10X

If you'll be shooting from a bench, it's hard to beat a bullseye box. It's a shame they are kind of expensive and hard to find. There are plans out there for homemade ones, though, and they do come up on the used market from time to time. Even if you never shoot competition, it's nice to be able to flip up that lid and have a spotting scope right there, plus storage for 3-5 handguns, depending on the model, ammo, and accessories. Otherwise, the Midway bags are popular; big, rugged, and fairly inexpensive. They often go on sale; as they appear to be now. I've got the larger of the two linked, and I really like it. They're not really meant to be locked, though; one could lock the big zipper compartment, but in a fabric bag that wouldn't add much actual security. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1020438366?pid=776487 https://www.midwayusa.com/product/939221689?pid=638531

No, these and other vaccines strengthen the immune system against the targeted pathogen, but don’t, can’t, have a negative impact on the immune response to any other pathogens. https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-823830789386 https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-coronavirus-britain/fact-check-covid-19-vaccines-do-not-weaken-peoples-immune-systems-like-chemotherapy-idUSL1N2SY1SP https://www.contemporarypediatrics.com/view/study-reveals-vaccinations-dont-weaken-natural-immunity https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2673970 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41577-020-00479-7 Nor has there ever been evidence that these or other vaccines affect the reproductive rate in any way: https://www.foxnews.com/health/covid-vaccines-affect-pregnancy.amp https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2789477 https://www.mountsinai.org/about/newsroom/2022/large-study-provides-reassurance-that-covid-vaccination-does-not-affect-fertility-or-early-pregnancy https://www.fertstertdialog.com/posts/fertility-considerations-the-covid-19-disease-may-have-a-more-negative-impact-than-the-covid-19-vaccine-especially-among-men?room_id=871-covid-19 Sorry if the science contradicts the narrative pushed by the political sites you follow. We do enjoy the irony of you hijacking a thread about Bill Gates giving medical advice in order to do exactly the same thing.

I had a will drawn up some years back by a local law firm, who admittedly didn't claim be be particularly knowledgeable about gun laws. Things were going fine until I said we weren't going to list firearm serial numbers in the will and not all of them have serial numbers anyway. They were instantly convinced my felony arrest was imminent, and that we'd better start preparing a defense. It took a surprisingly long time to educate them on GCA 68 and why older guns without serial numbers are both common and legal.

Fixed it for you.

NJ wouldn't read past the 'NRA' in the course description before rejecting it. If the same course could be re-branded as BLM or NAMBLA or something, it might be considered here.

There are some free or cheap shot timer apps for phones. No idea how good any of them are, but it might be worth some testing I use a Pocket Pro from Competition Electronics, one of the least expensive of the ‘good’ timers.

Well, there is always a chance. NJ won't just roll over on the issue, no matter what the Supreme Court ruling says. Governor Gopher has already said 'not on my watch' to concealed carry, regardless of what the Supreme Court rules. But, a favorable ruling will open the door to the follow-up lawsuits in NJ--and they will be required--to eventually make concealed carry more accessible. The assumption is it will still be difficult and expensive, just not to the extent it is now. If the ruling is favorable.

You'd have to test to be sure, but it may not be an issue at all. The SW22, like the Buckmark and the Ruger, are all popular as entry-level bullseye guns. And bullseye (er, precision pistol) shooters favor subsonic loads.

I’ve used all of the brands you mention. No reason not to try whatever you can get. Most of them have multiple lines within the brand, and sometimes that can make a difference.

In this buying climate, the ammo to start with is whatever you can get your hands on! That said, the ones you list are fine choices. .22's autoloaders can indeed be finicky, but a lot of models seem to be very happy with one or the other CCI loads. .22 autoloaders are also finicky about dirt, so keep your new toy clean, lest you start to think that every load you test causes more jams than the one you tried before it. Have fun! That's a nice pistol. The ones I've handled had a very nice trigger pull.

When I was a kid, we used to build Coke can cannons out of Coke cans (back when they were steel, not aluminum). They could shoot a tennis ball out of sight, vertically.

Thanks for the kind words. Costco is a great source for the lamb; unlike beef, pork, and chicken, their boneless leg of lamb prices haven't shot up; I think I've been paying $6.99/lb for a couple of years now. They're mostly in the 4-6 lb range. To hold them together after the bone is removed, they come bundled up in a mesh bag. You can actually apply rub through the bag and smoke or roast them right in the bag, but I removed it this time, trimmed it up a little more, rubbed it inside and out, then tied it back into a bundle.

I smoked a 6 lb boneless leg of lamb today; it's always been a family favorite. I use a rub of thyme, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bit of olive oil, then today followed up with a mop (similar ingredients plus diced onion in an apple juice/apple cider vinegar base). Four hours smoke over apple wood, brought in to rest when the interior temp hit 138F yielded perfect rare/medium rare lamb. I carved over board sauce (olive oil, splash of red wine vinegar, plus thyme and oregano), and it was a big hit. It was my 75th cook on my Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker.

