Zell959

No worries. Was sarcasm. I found the notion that some needs to be good at something BEFORE they do it painfully stupid. Back to the match itself, anyone have a particularly good memory and recall the specifics of which stage was which? I recall pretty much tanking on two stages, but my score sheet tells me it was a few more than that and I just can't remember what each one was. -The speed of the stage 6 times tells me that it must have been the pistol stage with three targets real close together -Stage 7 must have been the purely shotgun stage given that the overwhelming majority of people don't have any points down on it -Stage 2 was definetly the one where you had to shoot the rows of zombies then pull the dummy to trigger a swinging hostage shot. I know that for certain because my buddy's optic set up made that his worst stage of the day with at least 6 FTNs and stage 2 is his highest time.

Yes, your high horse. You're talking down to people as if you know much better than they do. More examples to come in quotes below You're claiming moral high ground on the basis of safety issues you haven't actually articulated in any sort of detail, so you're not really in the realm of what constitutes constructive criticism. Nothing in the videos or stated on the thread demonstrates that anyone who shot in the event doesn't take gun safety extremely seriously. It is possible to use a firearm one is not familiar with in a safe manner if the proper controls are in place. Claiming anyone who disagrees with you is doing so because they don't care about safety is a cheesy ad-hominem tactic. Annnnnd there's that high horse he was talking about.

Exactly. Only an idiot trys to do anything they're not already good at

If I come across a similar deal, I'll probably buy that too. The runtime on this one is definitely a shortcoming, but that almost makes it easier for me to make it a dedicated HD never-leaves-my-bedroom light, particularly at that price point. I had wanted to buy a weapon light for a while, but the thought of an $85 flashlight that just sits in my safe all day when I already paid $90 for a TLR1 that does the same thing wasn't appealing, so this deal definitely hit the spot. I can certainly see how the low runtime & 3 CR123A battery need is a downside, and that is probably one of the reasons Surefire decided to discontinue this one [which I imagine is the root cause of this sale].

Sure. Runtime is a little low at an hour for 3 CR123As, so I'm actually thinking it'll be a good canditate for my AR15 mounted light since that won't see a lot of day to day use, but needs to be as reliable as possible. Honestly, I was just really happy at being able to buy a surefire NIB that doesn't go on a keychain for only $30.

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=519092&cm_cat=CheckoutConfirm&cm_pla=ProductDescrip Ends 9/30

I sort of share some of Joelk & Shane's thoughts. Two other things stood out to me with the 'number of hits' section. 1) "We tell our military folks to be prepared to hit an enemy fighter from 3-7 times with 5.56 ball, traveling at over 3,000 feet per second...." Is that actually true? I'm skeptical 2) "With handguns, and with expanding bullets, it is even more unpredictable, but through years of study I have developed a general formula, subject to the above mentioned unpredictable circumstances." "2-3 hits with a .45 4-6 with a .40 5-8 with a 9mm " "With a revolver, the rounds are not necessarily more effective but I would practice shooting 3 in a .38 or .357 merely because I want 3 left for other threats. Not that those next three won’t follow quickly if the target hasn’t changed shape around my front sight blade. A .41, .44 or .45 Colt I would probably drop to two. Once again, they are not that much more effective than a .45 Auto but I don’t have the bullets to waste." I feel like he's using the word "formula" because he thinks it'll make his advice seem more credible, but the figures he's sharing don't read like the output of a true formula, so it just makes it seem like he created the 'data' as opposed to discovering it through research. Also, deterining how many shots of each caliber is likely to stop a gun fight is a notion he himself has ALREADY discredited by that point in the article. I mean, I'm not calling the guy an idiot, but I just don't know how useful the information he's offering really can be to someone. Are there people with a poor grasp of terminal ballistics that might benefit from some of what's discussed in the article? Sure. Are such people likely to read the article & take it's advice under consideration? Probably not. They're generally ignorant for a reason. While a certain percentage may eventually do some research & come around, I don't see this authors take on the subject as particularly unique or more able to shed light on the subject than any other currently available articles/studies on defensive shooting/ammunition/etc. P.S.: No insult intended to OP for posting article. Just wanted to throw out some thoughts on it.

