steve1

I really like the looks and sounds of the Glock-19 GEN 4 in 9 mm. They have a small grip with a new type of rough texture on the grips. They hold a fair number of rounds, and are supposed to be very accurate, and easy to shoot. It may be a little big to take jogging or for the wife, but I may buy one for myself. Someone mentioned there were some extraction problems with this gun. I was wondering what you think?

I like the looks of both those pistols. I think I'll get something similiar to those. I wonder what the price is on that Glock? I might go with 9 mm. I already have dies and reloading stuff for that. The wife would probably shoot it better too. I still like the looks of those 45 kimbers. I imagine that would be $1,000 or more. Maybe someday. I may have to be happy with my little 9mm S&W, till that day arrives. I talked with one old guy who packs a 45 auto, everywhere he goes back in the Bob Marshal. He works as a guide and cook. One day he went in on horse back to pack out an elk. He spotted another bull elk laying in it's bed under a fir tree. He stalked up to within twenty yards and shot it in the head. He says his 1911 45 is super accurate. He also killed a black bear with it. He said it did require a 2nd shot. I'm not sure where he hit it with the first one. I killed a deer once with a 357. I was disappointed with the bullet that day. It was a long shot. This mule deer was going up a steep hill. I put the front sight above his head, to allow for drop at that range. The hollow point bullet blew up on the spine, and didn't penetrate the lungs. I finally finished it off. I guess that's what happens when you take long shots. At any rate, the right bullet is important. You want one that will mushroom. But you don't want one that will fragment on bone....or something else....before the bullet enters the vitals. I've been loading and buying hollow points for my 9mm. I think they are 115 grains (if I remember right). It's been a while since I've even shot that pistol. I need to get out and practice.

I guess the authorities have two guys in custody. The FBI is involved. The body has still not been recovered. The papers say she is dead though. Supposedly they buried the body somewhere. I don't know how they did that since the ground is frozen here. The radio is saying to look somewhere near trees. So, their only charge now is aggravated kidnapping. One guy is 47 and the other 22. Both are from Colorado. I've always been against waterboarding. I kind of wish they could use that on these two. I'd bet they'd know exactly where the body was hidden, within an hour of that. This lady was a respected teacher in Sydney. She was loved by all. We have one small hardware store in our town. It is now sold completely out of hand guns. There was another woman near Forsyth, who pulled over along the road, a few days ago. Another truck stopped. She probably assumed it was somebody to help. This Scumbag had a knife. He ordered her to get in his truck. She said, just a minute, I need to grab my cigarettes. She reached in her vehicle and pulled out a pistol. The guy got in his truck and he left. Too bad she didn't shoot.... My wife is jogging inside a school now. She still runs from our house to the school. She ordered some pepper spray off the internet recently. I keep telling her that may not be enough.... The Baken oil field is changing things here. Another year, and we're moving out....

Blaine Wright told all us wannabe base jumpers, a story once, of when he jumped El. Cap. He said he was also arrested. I'm not sure when he made that jump. Sometime between 75 and now. Blaine is now recovering from something like 33 broken bones. A demo into the U of M went bad. Has anyone heard how he's doing.

They found that woman jogger. The only detail I heard for sure, was that she's dead....probably raped. I hope they get the scum-bags that did it.

I used to carry my little 22 (nine shot) Taurus, when I was hunting. It worked well for finishing off an animal or the occaisional grouse. I love that gun. It's accurate enough to shoot a grouse in the head, if you are close enough. But even as small and lightweight as it is, it got to be a pain to carry. I usually leave it at home now. I tried a belt holster for a while. One day it fell out in the snow when I bent over to build a fire. The snap came loose....I almost lost it. I don't like a lot of weight on my belt. I usually have a knife, extra ammo, and the additional pistol was too much, when hunting. So, I went to a shoulder holster. It's still a pain to carry, even with that. So, a full size 1911 may not be the right gun for me. I'll try out some of those smaller Glocks. A gun left at home, won't help you when you need it... I hate a snubby, that won't shoot well, beyond five feet. Accuracy my be a tradeoff for portability. I'll have to try out some weapons. Thanks for all the imput on this. I am learning a lot...

