38superman

I'm sure everyone has encountered idiots behind the wheel, probably far too often. Yesterday while returning home for the weekend, I met yet another. I was on a four lane highway and headed up a steep mountain grade. I was in the fast lane and moving at least the speed limit (55), perhaps even a tad faster. There are always underpowerd cars on this stretch of road that are in the right lane and moving slowly up the mountain. I was closing on one of these slower vehicles when I looked in my rear view mirror to discover a guy right on my bumper. Now ordinarily I will move over and let someone pass as soon as the right lane opens up, but this guy wasn't going to wait. He came around and passed me on the right, swerving back in front of me as the gap closed to little more that a car length. I really didn't think he was going to make it. It was an awesome display of impatience and recklessness. After the reckless endangerment of himself and everone else on the highway, he had the audacity to offer me the middle finger salute before speeding off. Pardon me for taking up space on your highway pal. Tls

What is the standard sidearm for the British military? After all, he is a Commander in the Royal Navy. The Walther was certainly his signature weapon. I'm sure it was considered "exotic" when Iam Fleming wrote "Goldfinger" or "Thunderball". Now, raise your hand if you would like to face down the bad guys with a .25 or even a PPK. Maybe it's time to bring Bond into the 21st century. Even 007 cool has its limits. Tls

Should be something British or at the very least, European. I believe there was a scene in one of the Pierce Brosnan movies (Diamonds are Forever?) in which he was cleaning his gun when a firefight broke out. It turned out to be a holographic training exercise. If I remember correctly, the gun appeared to be a Sig or possibly and H&K. It seemed to fit him well and looked very natural in his hand. I'll go with Sig Tls

I'm not surprised Steve, I've seen you shoot. Congratulations. Tls

Lee, You have to start somewhere. Since you seem to gravitate toward the 1911 platform I will suggest this. Start your action pistol career with a good 1911 Single Stack in .40 or .45 Your 10mm would work but has a lot of recoil and ammo is cost prohibitive. I would suggest a high end single stack 1911 such as an STI Trojan or comparable Springfield-Armory model. You could pick up a new STI Spartan for as little as $650 Either would be fine for competition out of the box without investing a small fortune. A good smith can make enhancements to them as far as your wallet will take you if you are so inclined. This route would permit you to shoot IDPA or IPSC. If you choose IPSC, you can shoot in the Single Stack Division or get some 10 round mags and shoot in Limited 10. This is where many IPSC shooters started, myself included. Once you have been competing for a while you will figure out if you want to stay in the division where you started or move into one of the high cap divisions. That would be the time to start thinking about the ultimate gun. When you get to that point you won't need anyone else to tell you what it is. You will know. Tony

I loved "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". I thought it was the funniest thing I ever read, made even better by the illustrations. IMHO, nothing else he ever wrote even came close. It could have just as easily been titled: "Burned Out Ex-Hippies That Couldn't Let Go of the 60's Drug-Based Counterculture Gone Wild (in Vegas)" Unfortunately, that's a lot to fit on the cover of a paper back. The movie doesn't begin to do justice to the book. There's a little Dr. Gonzo in us all. Tony

I expect to make GM in the Thompson Contender division in 2018. What's more, I will do it as a super senior. Tls P.S. I am a traditionalist. I may break down and put a C-More on my Contender but I insist on a steel frame and wooden grip. I will never shoot a T/C with a polymer frame. A man has to have principles.

I don't want to drift too far but the last two posts raise an interesting question. We have always placed an emphasis on bringing new shooters into the fold. I would be curious to know exactly what expectations people had when they started this. It might yield some interesting insight. A few years back my recreation revolved around my Harley. Financial issues forced me to give up the bike and I was looking for a new hobby. There was a local IPSC club available and I decided that competition shooting might be a good way to replace the time I used to spend riding motorcycles. I joined IPSC as a casual shooter just looking for some R&R. Now I am hooked. My only expectation is to keep working to improve. Focus on that and the rest will take care of itself. Tls

Nationals is the premier event in the US each year. Beyond that, the Fla Open is a big match, lots of good competition with at least 10 interesting stages and very nice facility. Stay a couple of extra days and make the match part of a great vacation. If I could only choose one, its Nationals. If I couldn't get a slot for Nats my next choice would be the Florida Open. Other favorites: Area 6 (Big match with lots of competitors and high round count, always draws top talent) Tennessee State Georgia State Mississippi Classic Tls

Why would anyone who is lefthanded and left eye dominant put themselves through the anguish of trying to turn the weak hand into the strong hand? If you're left handed, shoot with your left hand. What's the problem? Tls

You gotta go with what feel comfortable to you, no matter what anyone else says. It's worth pointing out though that if you you use a straight thumbs grip that rides the shooting hand thumb on top of the safety lever, manipulating the thumb safety adds zero time to your draw stroke, and requires zero conscious thought to manipulate the safety from Safe to Fire. Instead the thumb safety just comes off automatically (pun intended) from your hand position. Duane I agree with you 100%. When I shoot in competition, taking the safety off is second nature. I'm not even aware I'm doing it. However, I'm not sure it would be quite so effortless when facing someone who's about to part my skull with a hollow point. That will flat out rattle some people. I'd just as soon take the safety out of the equation. That way I only have to worry about changing my shorts. Tls