Yup

Eh, I'm incline to disagree. 1) IDPA equipment rules? Nope. Direct quote from pre-match communication: "Any kit will be allowed as long as it's safe. Go nuts, remember this is a zombie match." "Pistols must be worn on strong side hip or leg..." 2) IDPA targets or scoring zones used? Nope. All specialty zombine targets & non-IDPA criteria for scoring (regardless of actual interpretation implemented) 3) Stages designed per IDPA guidelines? Not even possible due to targets used, some of which included threat & non-threat on the same target. 4) Need to use cover stressed during rules meeting? Nope. Quite the opposite as "zombies don't shoot back" Given the above, as well as the overall tone of the rules meeting which stressed "having fun", it's sort of arbitrary to expect shooters to figure out on their own what potential IDPA guidelines might possibly still appy in a match that already bore little resemblence to standard IDPA competition. Calling procedural errors for dropping a magazine with ammunition or not reloading from cover when someone is headshoting a non-standard zombie target while wearing pounds of gear that isn't IDPA legal anway is like telling a kid he can eat all the candy he wants for dinner and yelling at him for forgetting that every meal should include a full serving of fruits & vegetables. The original reasoning for the guildeline is kind of moot at that point.

Ended up in a different group that most of the NJGF crew. My friend & I were with the shorter RO who has some sort of green dragon/snake/etc tatto on his leg. I was the bigger guy with the group that was just behind your group right around when you elected to give up on the AK and call it a day. In terms of rules enforcement, I'd definetly say everyone has to take the scores with a grain of salt. We had a similar dynamic in our group where everyone had mixed accounts of what was indicated at the rules meeting. Our SO ultimately went with any hit to the head (including Jaw/hair/etc) would count. He didn't call cover procedurals, but did call them for failing to shoot on the move if the stage called for it and/or wrong shot order/number. He also let dropped mags go. What did everyone do with the targets with people in them? We ended up treating them as hit on a non-threat if you broke the plane on any part of them. I took a few due to hitting the wrists on the one with the victim already kind of tangled up with the zombie.

I learned that, despite never needing to reload more than 6 shotgun shells in a single stage, a side saddle is really not an ideal method for holding additional ammo [for me]. I figured it'd work fine since the ammo is so close to the gun, but I found that I really had to snatch out the ammo to get it free with any sort of speed and that generally left my hand more out of position than if I had just been reaching for a holder on my belt. Coupled 15/20rd Pmags worked pretty well in their debut though. Sped up reloads and I only forgot about it and let them drop free on the first stage where I used them, which just so happened to be a sitting stage so they didn't fall far. I also continue to be struck by how much of a flamethrower my AR is for some reason. First I thought it was the ammo. Then I thought it was the fact that I don't have any kind of comp or break. Now I have no idea what it is, but by the last stage my group would make it a point of asking anyone if they had a cigar they needed lit when I would pull out my rifle

I can totally remember thinking the same thing, so I'm definetly not trying to insult you, but I would suggest you forget about the SHTF potential of the rifle and think more about what kind of shooting you want to do [or will be able to do] most often. You want to think in terms of things that actually help you drill down on specifics. Very fiew configurations of an AR15 wouldn't be effective self defense tools in the right hands, so all you really eliminate by setting that critera are highly specialized [& expensive] builds you probably weren't giving too much consideration anyway. Think about what type of shooting you'll do the most with it, and lean towards that. What's your home range? What distances can you shoot from there? Can you shoot while standing? Shoot while moving? Do double & triple tap drills w/o an RO objecting? Think you might want to hunt with the rifle?

One of the aspects of an AR15 upper you won't be able to change easily [or cheaply] is the barrel, so that's one detail probably worth some in depth thought about what YOU would like this rifle to do when it's completed. Figure out what kind of shooting you want to do the most, and buy the right barrel. Some generalities: If you want to shoot small groups from Prone & Bench, a longer & heavier barrel makes a lot of sense. If you want to shoot off hand/on the move/etc, a 14.5"(w/comp) or 16" barrel might be a better choice because it'll be easier to handle and likely won't have a noticable impact on accuracy with that kind of shooting. You can even double down with this option & get a lightweight barrel If you want to use bullets designed for varmint hunting, look for a barrel with a 1:9+ twist. Barrels with faster twist rates can shoot such bullets, but not optimally in most cases If you want to use heavier 75gr+ bullets to either A)help you shoot long distance or B)improve terminal ballistics in defensive use, opt for a twist ratio of 1:8 or 1:7. Also, consider a stainless steel barrel instead of chrome lined if accuracy is a primary focus and you don't expect to be a really high volume shooter. Once you make a decision on the above, a lot of other specifics kind of fall into place. If you take the time to seek out a stainless steel barrel, it's probably worth it to go with a free float rail. If you opted for a lightweight carbine length barrel, a heavy metal quad rail probably doesn't make a lot of sense. Etc.