I work in a really tough school. One thing we worry about is having a shooter in the school. It's not unusual for a crazy parent to show up and start shouting four letter words. Sometimes they are drunk. We even had a couple of mothers fight it out in front of the school once. Then there is the worry of a student showing up with a gun. We have a police woman who walks around the school with a pistol on her hip. If a criminal was thinking rationally, which often times they aren't, they would take her out first. In the ten or fifteen minutes that it takes for the police to arrive, they could shoot a lot of people. If a person has an open carry gun, a perp. could pretend not to be a threat. They could move in really close, overpower the person, and take their gun away. For a woman or an old person, it might be easy to get their gun. For that reason, I think a concealed carry might be better. A perp. wouldn't know who was carrying lethal force. But, I agree there are also those times when just seeing a person with a gun, might diffuse the situation. That lady jogger would probably be alive today, if the scumbags had seen her running with a gun on her hip. It all depends on the scenario...

Since the oil boom...the crime rate has quadrupled in Williston. There are like 140 new drilling permits around the small town I live in. No back ground check or drug check is given most of these new workers, simply because they can't get enough help. They often hire about anyone with a heart beat, and hope they work out. I don't know what oil workers you supervise, but it probably isn't here. These workers aren't all nice people. No smoking cigarettes and drinking is not a sign of violent intent....but at the same time first impressions are often accurate. Our town has gone from a place where you didn't even lock your doors to a place where your neighbor is kidnapped, raped, and murdered. No, I won't stop it....

I'm learning a lot from all the postings on this. I once thought of getting a 22 magnum in a pistol. With that short of a barrel wouldn't there be too much muzzle flash and unburned powder? I like the reliability and simplicity of a revolver...but that trigger pull in double action is awful...I like an automatics light pull. On my S&W auto, the safety is a real pain to reach, (with the thumb of my shooting hand). I've got in the habit of using my supporting hand (thumb) to manipulate the safety, and slide release. If you shoot one handed that wouldn't work though. I have a lot to learn about combat shooting. When watching an instructor shoot he didn't use the slide release lever at all. When a new clip was put in, he pulled the slide back and released it to chamber a round. Is that method more reliable? It seems easier and quicker to just touch the slide release lever.... My next trip to Billings we'll try out some different pistols. We plan to move to another area of the country, when I retire in a couple years. Most of these oil workers are decent enough people. There are also large number of scum bags....That woman teacher is still missing. The searching is still going on. We know a nice Morman family who live close to us. They have five little girls. Across the street from them is a motel filled entirely with oil workers. We see them outside smoking cigarettes and drinking. You'd have a hard time finding scarier looking men. At any rate this nice Morman lady, is now packing a concealed pistol. I'm sure she would like to take her family and move to Toronto....but for now she is stuck in N.E. Montana.

Thanks for all the imput on this. I've learned a lot...

I bought both my daughters a 38 special revolver. One is a Taurus with fixed sights. I forget the name of the other. It's made in South America too, if I recall. The Taurus is hard to hit with beyond eight feet. At point blank range it might be okay, but it is pretty inaccurate. I've got another Taurus 22 revovler that shoots great. It's nine shots, but is a tad heavy for a just a 22. I'd like more punch than that. I like my other daughters 38 special. It shoots quite well for a short barreled pistol. I like those adjustable sights. I have a 9 mm S&W single stack. The biggest thing I don't like about it is the safety. It's about impossible to take off the safety, with the thumb of your shooting hand. Seconds count, if you are in a gun fight. It also has quite a bit of slop before the trigger engages. It's okay, once you get used to it. It shoots pretty well. I know of a new pistol range, in Billings. That's a good idea to try a gun out, before you buy it. We shot a lot of 1911's in the army. Most were shot out. I'd hate to spend a lot of money customizing one. I would imagine a kimber is very accurate right out of the box. I'm going to give the Glocks another look. There's got to be a reason, they are so popular.... I've got a short barrelled shotgun for home defense.

