While it looks like a quality rifle, to this day I wasn't able to be fascinated by any old style firearms, lever actions, or shotguns. Its a miracle that I own 4 wheel guns - but they are all modern age.

Same with watches... I love modern Swiss and German made automatic dive watches but would never buy any old design, let alone old watches. A watch made from German submarine steel gets me going.

I built a below 4 pounds AR 15 some 9 years ago with mostly titanium parts. That's something I can be passionate about. But I'd also never try to do this in 10mm.

I'd love to build my own .338 Lapua, but parts are hard to come by.

Anyways... I'm glad you found something you are looking forward to.

Quote from: The_Shadow on October 11 2025 07:49:20 AM MDTIt seems that this was a result of the firearms industry "Blasting Something New" for a market just to add another gun and cartridge.  I see this as them having to develop the firearms, magazines and then you need to consider bullet designs and development as well. Not much in bullet designs out there.

SAAMI DATA: https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Public-Introduction-30-Super-Carry-2022-06-30.pdf

30 Super Load Data: https://www.xxlreloading.com/caliber-load-data/.30-super-carry

S&W pricing dropped because the market just doesn't work out for this with the constant pushing of the 9mm platforms and ammo. Just like the 1911 pistols & 45ACP that has been pushed like dope in every magazine or advertisements over the years. 

They could have made a 38 Super necked down for the 30 Super which might have been even better.

I'm just rambling some but if I were to use 30 Super I'd likely run some Lehigh Defense Xtreme Penetrator Bullets Fluted bullets if those existed...

Yeah, I'm long past discussions and comparisons between calibers. I own so many firearms and calibers that don't make sense.

I'm bored and I like new odd ball offerings. When the .327 Federal Magnum came out, I was one of the first to own a matching Ruger.

I guess I also have a thing for the James Bond calibers.

$269.99 for a new S&W pistol is extremely cheap. I spend more at COSTCO every time I go.

Calibers I really enjoy are all the .32, 10mm, .308, .500. Next one up is .338 Lapua but that will cost a lot more.

I got a thing for .312 bullets, love my .327 Federal Magnum revolvers and all related calibers.

Naturally the "new" 30 Super Carry causes a lasting itch and I'm considering to get a S&W Shield Plus.

Wish I'd have more options, but I'll have to invest some in order to expect other brands to come around. Which is very unlikely. looking at the track record so far.

Massive deal at Grab Gun, half off: $269.99 instead off $549.00:

https://grabagun.com/smith-and-wesson-shield-plus-optics-ready-30-super-carry-3-1-barrel-13-16-round-mags.html#sourceVariantID=GAG_13473-146520






Even made a round when the news hit a few years ago, before you could buy any, just to get a feel for it. Next to a ten.

How do you guys feel about this caliber today? Time for something new? Just because?

Replying to a 11 year old dead thread, on a dead forum, and then coming back and replying to the same thread again, after nobody got back to this, is wild.

Don't make me upload that hardcast in my supported 10mm chambers. It will blow your Grizzly Ammo out of the water.

Quote from: sqlbullet on October 07 2025 01:30:17 PM MDTAs crazy as it sounds, I really don't mind OBD-1/Ford EEC-IV engine controls.  They are simple enough to be worked on, add a fair bit of efficiency, are way better than mechanical injection systems and can be hot rodded fairly easily.  Chevy TBI is in the same vein.

Two of my kids still have Bronco's with these engine control systems and they are dead nuts reliable.

I grew up on carbs and chokes - easy to adjust.

And when you live in a state with 4 seasons of summer - like I do - a carb will be very happy to start the engine easily, year round.

One of my first cars was an 80s VW Polo, the smaller version of the Golf. An engine swap was a thing of 2.5 hours.

New cam? 1 hour. You remove the cylinder head cover, there are zero obstructions, you pull the lifters.

You could separate the engine from the trans enough to pull the clutch, without removing either.

They came in at 1300 pounds. Even a 75 HP engine made that car zippy enough to go 115 MPH.

Power steering? Doesn't need one.

Used engine from the yard that is working and comes with a warranty? 500 bucks.

Had more room in the back than many of today's crossovers.






Swapped engines in a barn...

