I have been to places - including those occupied by hippos and elephants, with occasional nightly visits of lions in the tents.

Round of choice in all those National Parks was the 60,000 PSI .458 Win Mag with 500gr solids, flying above 2000 FPS.

Even a very stout 10mm with hardcasts is a challenge on Grizzlies, and you will have to make up with that 15 plus round magazine and hope the animal doesn't get to you.

10mm is decent in the lower states. In Alaska, I'd indeed carry a .500 revolver.

I prep the primer pockets the first (re)load with the RCBS 90375 Case Prep Center and their carbide pocket uniformer that allows to set the seating depth of the primer.

My OCD won't let me do that. I have equal amounts of SPP, LPP, SRP, LRP, the magnum versions, and the benchrest versions. My stash looks like a perfectly restocked Wal Mart at 6 AM sharp. 

Did anybody say grizzly?

350gr of CNC machined copper.

Quote from: The_Shadow on August 22 2025 02:32:21 PM MDTThe original owner was said to have shot it some although I never knew the original owner (California).  The fellow I bought it from locally purchased it from the original owner sometime back as I had met him on a local forum and made conversations with him at times and he decided to part with.  So this one basically feel into my hands.
I haven't made any modifications to it except purchase an extra magazine and Ted Blocker Shoulder Holster system.

Given the rarity it is more of a safe queen piece for me. Also seeing the prices, they are going for these days it can be quite the investment.  The pistols themselves are upwards of $5K+ and some are even asking $12K and prices of magazines are even north of $580.

I have collected and put together a file of those Bren Tens I have seen come up for sale/auction over the years.  Some of that file was messed up when I suffered a HDD crash.

There was a time when I was in total love with the Bren Ten. And everything Miami Vice. I even moved to Miami Beach for 8 years due to the TV show and did the party thing, nonstop. I ran the largest Miami Vice fan forum back in the day - managed to meet up with philip michael thomas. He still lives in Florida, now in Orlando. He changed a lot.

When I found out about the mechanical challenges on the Ten I lost interest and bought a G29 instead lol

Looking back, I'm not even sure what my favorite handgun is. I get free samples, loaners and employee pricing with most well known brands such as Barrett or Wilson Combat. Ever since I slowed down, by a lot.

A Nighthawk Custom in 10mm may be it.

Quote from: The_Shadow on August 22 2025 12:41:15 PM MDTI participated in each of these 3 ventures with anticipation of a BREN TEN CLONE purchase.
VLTOR could have easily done this the right way, but they got heavily involved in Military Contracts during the process and stop dead in the water and then sold off the stuff they actually produced.

It was sad that Chuck got wrapped up in the legal process with his family and business which they took away his stuff.  He is trying to rebuild his life ever since he was released.

Founders Circle as headed up by Stu, turned out to be an all-out scam from the get-go!

With that said I was lucky to have gotten a REAL BREN TEN at a great price all while waiting for the VLTOR project to unfold.  I actually passed on a MP5 10mm Clone to buy the Bren Ten at the time.  That turns out to be a great decision over all!

 

My company is in the field, deal with bailments for testing and the DOD myself. I do not recall seeing VLTOR ever getting full system MIL contracts, parts or a few LE orders at best. Back in the day it was clear that he was stuck with other issues. I begged him to sell the rights and it was not a matter of money.

Do you shoot your Ten regularly? Did you make any modifications to combat the shortcomings? I could have both a couple for around 3.5k back in the day, but wasn't the correct model.

Vltor Weapon Systems acquired the rights to the Bren Ten name a long time ago. The owner promised to make a replica for many years. When it was clear that he wouldn't follow through, I offered to buy the rights to the name and any usable designs from him, in order to finish the project. I talked to him several times, but he didn't want to let go of the rights.

It is sad to see that this iconic firearm and brand name never got a proper, quality iteration. There used to be thousands of enthusiast willing to buy a well made clone. Most of them long dropped off because Miami Vice is now 40 years old. Many Miami Vice fans aren't even around anymore.

I got 3 lawyers on retainers, all from many moons ago, just waiting to make use of it. Using the right lingo is almost always enough to make them act.

Store manager called an hour later and asked when I will come over to pick up the cash.

In reality, I hate being this way and I hate disputes and any sort of stress. But I will not be a victim either.