Northeast Montana is no longer a safe place to be. There's an oil boom going on. Thousands of people are moving in. A teacher was kidnapped when she went out for a jog several days ago. She was probably raped and murdered. That sort of thing has never happened here. My wife wants me to get a concealed permit, but I'd like her to get one too. She jogs early on most mornings. I've never liked the little snub-nosed pistols that you can't hit the broad side of a barn with. A bigger pistol might be a pain to carry, but I'd like to be able to hit what I aim at too. I watched Gun Talk on tv the other day. It said that a 1911 45 is probably the easiest gun to shoot, the most accurate, and the most reliable, while having plenty of knock down power. Do you think this is true? I know Glok's are really popular. It seems like most police carry them. I've never really liked the looks or feel of them, but maybe they will grow on you, once you have one. I thought I might get a smaller 9mm for the wife. Maybe a big, bulky, 1911, 45, is too big for concealed carry....It would be a good fight stopper though. I've got a smaller hand. I heard that you can customize a 1911 to fit a smaller hand. Those Kimber 45's sure look nice. I know they aren't cheap. There's lot's of cheaper 1911's out there, but I was wondering how they shoot....Some need a lot of custom work.... I can customize a rifle to shoot well, but I'm kind of stupid when it comes to pistols... Do you know of any good training books or videos for combat shooting? I'd like to attend a school like Gun Site, but that might cost a fortune.... What are your thoughts are on all this?....

I also remember the words "sport death". I think that may have started at Cassa Grande or the Gulch. That was around 75. There were some real characters jumping at the gulch in those days....

The moral, that Montanians may be easy pickens, may fit. Years earlier my family and I went to visit my brother in Palm Springs. He lived in the high rent district, next to a golf course. I don't mean to sound racist but there were more Mexicans in that neighborhood than you can imagine. They did lawn work and others worked on the golf course. All seemed nice enough. Many took a special interest in my daughters when they were swimming in the pool. In Montana we don't lock our doors, and stupidly, one of us left the front door unlocked. That evening, while we were in the backyard hot tub, someone came in and stole all our watches, purses, cameras, and anything else handy. I had a hard time raising enough cash to jump at Perris that week....I guess you live and learn.

I've got friend who recently moved to Arizona. His name is Bruce. In high school noone messed with Bruce because he was a tough character. Forty years ago Bruce was a Green Beret, weapons specialist, on an A-team. Time may have ridden us all a little soft. At any rate, Bruce has guns and knows how to use them. Bruce and his wife stayed up late one night, watching TV. They watched a documentary of a woman who saved her life when intruders broke into her home. She had shot and killed one of the intruders, and scared the others off. Bruce and his wife were quite moved by this story. Bruce's wife asked him where their pistol was. Bruce said it was out in his pickup. The wife said she would feel safer if he could bring it back in the house. Bruce promised to do this some time in the future. Then they went to bed.... Late that night, Bruce and his wife could hear voices coming from somewhere in their house. They were Mexican voices. Oh shit....The pistol is out in the truck. Bruce whispered to his wife, "Where's my shotgun?" The wife answered, "It's in the closet!" Bruce's wife cowered in fear, beside the bed.... Bruce grabbed the shotgun, but couldn't find any shells for it. Without hesitation Bruce charged out into his living room, buck naked. He pretended to rack a round into the empty gun, and did his best Clint Eastwood pose. There were no Mexicans to be seen. Then he heard this Mexican voice, coming from his TV set. A 60's cowboy show was on. With a deflated look, Bruce and his wife went back to bed. So, I guess the moral of this story is, if you have intruders in your house, have a gun handy, and make sure it is loaded......or.....turn the damn TV off when you go to bed.....or.....Montanans would be easy pickens for a burglar.