Quote from: sqlbullet on October 07 2025 07:31:25 AM MDTI guess I lucked out twice.  First time I was sitting still waiting on a car in front to turn left, mid-block.  I saw the guy coming behind me and saw him check to change lanes rather than slowing...Time he needed if we was going to have to stop.  He couldn't change lanes and with the delay he couldn't stop. I locked down my brakes so I didn't hit the car in front of me, plus I had left a decent space.  It didn't look bad, but was over 5k in damages.  This was back in the early 90's, so the car was actually close to totaled. Other guy did have good insurance so it was paid for and I got a rental for two weeks while they fixed it.

Second time it was at a stop light and the teen behind me was not paying attention and hit the gas when the left turn lane next to us moved.  She got a nice hole in her grill from my trailer hitch.  My Suburban was undamaged.  Poor girl was terrified to tell her dad.

Things had been better in the 90s. And the 80s. That's at least my opinion. You could buy a new, simple, single cab truck for 6 grand. Much easier to work on, no computer, no computer needed to repair them. Nobody distracted with smartphones either.

If I could go back, this would be my last post on this forum...

Quote from: sqlbullet on October 07 2025 07:25:03 AM MDTSuggested header and bold added.  Good call out.

I hear you crockett, but the midwest in me just couldn't put them in the trash.  And there were about 500 of them which is $150 even in the old days. At the peak that was over $400 in primers.

And in the mountain west I am less concerned about humidity.  I deprimed a couple and inspected them back in the day.  Pockets were a bit dirty, not reamed at all.  I don't clean my primer pockets either so I was good.  The primers had also been installed with a sealant.  I chose to view that as a positive.

Good point, that was a very rough time. I saw primers being sold by flippers for 300 bucks, for a brick. For a moment I thought about selling my stock...

I search on local FB Marketplace and Craigslist for used reloeading gear and supplies, maybe one a year. Never found anything worthwhile. Its either old rusty junk, or they want basically new retail prices.

While I do process and load range brass, keeping it separate from my Starline brass though, I stay clear from anything that was sizes and / or primed by others.

Who knows how long those primers rolled around in a humid Florida garage. Are they fully seated? Was the pocket cleaned? Was it reamed too much?

While a dud is not an issue, accidentally shooting another round on a squib due to a half-burned load, will leave a "mark".

Quote from: sqlbullet on October 06 2025 06:51:06 AM MDT

Quote from: crockett on October 05 2025 02:13:09 PM MDTI have zero crashes or insurance claims on my record. My premium should be going down every year.

Amen brother. I have never been "at fault" in an accident.  I have been rear-ended twice, both times while stopped.  No claims and only one ticket in 40 years of licensed driving (more like 45 years of actual driving - farm life).  That ticket was 17-18 years ago and was unjust (cited for failure to stop, but the cop couldn't see the intersection clearly from his vantage - I stopped at the line, then crept forward past a hedge to be able to see if it was clear and then went, which he saw as a roll and go since he couldn't see the stop).

Insurance is set up to get money, not to actually insure people.

I was rear-ended too, sitting at a red light, by a black female. She didn't even make any effort to come out of her car too look at the damages she caused. I walk up to her window, and asked if she's ok. She never asked me in return. I had to call police in order to get a report for HER insurance.

Officer asked her for proof of insurance and she provided something in paper form.

Fast forward 3 weeks or so: her insurance calls me, and tells me that they won't cover the damages on my car, because the owner of the car only made the first installment payment in order to get the proof of insurance, and never paid the next 3 payments. They long dropped her.

I called her, she didn't expect my call, and she promised to send a check for the repair costs. I never got anything in the mail and she ghosted my phone number ever since.

Then I researched her online and this is what I found out:

- lives in the hood and doesn't work, hence nothing to get through a lawsuit
- posted every day on FaceBook that she can't wait for her boyfriend to come out of jail
- boyfriend was sentenced to 15 years

According to some sources, 20 to 25% drive around in FL without insurance.

And guess why my premium doesn't go down even though I have zero claims. I keep paying for all those that are under or not insured and cause crashes.

Now I pay even more, because I paid the repair out of my own pocket so I don't have a claim on me.

And guess who's tax money is being used to pay for her EBT card and her boyfriend's incarceration.

Needless to say, she never got a ticket either.

Zero consequences for her, but all her consequences for me.

