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    Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
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  • Today marks the 24th anniversary of 9/11. I pray that this nation does not forget the loss of lives from this horrible event. Yesterday conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was murdered, and I worry about what is to come. Please love one another and your family in these trying times - Spark

Random Thought Thread

madcap_magician said:
Today I am getting a free gun (sorta).

When my ex-wife and I divorced we were on better terms than we are now, and I left her my Glock 19 for a house gun because it was the only one of my guns she could shoot and have some hope of hitting her target.

I have missed that gun because it was not just a G19, it was a reworked by Lou Biondo of Business End Customs, who I do not believe is taking work requests for polymer guns anymore because he got real big as a 1911 smith.

Anyway, I'd given it up for dead in the five years since my divorce, but half an hour ago she calls and says that she had been keeping it at a friend's house who had a gun safe, and that friend was moving somewhere and can't keep it anymore. My ex has a lot of small kids and no safe of her own, and it has apparently either not occurred to her that she could have sold it, or she was actually trying to be decent, but she asked if I wanted it back, since she is not comfortable keeping it in her house.

So now I get back a customized G19 that I thought was long gone!
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Great to hear!! Now sell it and get a CZ !!
 
Day old news . . .

the 49ers got their a$$es kicked by KC :( but the Astros swept the Yankees in the ALCS. 🥳

Don't have a strong connection to either the Phillies or the Astros but would like to see Dusty Baker (who has a connection to the SF Giants -- as a player, coach and manager) add a WS victory to his accomplishments as a manager. So, I guess I'll be rooting for the Astros.

Win it for Dusty! 😎
 
Lorien said:
seems legit
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Strategic oil reserve? Sounds like they should rename it hours long reserve.

Deese told Bloomberg TV that “all options are on the table” to build supplies and reduce retail prices. Here are some of the steps available:
• The administration could release 1 million barrels of fuel from its strategic fuel reserves in the Northeast. That could help the region in a pinch, but the relatively small volume available in the diesel reserve means the relief won’t last very long: At the current national demand level, 1 million barrels of fuel will be gone in less than 6 hours.
 
benchrest308 said:
Congratulations on the new job tinfoil hat timmy tinfoil hat timmy !
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Thanks man. It's odd that learning how this shop wants us to clock into jobs, inspection plans and frequency and even just the layout of the place... learning that stuff is way more mentally fatiguing than being put on machines I'm not 100% familiar with.

Tomorrow will be better. Today was exhausting.
 
Smithhammer said:
Agreed. And for anyone interested in the subject, I'd highly recommend the Outside article linked below, interviewing Tom Smith. When I first read it a few years ago, it was a real eye-opener for me, and caused me to seriously re-evaluate a number of my cherished beliefs when it came to bear spray (and firearms) with bears.
------------------------------------------------

Fact #1: Bear spray is 98 percent effective.

Fact #2: Your odds of being injured by a bear while carrying a firearm are the same as if you’re carrying no defense at all.

I’ve always taken the scientific studies that arrived at those two conclusions as gospel. And I’ve written articles repeating their findings while arriving at the invariable conclusion that bear spray is better than a firearm when it comes to defending against a bear attack. But you know what? I was wrong.

“There was no thought of comparing the two [studies], though some do that,” says Tom Smith, who authored both reports, titled the “Efficacy of Bear Deterrent Spray in Alaska” and “Efficacy of Firearms for Bear Deterrence in Alaska.”

Yet many people—including me, obviously—have compared the results of those two studies. And that, according to Smith, was never his intention...

www.outsideonline.com

Does Bear Spray Work?

The science is clear, right? Not so fast, according to, well, science.
www.outsideonline.com www.outsideonline.com
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Finally got the time to read the link. Thanks for posting that. It pretty much sums up what I've read (specifically regarding bear attacks vs curious bears); the bear spray effectiveness has been over exaggerated, while the firearms effectiveness has been deliberately skewed.

The point about training and proficiency is a good one, though. I tried Bill Drills (draw and fire 6 shots) going for A-zone at 7 yards, with a G20 with Underwood 200gr Hardcast loads.

I was surprised to find that despite the Underwood being rated at 7XX ft-lbs vs typical 9mm around 300 ft-lbs, my splits were only ~0.02 seconds slower vs a G17 (~0.15 - 0.16 second splits vs ~0.12 - 0.14).
 
bluemax_1 said:
Finally got the time to read the link. Thanks for posting that. It pretty much sums up what I've read (specifically regarding bear attacks vs curious bears); the bear spray effectiveness has been over exaggerated, while the firearms effectiveness has been deliberately skewed.

The point about training and proficiency is a good one, though. I tried Bill Drills (draw and fire 6 shots) going for A-zone at 7 yards, with a G20 with Underwood 200gr Hardcast loads.

I was surprised to find that despite the Underwood being rated at 7XX ft-lbs vs typical 9mm around 300 ft-lbs, my splits were only ~0.02 seconds slower vs a G17 (~0.15 - 0.16 second splits vs ~0.12 - 0.14).
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Bear spray can be great for inquisitive bears, and some folks swear by it. I always find it strange how some people feel so safe having bear spray while it is clipped to a backpack or otherwise not quickly accessed or discharged. Same goes for handgun folks- many don’t practice drawing the weapon and many ranges do not allow drawing and firing due to safety concerns. Lots of hikers and trail walkers here carry bear spray and it is a great aggressive dog/person deterrent. Some areas here do not allow firearms, so spray is next best thing. I do feel that spray is safer than a gun if the person is not comfortable or trained. Be aware of surroundings, carry what you are comfortable with, are accurate with, and use the correct ammunition for the potential target, and hopefully never need the gun or spray.

BTW G20’s are numerous up here but recommendation is to have a supported barrel and heavier spring for the hotter loads.

Stay safe!
 
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