow and clunky. A man who attempts to carry a cat by it's tail, will learn something, that can be learned in no other way! Mark Twain

How does it matter? Except insofar as it illustrates the point that language is a pretty ephemeral way to try and articulate internal experience, or for that matter negotiate the structure of what is real, it doesn't! I think it's interesting that we do it anyway in spite of obvious failures to connect! Must be an antidote to loneliness! :roflol: The good folks at the LPGA seem to have an opinion on that. Whoa!! If I may quote Keanu Reeves. I had a peek there. Looks a little like a fire ant nest right after you stir it up with a stick! Money is interesting stuff. I have offended economists I know by pointing out that it's mostly a way of transferring time back and forth simply. As a result of that energetic load, it attracts vampires if there's too much of it around! Also causes bizzar structures to emerge in space time, whatever that is! http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=70269

As near as I am able to tell "reality" as most people think of it is a consensual hallucination. It is negotiated through nothing more than language. (Is the sensation you call blue on your retina the same as the sensation on my retina that I call blue?) Smoke. We are the little monkeys that name things. What is it possible to know about a thing when what you are allowed is a reflection of photons from a loosely affiliated cloud of particles? This is seeing? We are clouds of probability waves moving among clouds of probability waves. Inventing names. This is a lot like trying to understand how a printing press works by reading a cook book. We can 'kind of' figure out some of the "rules" about how some of the particles move among the other kinds of particles, kind of work....kind of. I think the big question is "What the hell am I looking at?" When you throw away all the power and control bullshit heaped onto the writings of Real Holy men by lesser beings, they consistently say the same things. Don't get too wrapped up in the illusion of material reality, if you do, you miss the point. Isn't it pretty? Be nice to one another. Have a nice time. Watch closely now!! Now, if I could just learn to concentrate! I might be able to forget what I was taught about "reality" and figure out what I'm looking at here! Jeez, ya believe ANYTHING when you're a kid! Not that I'm mad about it or anything, they meant well. THEY thought it was real. And my front sight, if I could just remember to look at that without distraction! Press, don't jerk. If I do figure out what I'm looking at, am I still allowed to be here? It is pretty. Isn't it? When they figure out you don't see things the way they do, they'll come, they always do. They will think it's real too. They always have! "Always store your clothing and weapons where they can easily be found in the dark." Lazarus Long

Carpool to matches. Turns out one of the best parts about this sport are the interesting people that are attracted to it. This will force you to talk to people to avoid uncomfortable silence. You may find yourself actually talking to the person instead of about something. It creates the danger of having more fun. Walk more. Most of us need more exercise anyway. Stay home and make ammo, practice kinesthetics (dry fire and practice your draw.) I suppose you could clean your gun too! One place is pretty much the same as another. Do we really need to GO as much as we do? Sit. You probably need to do it more anyway. If we get together and quit sending boatloads of money to people that hate us, will it come out badly? Really DO some Yoga, it will improve your shooting and disposition. "Always store Beer in a dark place!" Lazarus Long

I have a 1911 I often run because I like to shoot single stack. It has XS sights with tritium inserts for low light combat matches. I picked the smallest dot option because of the concern about accurate targeting. It took time to get used to them but they work well for most events except steel shooting. I need a more exact sight picture on the smaller iron at longer distances. They are wonderful in low light scenarios and with flashlight. Speed is only a question of money. How fast do you want to go? Sign in the outback. Mad Max