That is the crooked reality we live in.

Quote from: John A. on October 05 2025 07:29:57 AM MDTI think it was progressive that "let" you drive around with their little gadget plugged into your cigarette lighter for a month to base your insurance rates on your driving.

That was voluntary though.

Lot different when you're being spied on involuntarily and even worse when the company is profiting from it.  Sadly, I'd bet that even if they were fined, GM still made money from it.  That's how it usually works.

Crockett, I remember reading a very good thread on akfiles from someone that formerly worked for the state department who detailed how to disconnect all the tracking crap in their GM vehicles because they would often be traveling or escorting dignitaries or other sensitive things and they would disconnect all of the onstar stuff because it was a security issue for them.

There is a downloadable pdf file that details the steps to be taken in the topic. 

https://www.akfiles.com/forums/threads/disable-tracking-on-gm-vehicles-with-onstar.522468/

If they were concerned that their (governments) privacy was being compromised, why anyone would think it's OK for THEIR privacy to be compromised and was acceptable? 

Yeah, its petty easy to locate the module and pull the GSM / WIFI / BT card out. Some just unplug the antennas but that doesn't cut it. When I GSM tower is close enough, it will still establish connection with the traces on the board that also act as an antenna.

They need to be careful with posting photos and details, because it will also eliminate the crash based auto 911 call. You will give up some safety that could save your life if nobody else sees your crash and call in for help.

GM for sure still made a profit, and I could care less about that. But I don't want my insurance rates to go up, just because some algorithm considers me a higher risk just because I pushed it a for a few seconds on a highway ramp with nobody being around, or being penalized for doing an evasive maneuver because somebody was about to hit me.

I'm sure my premium would be much higher based on GPS and location data. But the reality is, I have zero crashes or insurance claims on my record. My premium should be going down every year.

Quote from: 10 Round on October 04 2025 08:10:41 PM MDTNo paranoia is ignorance let's get back to firearms and ammo

GM sold driver data to insurance companies, harvested through their OnStar system that is installed in EVERY GM vehicle, and then the insurance companies raised premiums on drivers, based on their driving style, without consent. The FEDERAL TC caught and fined GM, I linked it, and you call that paranoia?

I started this thread and the topic is "Today's cars" in the "Off topic" area of the forum, and not "firearms and ammo".

How about you f off from my topic?

Quote from: 10 Round on October 04 2025 07:25:39 PM MDTWTF what's with all the paranoia who gives a rat's ass I'm half dead already

Ignorance is bliss. For some at least.

Quote from: John A. on October 04 2025 03:30:30 PM MDTI don't worry so much about bluetooth myself because I made the decision that I don't want a cell phone.  So, I don't have to worry as much about that.

But if you could tell me how to disable all that other crap on my 2014 toyota corrola, I'm all ears.

I don't think it's just government motors that are doing the tracking stuff.  I know for sure that ford has even recently gotten patents for some of how they are doing that junk.

example:
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ford-patent-details-vehicles-detect-152010965.html?

(for the record, even that link above was full of tracking junk that I removed prior to posting).

And they want to listen to in car conversations as well.

https://www.climatedepot.com/2024/09/19/ford-files-patent-to-spy-on-drivers-ford-wants-to-listen-to-your-in-car-conversations/

The real issue is GSM, not BT or Wifi. As far as I know, the 2014 Toyota Corolla does not have a built-in GSM system or antenna.

As long as you don't hook up the car to the hotspot on your phone, there won't be any data sharing.

Quote from: John A. on October 04 2025 07:51:20 AM MDTI, like the majority of Americans, hate (loathe) newer vehicles that have sensors and other electronic bullshit all over them.

Someone spills a soft drink in the right rear floorboard from a drive thru and there's a sensor somewhere in the car that is transmitting that to the factory to let them know how many seconds it took to wipe it up off the floor.  Tracking your every movement.  Everywhere you go.  How fast you accelerate.  If your tires ever spin or lose traction.  If you used your turn signal or not.  Sensors that watch your face/eyes to see if you're "distracted".   And "sharing" the info with outside "sources".  Or, in other words, law enforcement and every ad agency that pays them to pirate your info.

That's not even related to how the cars are designed.  Most older cars I started working on in the 70's (many including older 50's and 60's models), just about anybody could work on them.  And did. 