I doubt if anyone would be able to reproduce much of the high tech gadgetry used in modern firearms. Trying to produce powder, brass, primers, or firearms yourself would be almost impossible for the average Joe. When a person's stockpile of guns and ammo are gone, it would be time to turn to a more primitive weapon. Most people could build a bow and shootable arrows. That would make more sense than trying to make your own ammo or rifle from scratch...

Tell us more about that Pecos D. Z....Airtwardo. The wildest place I heard of was Casa Grande or better named the "Gulch". Was Pecos worse than that? I'm getting scared just thinking about it. This is almost as good as listening to ghost stories

A MaeWest was named after a famous actress with big boogs (if I remember right) her name was May West. It can happen on either the main or reserve. A line goes over the top creating two big lobes. The army started using netting on the bottom of the canopy to help with this line over problem (on static line jumps). You used to see a fair number of MaeWest malfunctions with the old round canopies. A friend of mine even rode one in, without serious injury. Maybe the snowbank he landed in helped with that.... I'm sure others can add to this.

........................................................... I agree with most of this. Another thing that really messes kids up, is doing everything for them, and not being able to say "no". Some parents, for whatever reason, desperately try to over-protect their child. Sometimes it's almost ridiculous. The kid never learns to handle things himself and they feel entitled to everything. My daughter had a boyfriend like that. The lazy bum, wouldn't work. After all Mama had always provided for him. My daughter was his new Mama. He'd tell everyone how he was going to open a gym or become rich being an athletic trainer. I was truly happy when my daughter dumped this guy. He was Narcistic as could be, and his Mom was to fault. And how do you treat someone who is narcistic. I've heard it's next to impossible. It usually comes to the attention of everyone when they start beating their spouse. Years ago, they used to have award ceremonies in some schools. Everyone was given an award, because they didn't want anyone to feel bad. This was supposed to boost every students self esteem. But it didn't work that way. The students soon realized that most of the awards were a joke, and meant nothing. It did little or nothing to help someone with low self esteem...

The thought of jumping out of perfectly good airplane scared the bejesus out of me when I was a kid. I watched a movie once, of airborne soldiers jumping into combat. Man, that seemed awful. Then I read a book by a smokejumper when I was in High School. This jumping stuff was starting to appeal to me. I was about to be drafted in 1969. I joined a special forces guard unit to escape that. I figured I didn't want to die in a war noone believed in. Maybe it was a cowardly act, but that's what I did. After all I wanted to jump by then, and this would be one way to do it. Before I left for active duty, I went up in a C-119 to watch my National Guard company jump. Man...that looked like fun, but scary at the same time. One of the guys in my company was a skydiver. He took me over to a drop zone and I watched some jumpers in free fall. Now that looked down right scary. I figured I'd try that some day. In phase II of special forces training, we were pulling duty pushing a broom, and that sort of thing. Our sargent in charge, decided we should all ghost out. We ended up at the Green Beret Parachute Club Bar. Our sargent was a skydiver. He had orders for Nam. He tried to sell me his rig, since I was interested. This bar had some of the coolest pictures, of hard core jumpers, on every wall. Some day I figured I've got to try that. When I got off active duty....I saw this sign at college...First jump course for $50. One of the guys I trained with was Hod Sanders. One of my instructors was B.J. Worth. When you get old, people have lot's of regrets for things they never did. I'll never have any regrets for learning to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

This news article would cause anyone to be angry. After all the school was allowing bullies to thrive and harass others. I wonder if that is the whole truth. Newspapers get rich by selling sensationalism. I'm getting to where I believe about half of what is see in newspapers. Two years ago, the newspapers had a field day at our school. Someone allowed a reporter into the school. He then created a falsified story of how our school allowed seven school children to commit suicide. The reason for these suicides was supposedly because of bullying. Nothing could have been further from the truth! The truth is that three did commit suicide, by hanging, that year. But none of them was because of bullying....Instead of allowing this sad situation to die, it went on and on with even further lies and distortions by the newspapers. At one time I was a journalism student. I don't ever recall taking a class on how to lie and distort the truth. It is a tricky thing to keep your newpaper from being sued. I guess trickery is something you learn, by working for a newspaper....