Something different...

The other day I was at Dollar General, just for some juice and Pepsi. Usually not my type of store but it was close by.

So I place the juice on the counter at the register, and the young guy running the register, tipped it over, it then fell to the ground, and the damn thing exploded with most of the juice going over and into my shoes.

The dude didn't say anything at first. I asked if he has any paper towels, which he handed to me a little later. Then he just gets a new bottle for me and tries to get me out of the story quickly.

Meanwhile I saw an older female, also behind the counter. The moment I tried to talk to her, she turns around and walks away. I had to raise my voice to get her attention finally.

I look at my new shoes, and they are stained. I point at my shoes and tell her that I'd like to file a claim to get this taken care off, and she just utters "Good luck!" to me.

I had to repeat myself and told her that she better gets a claim entered in their system. So she finally took down my name, address and phone number. Then she tells me again, that headquarters will likely not do anything. I just replied with a "I will make them!".

An hour later I had a demand letter send to headquarters, asking for $120 for the same new shoes plus tax and shipping. I also mentioned that I have video and photos.

Today their legal department calls and this chick tries to get my claim dismissed by saying that if I don't have a receipt for those shoes, and if they are not new, she can't do anything for me. She literally said that they will not replace older shoes.

When I told her that these are new shoes, and this is not how this works, she hung up on me.

So I sent her a text: "I will have my lawyer send a final demand letter to headquarters. He will tag his fees to it. If we don't hear back in 1 week, it goes to local small claims court with more fees."

She calls back, I decline the call and text her back with: "I'm done talking to you."

5 minutes later she texts me with: "The store manager will call you and pay you."

This is how corporate America works. They try to get away with everything, and I'm sick and tired of it.

I would have "swallowed" the stained shoes - everybody makes mistakes. But when you don't even care to ask and make things right, on 3 levels ranging from store employee, manager to legal department, I will become your worst nightmare and cost you a multitude of the damages you have caused me.

Quote from: sqlbullet on August 21 2025 07:36:41 AM MDTI was wishing I had some powder coated of that bullet, but all the ones I had cast were already lube.  I will PC some next time I cast.  I may later try to push to 650-700 lb-ft.

That's the reason why I don't cast my own bullets. We can reproduce and make better than factory ammo with all variables, but the damn bullets, unless you would invest into some serious machinery.

If I would go down that route, I'd CNC machine my own copper projectiles like LH does. And on that high level it would need a higher 5 figure investment, and require its own garage space.

It makes no sense in my book to have great tools and supplies, just to water down the final results with some basic casts or some DIY powder coating.

For testing and training, I use Berry's copper plated bullets. They are electroplated with copper to their final weight, hence very little variation. 120 bucks for 1000 isn't that bad. If I would cast my own, it would cost me MUCH more, and my ladders would have a much wider spread.

I need to stop my sugar and HFCS intake, but I'm not sure any of that Zero stuff is any better.

Looking at my heath, I should only drink water, low acid juices and certain teas sweetened with agave syrup at best.

Sugar is so addictive.

Quote from: The_Shadow on April 10 2025 09:08:57 AM MDTSad to say I don't do coffee
My habit is a 12oz Coca Cola for my caffeine fix...

Ma boi!

I changed over to Pepsi a year ago. That little extra lemon kick does it for me.

Quote from: sqlbullet on August 20 2025 07:39:05 AM MDTI have prime, mostly for the access to NCIS reruns and the new Star Trek.  And momentum as I have had it for years.  I don't disagree that it has become a parasite and not a service provider unless you are very judicious about what you buy.

But buying from Home Depot or Walmart is no better even though it is local. I try to frequent actual locally owned stores.  Ace Hardware is usually independently owned and I have a couple near me.  I look for IGA in small towns, or a complete independent if I can find one.

Here is a funny thing I have noticed.  Frequently, maybe even usually, if I look at the paid shipping options on Amazon, they are cheaper than Prime, even with the shipping costs.  But I won't get it tomorrow (or maybe even later today).

And that is the best use case for me for Amazon.  Something I can't get locally that I need quickly.

When everything is based on corporate greed, we the consumers pay for it, so we become greedy too, by trying to find the cheapest deals. So we end up supporting those, that screw us over the most.