Now, you have to take half the car apart to change a wheel bearing that is built into the the A-arm assembly.  Drop the whole engine out from underneath the frame to change a starter.  The shit that engineers do is beyond retarded.

I'd rather buy a dozen "antique" cars as buy 1 new one. 

I hate new cars.

If a car or truck manufacturer made a vehicle without all the electronic crap, I'd probably buy one.  Until then, I'll never buy a new vehicle as long as I live.  I'm getting old so that may not be much longer, but if anyone really knew me, you'd know I'm being serious and mean every word of what I say.

I remove the GSM / WiFi / Bluetooth module out of every vehicle I own. No more data sending / selling to anyone.

There's a reason why my insurance didn't go up even though I push my Vette hard.

GM just settled on a FTC case for sharing driving metrics to insurance companies. Not with me! Even if they build all that into the main computer, I will always be able to disable or remove any sending activity, even on a PCB level, thanks to my background in electronics and coding.


https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/01/ftc-takes-action-against-general-motors-sharing-drivers-precise-location-driving-behavior-data

Quote from: sqlbullet on October 03 2025 08:56:06 AM MDTI have never owned a "new" car in my life.  Used every single time.  The closest I have come was in spring 2012 when I picked up a 2011 suburban that was the "backup" vehicle to a car service in LV.  Only driven when another vehicle was "down" and only driven buy professional chauffeurs who were being paid to provide a luxury ride around Las Vegas.  It only had a touch over 3K miles and I got it at a steep discount.  Still have that vehicle, drove it to the cabin Wednesday night.

But, I am a bit of a car-hound.  My current stable inlcudes:
  2015 Mercedes GLK 250 Bluetech (85K)
  2011 Chevrolet Suburban LT (140K)
  2008 BMW X5 4.8 (180K)
  2001 Land Rover Discovery II LE7 (170K) - paid $400 for this one
 
Also at my house but owned by children:
  2009 Hyundai Sonata GLE (90k)
  1995 Ford Bronco XLT 5.0 (150K)
  1993 Ford Bronco XLT 5.8 (160K)

I let a trusted (as much as you can) stealership do any warranty work on the vehicles.  The M-B still has 4 more years on the diesel-gate updates.  Other than that I do all my own wrenching on cars.  And I am currently a bit behind.  The MB is due an oil change that I will get to next week.  The BMW needs a transmission and transfer case service, and I need to address the front prop shaft with an upgraded unit due to age.  And it has a few leaking gaskets that I should address, and I need to inspect the rod bearings for it's 200K inspection.

As you can see from the mileages, high miles don't worry me.  I keep on top of routine maintenance, get oil analysis and usually expect 300-400K miles from a pushrod V8 - after which I can do the rebuild for another 250 K miles.  But that X5 engine will be an adventure if I need to rebuilt it.  DOHC, VVT, all kinds of special tools.

My wife is starting to get a bit antsy for something a little newer than 10 years. But the current car market doesn't really excite me in any way.

You probably saved a fortune by never buying a new car.

When I grew up, I couldn't afford a new car at all, heck not even a nice used car. For a couple decades I was stuck with VW's or an old Honda, worth between a couple hundred bucks and 1500 max.

Once I made a decent income, I wanted to catch up and bought nice, new vehicles, at full MSRP.

I spent some time online window shopping the current market in recent days, because much like you, I didn't see anything exciting for a while.

Well, I found out that no brand makes a "perfect" car or truck anymore. They are all packed with compromises, making it really hard to make a decision.

Minivans for instance:

- The Honda is lacking any hybrid options, the model is super old and the tech is lacking.

- In the Toyota you can't remove the middle row seats anymore, they only offer a 4 banger with hybrid that is under-powdered, and a CVT doesn't match the high price. You can't walk from the driver seat to the back anymore - you have to exit the vehicle.

- The Chrysler looks good and offers options, but lacks reliability and Stelantis can't be trusted anymore at this point.

Why can't any of them build a minivan with all those features?

- V6 hybrid that still has  enough power, but with a little better MPG
- a proper transmission and not a CVT
- removable seats or at least the Stow-N-Go cubbies for the middle and rear row
- New tech but no massive middle console that prevents you from walking to the back
- AWD as an option

Same issues with pickups.