Soundline

You didn’t ask…

I’m incredibly fortunate that the money I made allowed me to retire early. I’m not rich or anything but I can live comfortably without getting shot again. I just need to be able to drive to a VA when I need medical care and have a decent butcher shop nearby. The “basics”. Lol To stay on topic, this is the most ineffective platforms I have, but I love taking it to the range.

Things are still on the back burner as I look for a new place to move to. Also, still collecting parts. She’s safe in storage while all of that happens.

I’m a huge fan of carrying what you’re comfortable shooting and that you find reliable. Revolvers are an acquired taste, and if they’re not what you like, shoot what’s fun. What brand of 1911? I’ve had some great experiences with older Kimber’s and the Colt’s. Making a good gun is a complicated endeavor that requires strict tolerances. But at least you didn’t have this kinda day.

I spent two seasons hunting up my Priest River, since my hunting grounds are up near mt Abercrombie in the top right corner of WA. Both seasons in ID I got my deer and had a wonderful time. That land up there is dense so they were short shots, under 200 yards for one and then about 80 for the second one. I’ve also never wounded an animal, the Weatherby is dialed in and I’d rather have an empty tag than to take a questionable shot. I’m not subsistence hunting anymore. I’ve shot the pre-64’ Winchester 70 in the .30-06, but never the Whelen. Those old Winchester’s are great rifles. I really do like your state, that area around Boise is cool, but it’s gotten so big. I was there two years ago and hardly recognized it. If I were to relocate there I think I’d do Fruitland. It seems to be just high enough it wouldn’t get that smoke that settles in the Nampa Valley during Fire season.

I didn’t think it would go this way, but it’s how my cards played in life. I’m nothing special from the people I’ve worked with. I just believe I’m either unusually lucky or blessed. Perhaps both to still be kicking around. I met my goals and retired really young. Now I just need to find a nice place to rent for a few years while I figure out which less commie state to live in after I abandon Washington. Cheytac makes some incredible precision rifles, and they price them accordingly. I really enjoy precision shooting with that little .308. It’s nothing special but it’s cheap to run. What do you think of your 338 Lapua? Is that too heavy of a caliber for hunting? I’m really interested in how it shoots. When you get a chance I’d be interested to read what you think of it.

You’ve all made valid points. For this specific car, as Indiana Jones says, “it belongs in a museum”.

That’s a nice little revolver, have you had a chance to shoot it?

All great work Frank. I’ve hit steel at 3/4 mi with a Barret .50 on a closed military range with a spotter, and wind calculations. Prone that rifle shifted my position a good 30 degrees laying in sand. Follow-up shots were impossible but I had the trigger and breathing discipline to do it. What I learned shooting past 1,000m was that there’s too many variables for me to factor them all in quickly. I’d never had made it through sniper training. I’m good for an average hunter, but I’m nothing special. Shooting people is a whole other thing. Most of my experience was close, real close. Being shot and powering through is an even larger obstacle. I’ve had the misfortune of being struck hard 4 times. The worst was stopped by my helmet by a Dragonov that was across the street from me. It knocked me unconscious and left me with a headache for more than a month. Next was taking a .44 mag at less than 18” to the left knee. Hit at a weird angle so I kept the leg, but fuck. I’ve had a bunch of plate strikes over the years, they suck, but nothing like those two. Had my back plate penetrated once, it broke my shoulder blade, cracked two ribs, and burned the fuck out of my back. I tattooed over the wound because I pick what is on me. The fourth, I was hit with a 12 ga 18” barrel, number 9 birdshot in my level three soft vest as a cop. It stopped most of them, but I still scratch out a piece of shot from time to time. It knocked me and the woman I was shielding to the ground and REALLY pissed me off. Got some nasty bruises but no broken bones. If you believe in divine protection, fate, or luck that’s how I attribute my surviving those encounters. Not my “skill” although I did train constantly back then. I give being shot zero stars on Yelp. If I never have to be in another gunfight, I’ll be eternally grateful. As for that S&W .500, it’s interesting to shoot. Wear ear protection or you’ll get to hear that ringing for hours. Honestly, I carry it because I’d rather be deaf than be bear scat. Prowling around the woods here in WA I have a .357 mag Colt 6”. Much easier to shoot, and it’ll handle what I deal with. The only thing that could get me would be an ambush predator like a cougar or a human. For human threats, I suggest a semi-auto platform. Handguns suck at stopping human threats, there are a lot of videos on Funker that show this. I suggest carrying as many bullets as possible. Another suggestion, don’t reholster immediately. Pulling it out quick is necessary, but it’s never a race to put it away.