While many think that unregulated capitalism is the foundation for freedom, it in fact is a downward spiral that will lead to less variety, less buying options, less innovation, and less personal freedom.

On many levels, there's not much difference if government or a handful of corporations own us. Its the same dead-end road, just on the opposite side.

The US needs massive anti-trust laws, and the mergers and buy-ups from the past 20 years should be reversed. Any company with a trillion plus market cap, needs to be split apart. And before that can happen, we need to stop any and all lobbying, and introduce term limits for the clowns that are getting rich on screwing us over.

Quote from: sqlbullet on August 19 2025 08:29:44 AM MDTThe only time I have heard the question asked was in an appointment for my son, an adult, about his depression.  He asked that I be there to be honest and direct with his doctor about what I observed.  During the visit the Doc asked if he had thoughts of self-harm or suicide and he honestly answered he did.  The Doc then asked about access to guns at home.  In that context I thought the question was very appropriate.

Great Doc too.  I smiled, my son smiled, the Doc asked what the joke was and my son said "I am pretty sure I have access to a gun in your office - my dad almost always carries."  We then had a very productive conversation about how to manage his thoughts and feelings while respecting his autonomy as an adult.  And my son and I had several follow-up conversations about the topic. He had already taken steps to make it difficult to access his handguns, and had committed to himself not to take that path.

Medication changes have resolved his issues, and he is aware of the warning signs so his depression won't get as bad in the future.

The biggest downside to carrying to my own Dr. appointments is having to explain the extra 5-6 lbs of gun, holster, backup mag, and sturdy belt.  It does add up.

While that instance was indeed decent and made sense, I don't trust the machinery behind it. Replying to that question with a "yes" will remain on your medical recorder forever.

It only takes one new law and this can be used to strip you of your rights for good. In some states, that's already in place for temporary actions.

While mental health is a big issue, people need to focus on the root causes, and not the tools used once somebody is just done with the pain.

My best buddy is a PhD. He has been in this field for 40 years, from running his own clinic to writing books, teaching at colleges and coaching professionals. We talk about the field of psychology all the time, its a passion of mine.

About 23% of all people in the US deal with ongoing mental health issues. This is literally an ongoing pandemic at this point!

The things society needs to talk about, and change, are big tech and social media. Too many are living in an unproductive online bubble, addicted to worthless systems and platforms put into place to steal and sell your data, while turning you into a product that gets spammed with commercials, and then fed with hate in order to divide for political gain.

The average attention span of those is often down to below 1 minute. Pair that with the need for instant gratification and it is no surprise that so many end up being depressed, and finally deal with anxiety too.

And the medical complex has no issues going along, because feeding somebody drugs for the rest of their lives makes MUCH more profit than fixing the root causes.

So yeah, a nice talk with a primary will not really help. He just keeps feeding you with drugs that will eventually have a lower impact, while introducing side effects that can be worse than the original symptoms. Just look at the fallout from Prozac alone - how many took their lives due to that drug, while it was supposed to help with depressive disorders.

My trust into the medical field in the US is very low. Most is aimed at "management" of chronic issues, and making a profit on it.

Just one reason why I avoid going to the doctors. And when I go, I tell the doctor what I need. I don't go there to answer any unrelated questions. The moment I can't establish or maintain trust, I'm gone.

UPS charges a $33 Hazmat fee to the shipper for ground shipments. The shipper also needs to train at least one employee and get him / her certified.

Hence orders for 1 brick make no sense, either way, no matter how they roll the cost into shipping.

At $40 for 5K primers they make a loss on the shipping.

- Average UPS ground shipping for a business with discount for that weight is about $17.00
- Those Hazmat shipping boxes cost $6.20
- Hazmat UPS fee is $33.00
- Employee picking the product, packing it, doing the Hazmat paperwork, printing the label and Hazmat forms, having it picked up, could be 10 minutes all in. Lets say he costs the business $35 an hour with overhead and all, that's another $5.80

Total cost to ship for seller: $62

When he charges $40, he makes a loss of $22 on that order, and that comes out of the profit margin from the product sold.

Ever since Amazon started that ""free shipping"" crap in order to undermine every single online retailer in the world, we online retailers have been struggling to make it work.

In reality, people should instead boycott Amazon before the last few remaining independent online shops go belly up, and Amazon will shaft everybody with higher prices as a true monopoly.