With the exception of the quarter, you're mistaken.

The reality I've eventually come to with SHTF theorizing is that any scenario that results in an environment so dangerous that I can't get by with 500 rounds of ammo in a few select calibers is a scenario I'm unlikely to survive anyway. The most I feel that I could realistically prepare myself to survive would be something like Hurricane Katrina, and I think even those who needed firearms to get through that were not using a significant number of rounds. It was just that they had them and were prepared to use them if need be.

Can you offer wording for a theoretical law that would allow you the right to shoot someone under those circumstances, but would not make the following legal as well: -Fatally shooting someone who charges you full price for an item you later learn to be a cheap immitation -Fatally shooting someone after they pick up a quarter they saw you drop and put it in their pocket. -Fatally shooting the manager of a towing company who has towed your legally parked car and is demanding you pay for the tow & storage fees before they will give it back to you. -Fatally shooting a data entry clerk that used to work for Bernard Madoff because you are one of the people who lost their money in his Ponzi scheme -Fatally shooting an uninsured motorist that damages your vehicle ?

I picked a semi-auto handgun, but my reasoning is very specific to me personally. I would pick a semi-auto handgun simply because I have had significantly more opportunities to shoot semi-autos in a wide variety of positions & (recreational) situations. My ar15 would have the significant advantages of more stopping power [with LESS risk of it leaving the house] and being easier to shoot accurately. However, I do 90% of my shooting from a bench with very little shooting at ranges closer than 50yards and I have literally never even had the chance to shoot at a moving target wih it. My shotgun would also have significantly better terminal performance, and I do shoot clays which means I have tracked a moving target with it, but I'm most accustomed to shooting bird shot through it and have never really practiced shooting it on the move or from any kind of position other than standing perfectly upright with my feet planted. Only scenario in which I might make the switch to a long gun would be if I know for a fact there is a threat inside the house and I'm holding up in the bedroom with my GF. Our bedroom isn't big, so if a bad guy was willing to smash down that door to get us, I out of time and really need to maximize the chances that I can stop him QUICK. Plus, I know where the door is and would be less handicapped by not having shot moving targets/cqb targets/etc.

I'm in. Thanks for the clarification on the shotgun ammo. Wasn't sure if I was going to need to pick up some more buck shot. Also glad to hear everything is legal on a rifle. Wasn't sure if I was going to have to take off my magpul B.A.D. lever or forgoe my coupled magazines.

Anyone have any portable propane generators they'd recommend? I've been looking for a generator that can run just my fridge & two sump pumps and runs on propane, since it'll be much easier to store a stockpile of it and would have the dual use of also running my grill. I've grown leary of the buffalo tools Sportsman brand they sell at home depot after reading some online reviews. Outside of that brand, I've heard good things about the Generac brand and saw that they have this model: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07112156000P?sid=IDx20070921x00003a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=07112156000P Only thing is that the wattage output of that model is a little light, particularly if my fridge's starting wattage is truly as high as some of the estimates I've read.

Someone else depriving you of your property without due process of law does automatically grant you the authority to seek out a restitution of your own design.

The difference is a bit more nuanced than that IMO. It's the difference between being a threat & not being a threat: Robbed you at knifepoint & running away into an open field with his back to you = No longer a threat Robbed you at knifepoint & running in the direction of your wife with his back to you = Still a threat Walking away unarmed & with back to you, but is inside your house = Still a threat Holding a knife & facing you and demanding your wallet, but doing so from the other side of a collapsed bridge = Not a threat [and, admittedly, a little absurd]

Not exactly my point. Thinking up a scenario where throwing rocks can be dangerous isn't difficult. My point is that nobody in those situations is going to have the opportunity to stop it and/or improve the outcome of those situations with a GD crossbow. I simply find the notion ridiculous. What you're describing would be an act of revenge, not justifiable personal defense. I agree that's probably what happened.

He may or may not be found guilty, but either outcome is going to come with life altering defense costs attached.

While I personally find the S&W 686 to be a slightly smoother shooter, I would only recommend it over the GP 100 if you can buy an older used model without the internal lock. The internal lock is an absolute nuisance that does nothing more than provide an extra avenue of potential weapon failure. Here's a video of the internal lock malfunctioning on a performance center 686 model Follow up video with his gunsmith explaining the malfunction