The elk we have in Eastern WA are that size. I hunted with a Weatherby Mark V in .300 Weatherby Mag, which was the largest caliber I could effectively shoot when I was 155 lbs. I used the best gun I could afford, and bought it used back in 2000 or 01. I’ve seen guys fill an elk tag with a .270 Win, but I’m not that consistently good with a rifle. I like my harvest to be quick on the elk. I don’t think I’ve taken a shot over 400 yds. We have big, wide open scrub land so you can see them at a mile, but I’m no Chris Kyle. My deer rifle is a Remington 700 in .308. Great rifle. I’ve shot the .454 Casull in a short barrel in low light and it’s a flame thrower. For bear defense I picked up a S&W 500. I have a buddy in Fairbanks, AK. Black bears down here would get jacked up by a .45 ACP out of a 5” 1911. The Alaska bears can be at a much shorter distance so I applied that “highest caliber you can effectively shoot” metric.

It’s honestly nice to have this thread be full of knowledgeable protectors. As for the QC, results may vary. I had to send my brand new Colt Python back because the cylinder came out of time due to a slight tolerance issue. They fixed it and sent it back. I also have seen issues with pretty much anything, which is why it’s good to practice malfunction clearance drills. As far as guns I’ve had personal “it became a club” on me, FN Scar, Glock 22, Sig 226, and a Rossi .357 just to name a couple off hand. Are “cheap” guns crap? No. I worked more than one Hi-Point homicide as a patrolman. Micro compacts are one of my favorite categories. I’ve shot the Sig 938 & P365, FN 503, Shield 1, Glock 42/43, Ruger LC9, Walther PPK/S & PK380, and Beretta 21A. Of those options I find myself carrying the P365 most often. It seems to fit my big fucking hands the best. Is it “the best”, for me and my shooting preferences, biases, and comfort; probably.

My personal view on church is I’ll usually have two mags and a tourniquet on me. I’m old and lazy, so I like to agent carry in a shoulder harness. Taurus makes a fine gun for weekend shooters. They’re reasonable in every way if you’re not a burn down shooter. Great gun to go in the living room lockbox, bedside safe, or shower safe. If you’re gonna run 5,000+ rounds a year through it, I’d suggest buying a Glock, M&P, FN, HK, or something in the mid-tier. Strangely I’m not a big advocate for high dollar guns for personal defense. If you are faced to take a life in the preservation of your own life, or the lives of others, that firearm will probably remain in evidence indefinitely. Don’t misunderstand, if you wanna concealed carry the very Walther Hitler killed himself with, the .32 S&W Iver Johnson used by Leon Czolgosz to assassinate President William McKinely, or Alec Baldwin’s own F.lli Pietta Single Action .45 LC do it. You got the $, please train with it. Just know it’ll be locked up for at least a couple years in most cases. The last firearm I had used in a homicide, it took 9 years and 7 months to get it returned.

I spent about 2 years developing a mass casualty response program. I had assistance from colleagues in the the medical field, federal law enforcement, psychiatrists, executive protection, military, central intelligence, other local and state agencies, survivors of these events, and I’ve even sat down and interviewed convicted attackers. I’m still considered a subject matter expert and legal expert for testimony in these cases. I could absolutely bore everyone on this forum with details. It is well known that “gun free zones” are specifically targeted. Many of these shitbags chose their targeted areas because of limited access to firearms. You don’t see them occur at police gun range training days. If you’re talking about the media covered variety, with the highest death counts, they occur most commonly at schools, malls, theaters, colleges, and churches. Although if you’re looking at just raw numbers where two or more people are struck by gunfire, mass shooting most commonly occur on the street. If you’re outside in poor, ethnically monogamous boundary regions of gang controlled urban neighborhoods after dark, your chances go up exponentially. I’d discourage anyone from standing outside a gas station in south Chicago with red or blue on after dark. Especially if you’re not homogeneous with the local community in any readily obvious way. The vast majority of mass shootings occur out of the window of a car. I no longer follow those “no guns” signs unless it’s a federal or state restriction with a metal detector. My credentials get me around a lot of those. It’s my informed choice to avoid gun free establishments.

I was in Weatherford, TX last year and as I was gassing up I saw a fine citizen with a katana on one hip and a Desert Eagle on the other. That man feared no zombie or Highlander. As far as shootings go, I know the 2012 Aurora, CO shooting the Century 16 Theater was selected by James Holmes because it had CO’s version of 30.06. I’d be more likely to go to a theater if it had one of these signs. I was actually in a shooting at a theater in 2012, it was gang on gang and fortunately the only person hit was the intended target. i was also unlucky enough to have followed the “no weapons” sign when I went to the Tacoma Mall 20 Nov 2005 when some fuck up lit the place up. Dominic Maldanodo came in with a TEC-9 & MAK90 and shot 6 people before Dan McKown, a mall employee pulled his concealed carry gun and stopped it. So, yeah I guess it is pretty common to have shootings at theaters, malls, gas stations… just wear you vest and carry if you’re going to a U.S. city with a population of 50k or greater in a state with strict gun control.