I don't think schools give up on tough kids as easy as the article says. On the contrary they usually make every accomodation possible before they do that. If you have too many tough kids in a school, they end up running that school. Regular school is not the proper place for many tough kids....Alternative school may be the best place for kids like that. I don't want my kid beaten up and hurt by thugs in the regular school. I truly feel bad for students who can't follow the rules, but the fact is that their behavior is not easily corrected... I agree that it is no wonder that some kids are trouble makers at school. All you have to do is take one look at their guardian or parents. Most of these kids have terrible stories of neglect and abuse. The hard part is trying to fix that. Many of these kids are still living in a home from hell. Teachers may be too over worked to have time to give the individual help that these student need. I work as a school counselor. There is little that can be done by just a short visit to my office. They go home to an environment where survival is the only thing they know. They return to school angry at everyone and everything. That anger is a cover up for hurt.... I work in a very tough school. Social Services are about worthless here. The courts look the other way when an alcoholic, drug addicted, neglectful, or worthless parent is brought to their attention. Most schools are doing all they can to help kids like this. But the simple fact remains that the most influential element in that child's life is their guardian and home environment....not the school. Regular public school can't fix many of these kids. The staff in public school, don't have magic wands. They do their best to help these students, and someone on the street condemns their efforts. Then the politicians get involved and matters get even worse. I personally don't know why anyone would want to be a teacher in this day and age....It's just too tough!

Teachers unions, which are more concerned about the teachers than the students, have removed pretty much all ability to discipline from the schools, so the kids pretty much just run amok. They are just practicing what they saw on MTV. No one is telling them "no". ...........................................................................I don't think teacher unions have much to do with this. Kids are being told "no" over and over again, but what can a school really do, if a student refuses to obey the school rules. You are right, in that schools often do not dish out harsh enough consequences, but the reason is they can't do that now. Legal action is a big factor. Thirty years ago if you called a parent, to tell them that their little Johnny was in trouble at school, something would likely be done at home. Now if a teacher or administrator calls home, it is likely the school is blamed. The schools are doing little or nothing in terms of consequences because that is what the parents (as a whole) want these days. And yes, this makes it difficult for a school to run effectively. It is a detriment to the students, when little or no consequences are delivered...

I agree...overcrowding isn't good. It scares me, with the direction we're headed. One of the best places to raise a kid is on a farm or ranch, in my opinion. A 100 years ago, most families were on farms. Life wasn't easy there, but (mentally) people were usually better off, particularly kids. Everyone had to work...this taught a work ethic. Kids often saw their parents. They might not have had a lot of play time together, but at least they worked together. Kids were too busy to get into trouble. Adults tried to watch over their neighbors kids too. There wasn't as many negative influences There was often a sense of belonging to your family and community. But most of all there was a sense of hope. I think a lot of young people don't have that today...

I have no doubt that mental health problems are worsening. Never before have kids been so overwhelmed with negative influences. The breakdown of family is a huge factor. I'm not a religion buff, but religion can be a good or bad influence, depending on how radical the faith is.... There is a reason people act or behave the way they do. I met a psychologist once who told this story. He went to a treatment facility and was shown a girl with severe problems. She was delusional. She would roll her eyes back and go someplace whenever she was pressured. She had the habit of wiping feces on herself. Pretty crazy, huh. Well if you knew the rest of the story you probably wouldn't feel that way.... As this psychologist worked with this girl, he found out that the place she went to to escape, included Dysney characters. She had names for all these imaginary friends. As the therapist dug deeper into her past he found out that this girl's parents had been pimping her out, when she was just a young girl. This girl learned to wipe crap on herself to keep the perverts away. She learned to escape to a happier healthier world by fantasizing. The problem was, that this girl, couldn't adapt and stop doing this. She hated herself for the way she was. This hardened, tough, psychologist would go home each night, in tears. Was it any wonder this girl was the way she was. There are some truly awful parents in the world....I think of this story every time I see someone with crazy behavior. There is often a really sad story behind why they act the way they do....