I guess I'll toss in my 2 cents! As you know, the official party line from Glock is use only factory jacketed ammunition. IMHO I think this is as much because there are too many lawyers in the world that will take ANY thing and argue ANY point they think will get them some money. Reloading MUST be done with care. Read directions and be sure you understand them. Get a chronograph and use it. Learn about pressure sign. Be conservative. OK there are the admonishments. I shoot lead cast bullets that I make from lead I recover from shooting ranges. Yes this has hazards. Not least among them is lead poisoning. Applying intelligence and applying the results of research carefully, manages hazards. I shoot a G21SF (.45ACP) with a factory barrel. IPSC power factor 170 for 225gr RN. I have NO leading problem. I will often run a thousand rounds between cleanings. Generally the higher the velocity of the round the stronger the alloy the bullet has to be made from. Hardness does not equal strength. There is excellent information on bullet strength and lubrication in the Lee Second Edition Reloading manual. Mr. Lee has been in the business for a LONG time and I have had excellent results with Lee bullet molds and techniques. If you want to buy bullets, check out Leadheads Bullets in St. John KS. There is a website for Leadheads and Tommy is an interesting guy. Read about his bullets and the alloy he uses. I have shot thousands of his slugs and they perform as advertised. The biggest problem with lead shows up in higher velocity cartridges like .40 S&W or .357 Sig. Any of these type should probably be gas checked or plated at least. The forces trying to take the bullet apart are ferocious! Hot propellants erode the bullet base and make the problem worse. If you pick a medium speed propellant, less heat, less erosion. When you hand load, PAY ATTENTION, double charges can blow up your blaster!! Squib loads will too, with surprising ferocity! There is excellent equipment out there and gizmos that will add safety to your operation. If I didn't hand load I don't think I would be able to afford to shoot. "The ONLY capital crime in nature is stupidity! The victim can't help being stupid, it can't be cured by education or legislation. The sentence is death, carried out swiftly and without mercy. " Robert Heinlein- Time Enough for Love- The sayings of Lazarus Long-

I am a sparky! Electronic ballasts do not flicker or hum as they are essentially switching power supplies. Instant on and nice light. Brighter too! Less power by a lot. They use T8 lamps. (Skinny ones) Pay close attention to the color temperature of the lamp. If you get daylight balanced lamps for these there is almost no discernible difference between the lamp and daylight. You'll see better in that light. Read the package end label and see what lamp it requires. Usually it will say on the outside of the box so you don't have to open it in the store. Always IQ test people behind counters and in the isles at self serve stores before you believe what they tell you. Say something funny, try to speak to the actual person behind the apron. You can be polite and do it, just look for cow face. You know, blank eyes and mouth slightly open, maybe a wet corner on the mouth. Find someone else to talk to! Here in the future a hair trigger bullshit detector is essential for survival!!

I'm probably a knuckle dragger here but my favorite general load is a 230gr rd nose on top of Unique. 5 gr with a Wolf large pistol primer. It IS a little smoky but it's fairly cheap. I tend to pick propellants that I can use for as many different loads as possible so I don't have too many different kinds of stuff in stock. I get good consistency and it makes major power factor. Unique is good for shotgun loads and I can use it to load slugs. Redmanfixit

WOW! I won something!! OK I've been lurking here for awhile. I was out of shooting for a long time. I came back to it about a year and a half ago (so happy!) things have sure changed. I stick mostly to not too tricked out guns. I'm starting to get a decent clue about how to run a pistol. I shot a match over the weekend and won an XD 5" tactical 9mm. (not because I'm that good, just lucky). I like the gun and I have decided to keep it and run it. However the trigger is dreadful! (Even my wife thinks so!) I very likely won't mess with it too much, because I like to shoot so many different games and I don't want to DQ myself for Steel Challenge, IDPA or production IPSC. No optical sights, no comps, probably not even a mag well. I would appreciate some suggestions on "where and what" to make this lucky gift I got NOT a lawyer gun but one that won't keep me from shooting well. Since I joined this site I've seen so many good suggestions from so many smart people I thought it might get me right to the point! So many GIZMOS and Doodads here in the future!! As a short background. I LOVE 1911A1's I was a Navy Corpsman for a long time. I have a Glock 21sf and I really like it and enjoy shooting it. Shooting is pure fun for me but my root reason is about staying alive in a gunfight! Whatyathink folks! Redmanfixit! Good suggestions! I've seen the Springer sear and snooped around for best price on the net. I have seen some confusing sites. I think I need the sear and a particular trigger bar as well as a few springs. I'm not a gunsmith, but I am competent with hand tools and I have fit a 1911 safety before. Since the gun is new to me, I haven't taken it apart yet. Of course the manual says don't. Usually that is irresistible to me and I will have to take it apart. I can buy the sear from Brownells in the white but no trigger bar or springs! What is the best path??