I don’t understand why they just don’t make it illegal to murder people? Let me dust off my soapbox and use my “appeal to authority” tactic since I’m a retired cop, ex-mil, and was a private military contractor. It would be super nice of the government to take enforcement action on the US gov agencies who armed the cartels (see Operation Fast and Furious) and U.S. Gov agencies who created the drug war (see CIA Contra Affair {San Jose Mercury News Article 18 Aug 1996}). Further when I was a policeman in 2013 I observed shipping containers filled with Russian Made AK-47s that were being sold by an undercover FBI Agent. The guns were sold on the street as part of the cover and were not tracked or traced. My conservative estimate is that there were at least 2,000 full auto AK’s and an unknown amount of ammunition in the 40 foot container. I have even provided sworn testimony on this event and nothing was done. No arrests have been made in that weapons trafficking case in 11 years. The largest trafficking operations in U.S. history for illegal guns was run by the federal government. They poured millions of pounds of drugs and over 100,000 guns into our inner cities. There’s no way I’d hand any gun I have to the U.S. government. They will not pass a background check. Personally it’s my belief that every citizen has the right to have a firearm in their home to defend themselves and their family. Anyone who chooses to exercise this right should do so. Please get some training and regularly shoot the weapon. If you want to concealed or open carry, please take some classes. Follow the four rules of gun safety and shoot to eliminate the threat.

Had to merc that tint.

Well, I did this.

When are we going Jeeping Red?

And now to show you the quick wash exterior pics.

Ok, so this is my 7th Jeep, 4th Wrangler. I really love these things, so once my retirement was complete I went on the hunt for a new one. This iteration is a Wrangler Rubicon unlimited model. I intend to use it to support search and rescue crews as a coffee bringer. I can’t do the searches anymore, but I can assist as health permits. i swapped out the stock wheels for Method 701s and BFGoodrich KO2’s 285/70R17 to keep me ready for light off-roading. I addressed one of the biggest failure points for these Jeeps, their strange cooling system and its propensity to cut out the heater core. There’s a Mishimoto Coolant Filter system under the red Mishimoto silicone hoses. I replaced the stock radiator after I noticed it weeping with a stock replacement. Everything else I’ve done was to bring maintenance up to date because I have questions about past owners. The same questions we all have. Inside I added a new radio over the stock unit after the input on it failed. The dash has a Bullet mounting system for my phone, Garmin off-road system, as well as the Dash-3 off-road controller.

Now you’ll see why the title holds. The pink is a subie thing, so I’ve made it into a 90’s kid splatter paint thing. Ive really enjoyed this build, it’s where so much of my effort and attention has gone. I’m not an artist by any measure, but you don’t need to be one. Here’s the close up of the “cherry blossom” Subaru paint splattered on the Perrin Neon Yellow then clear coated with high temp clear coat. These Happy Endings pieces are there as part of the real joke. This is my real inside joke. The super fancy catch can used on Subaru’s is an Air-Oil Separator. It drains back down through the crankcase and is heated by coolant to keep the foam out.

As with everything I do, I don’t take it overly serious. I picked this little car up as a daily and, well, you know how that went. I’ve intentionally left it stock height so far because it’s amusing, but it’s getting to be not really be as much fun. I picked up a set of Tein Flex A Coilovers, but they just seem to always fall off my install list. So far here’s what I’ve gotten installed so far. Engine: Cobb Stage +1 Big SF Intake & Accessport Subispeed Brake Reservoir Cap Perrin Oil Cap Cobb 3” Stainless Steel Cat-Back Exhaust Perrin Fender Shrouds Perrin Battery Tie Down Perrin Intercooler Shroud Perrin Alternator Cover Perrin Radiator Shroud Perrin Oil Filter Cover Hyper Pink Optima Redtop 35 Cobb Turbo Inlet Cobb 3 Port Boost Controller Cobb LF By Pass Valve Perrin Top Mount Intercooler IAG Air Oil Separator Perrin Charge Pipe Interior: WeatherTech Cobb Floor Mats WeatherTech Trunk Mat Cobb Cover Craft Sun Vent OLM CF Shift Surround Fog Light Bezel Billetworkz Ti Shift Knob Body: Subaru OEM Vortex Generator APR Carbon Fiber Front Air Dam Perrin License Plate Relocation Kit Subaru OEM Fog Light Baja Designs Amber LEDs Suspension: Wheels: Enkei RPF1 Black 17x7.5” j Tires: Dunlop Direzza DZ102 SL 235/45 R17 Project Kics Leggdurra Lug Nuts Perrin Brake Master Cylinder Brace Perrin Brake Reservoir Cover

Hoping to get to mine in 2024. Well done Ice, I’ll be following this closely.

Do you ever wheel on the good side of the state? I can’t wait to see what you do with that white S10.

Dude, that tint is terrible… I have so many other things to fix first. For instance, I’m leaking fuel. There’s going to come a day where that meets a heat gun and a steamer.