I would be most concerned that some of the primer strikes are centered and some are not. It appears the gun is not going into battery in a uniform manner. This gun has a factory defect of some kind and should go back to the factory. S&W has always shown me exceptional service with warranty and repair issues and I have no doubt they will take care of it quickly. I once sent them a DA auto that was 20 years old. It had functioned flawlessly over the years but finally devoloped a feeding problem. Upon inspection the gun was fine but the springs in the magazines were worn out. My bad. I shouldn't have kept the magazines in service for two decades without replacing the springs. S&W took it upon themselves to refurbish the gun with all new internal parts and springs. They shipped the gun back to me with along with (5) brand new magazines. The only charge to me was for (1) magazine. Tls

The Glock vs 1911 debate never stops or even slows down. I vote for both. I shoot a 2011 in competition because I love the trigger. IMHO, there's nothing like a well tuned 1911 trigger. However, It wouldn't be my first choice for a carry gun. I want my carry gun ready to shoot the moment I wrap my hands around it. It's reasonable to assume I wouldn't be reaching for it except in dire circumstances. I expect adrenaline to be coursing through my veins like a white hot magnesium flare. I'm not comfortable carrying cocked and locked. I don't want to take the time to rack the slide. I don't want to have to deal with an external safety. Better to be focused on the threat and not the gun. That's why I carry an XD 9mm service model. I never cared for feel of a Glock, but I wouldn't hesitate to carry one if I didn't already have an XD. Haven't tried the S&W yet but I hear good things about it. Each style has redeeming qualities and I want to use whatever fits the situation best. Tls

I was speaking in the context of storing powder and primers in a shed where there is no climate control. I have never experienced or even heard of powder or primers spontaneously igniting, even at temps well over 100 deg. I routinely keep as many as 10-15k of primers on hand and I don't feel comfortable keeping them in the house. In the case of a house fire they would put my family at greater risk and create an unacceptable hazard to firefighters. Years ago I was living in Kansas City when a fire truck rolled up to a burning trailer on a construction site. Before they even got out of their vehicle explosives in the trailer detonated and killed all six men. I will not be a party to that sort of thing happening again. I can see where exceptionally hot ammo might cause excessive pressure when fired in a weapon. Can you tell us a little more about how this happened to you? Tls

My loading bench and all compontents are in a storage shed. Components are subjected to whatever temperatures the Alabama climate can produce. Temps from 10 degrees in winter to 110 (or more) in summer have never created a problem for the ammo or the equipment..........just problems for the operator. If bullet components couldn't stand up to extreme temperatures, small arms ammo wouldn't be very useful to the military. I expect ammo gets pretty warm in Iraq. It's not a problem. Don't worry be happy. Tls

Interesting. I know that gunpowder if kept in a cool dry place will last many years. However it does break down at some point over long periods of time. Otherwise, why do all the loading manuals discuss how to spot powder that has deteriorated and should be discarded? Granted, time was not the issue here but I never knew that powder could survive getting wet. Tls

20000 rounds of 45? That's roughly 800 lbs of ammo. My reloading bench would sink right through the floor of my workshop. Tls

Am I to understand that powder that was left outdoors and exposed to the elements for more than a year still was chemically intact enough to ignite? I would not have expected that. The powder must have been soaking wet dozens of times. Doesn't the stuff break down and decompose at some point? Tls

Yeah, that too.

+1 If you want to give your 1911/2011's a good home, I will take them in. I promise to feed them regularly, keep them warm and dry, and treat them with the respect and dignity they deserve. Tls

Match DVD of the 06 Tennessee Sectional is now ready and available. Anyone that wants to purchase a copy can send me a PM to make arrangements. Tony

I am fond of the 200 gr. Montana Gold .40 It is not totally RN but it is close. The flat point is very small and shouldn't be much different from a true RN for most purposes. Tls

I don't usually keep many thousands of rounds on hand. I typically have 500 to 1000 rounds on hand for each of my competition guns at any given time. That is enough for a major match, a couple of local matches or a few practice sessions. Once I burn it up I go immediately back to my press and replace it. I rarely wait until the last minute to load ammo. I don't like to be rushed and if there is a problem or break down I want time to react to it. Tls

Hello. My name is Tony and I too am a Gunaholic. It was terrible. My dealer had 4473 forms pre-printed with my name and address already on them. I have been gun purchase free for almost a year now. It has been difficult but I just take it one day a time. I'm usually okay as long as I don't smell burning gunpowder. However, one good whiff of Hoppes No.9 and I'm off the wagon. I just can't take it. Tls

I don't notice the smoke when I am shooting. However, it is there and there is quite a bit of it. When going back and looking at match video it is quite apparent that my gun is smoking a lot more than most other shooters. It doesn't bother my shooting, I just don't want to be breathing it. If I had a blood test for lead my doctor would probably slap me when he saw the results. Tony