I called one of the ANJRPC on-call lawyers (a membership benefit) years ago and got a prompt callback with a clear answer to my question. Unfortunately I don't recall who that attorney was. I called Nappen last year with a question, and also got a quick callback, a clear answer, and we spent the next 20 minutes on the phone discussing old Mausers. I suspect a lot has to do with how busy the attorney is when you call. If you catch them when they're up to their eyeballs in work, it could be awhile before you get a response.

Or like a crusty old baseball mitt, after years of being subjected to oils, spit, and sweat.

I figured the hosting servers were busy distributing a leaked draft of the Supreme Court's upcoming New York Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen decision.

US Treasury Series I Savings Bonds (iBonds) made their semiannual rate adjustment for inflation on May 1. Thanks to BidInflation, these bonds are now paying 9.62%, the highest rate ever for such bonds. Until May 1, they had been paying 7.12%, which at that time was the highest rate ever. That's a remarkable return for a federally-insured investment.

I've always heard amazing things about the Dayton museum, but haven't yet visited. Udvar Hazy is, as noted above, spectacular. The Cradle of Aviation Museum is very cool as well. Haven't yet gotten to the Wings of Freedom museum. I'll add to the list the New England Air Museum, in Windsor Locks, CT. https://neam.org It's huge, and its' collections are impressive.

It'll probably take a number of lawsuits. Even if one lawsuit forces the change, it will take follow-ups when NJ continues to not make the change, then challenges when the change NJ implements is much more narrow and onerous than SCOTUS had in mind, then when NJ does finally change their law, it will require a bunch of follow-up lawsuits because NJ will ignore the change they made. And NJ will be filing appeals every step of the way. I really wish this state hadn't made me so cynical about things.

I really miss the glass-front gun cases everyone had in their den when I was growing up out west... But in NJ, in this century, I'd be very reluctant to use a firearm as a home decor item. That's unfortunate, but still... By all means make the gun look cool! That's part of the fun. But strongly consider keeping it locked up out of sight. If it is part of your home defense plan, there are small(ish) gun lockers with biometric or simplex locks that can allow very quick access.

So, I’ve dabbled a bit in competition BBQ. I’m still not sure how deeply I want to get involved, as is a lot of work and there aren’t many competitions in this part of the country. But, oft-repeated advice for competitors is to get certified as a judge early on, so that in competitions you know what the judges are looking for. The Kansas City Barbeque Society finally held a judge’s class in the northeast this past weekend, and I headed up to Rhode Island to attend. The training covered judging the four main competition meats: chicken, pork ribs, pork shoulder, and beef brisket. Entries are judged on appearance of the turn-in box (some good examples are below), taste, and tenderness; six judges taste each entry. One of the top local competition teams spent the night cooking the samples for the class; some truly exceptional, some intentionally flawed in different ways so we could learn to spot them. It’s a tough job; eating BBQ all afternoon and filling out score sheets, but somebody’s got to do it. Since I’m now a Certified Barbeque Judge, I’m happy to give back to the NJGF community. If you’re smoking meat, feel free to invite me to your BBQ, or just drop off samples after the fact!

I’m an outlaw. This is my confession. I will willfully break NJ Law, and I am unrepentant! Specifically, I will violate the upcoming ban on single-use plastic bags. Like all dog owners, I recycle grocery store plastic bags exactly once. The upcoming ban on bags was going to pose a problem. My preferred solution of letting my dog poop on Murphy’s lawn a couple of times a day is impractical, due to distance. Instead, I ordered a year’s supply of grocery-store plastic bags from out-of-state. I wanted to get them in ahead of the May 4 ban, since our AG’s office has already demonstrated they have nothing better to do than send threatening letters to out-of-state vendors demanding they stop selling otherwise legal products to NJ residents. Fortunately, my contraband slipped past the postal inspectors and made it to my house. Apparently, the Post Office is not yet employing polyethylene-sniffing dogs. The State Police have not yet descended on my home to make an example of me. After May 4, I can grab a handful of bags to take with me whenever I go to the store, then bring them home and relegate them to dog doodie. I like to think that when future history books write of significant acts of civil disobedience, mine will be included. Perhaps in a new Top 5 list! · The Sons of Liberty boarding ships and throwing chests of tea into Boston Harbor · Mohandas Gandhi’s Salt March · Rosa Parks’ refusal to move to the back of the bus · Student protester blocking a tank column at Tiananmen Square · 10X’s purchase of plastic bags for dog waste ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ!

Serial numbers weren’t required prior to the gun control act of 1968, so not all civilian firearms had them before that time.