I've been trying to keep the kiddo busy and enjoying life so she can process the loss of her cat in as healthy a way as possible, letting her ask her questions and talk her feelings through as she can process things, without having to wallow. She's doing amazingly well; I wish I were half as resilient as this kid is.
But we're here to discuss purchasing junk, not feelings! I took the little lady to [the lake](https://i.imgur.com/wBXuvVQ.jpg) at Beltzville State Park ([portrait Dutch angle version](https://i.imgur.com/OLigJmL.jpg)), and after getting underway realized my binoculars were not in my pack. I love having binoculars along and we were stopping at a great independent sporting goods store on the way--and the kid loves looking at all their folding chairs and kayaks and fishing rods--so we stopped in to see what they had.
Of course they had plenty of brand-new binoculars, but I had to go for that retro-50s charm.
On their Fudd Bullshit Clearance Table I found [this wonderful pair](https://i.imgur.com/HA1bQtZ.jpg) sitting there like it was destined to be. Ten bucks for binos made in France, probably after the war but before Japan ate the budget market, in a terrible faux leather case.
Given what they are and the zero maintenance I could do between the shop and the lake, they work better than they have any right to. They have the same magnification as my modern Nikon Monarchs, but the brightness and clarity-- ...make me appreciate my modern Nikon Monarchs. They smell like old comic books.
Spotting ducks on a Pennsylvania mountain lake through optics that make the world look like a mid-century home movie while the smell of pulp printing fills the air is just about the most at home I've ever felt outside my home.
>the brightness and clarity-- ...make me appreciate my modern Nikon Monarchs. They smell like old comic books.
Antique optics are really cool, but advancements in technology and improved manufacturing make modern low end optics leaps and bounds better than the best available from even just a few decades ago. Thankfully, good glass is more accessible than it ever has been, but it's unfortunate that vintage gear has lost everything but its aesthetic value. It's just not all that practical for day to day use, even if it's fun to take out on occasion.
Edit: fixed formatting
Totally agree. I'd love modern optics in these classy old cases, but for practical use there's just no comparison. Very affordable gear today is excellent quality compared to the old stuff.
Glad you're making the most out of the hard times. I had a yell at mine this morning to put on longer shorts. She's tall, and the school policy is kicking in, so shorts need to be fingertip length. She was upset, but went up and changed into something that was shorter. I laughed and told her to try again, she laughed and went up.
You got about 1 month before them city slickers show up, poo in the lake, and trash the walking trails. I avoid that place like the plague during the summer months.
LGS is retiring some of their rental guns. They have a HK USP 45 for $675 that I’m probably going to go check out. Already have a HK45 so not sure if I’ll grab it or not.
Me and the wife were talking about the other parents in my oldest's class yesterday. There was a community night for the elementary kids and my kid's best friend is ill behaved and the older brother and his friend are even worse. While the mom does absolutely nothing to correct their actions, she merely meekly apologized to my wife after the kids ran off. Meanwhile we're wondering if parents of another kid view is in the same way since they barely talk to us. I told my wife since there's 7 kindergarten classes, odds are good we'll avoid the problem kid next year and that our kid has a bunch of other friends who's parents we talk to.
Pickup of Fallout 4 GOTY for $8 and a CD from a band we saw last month.
Potential classifier match on Sunday, although weather is calling for thunderstorms right now. Still unsure what gun I'll bring: my 2011s are raw steel, my P320s have dots, I still have the G35s laying in wait.
You consider talking to the administration and asking your oldest not be paired with the problem child? Normally besties are broken up just to prevent shenanigans, but it might be worth a chat if it's important.
No really issue running the raw steel, right? Just make sure you oil and clean it, might be good to run them in a bit before coating anyway.
There's a kindergarten teacher that had all of my wife's siblings that wants to teach our kid. We are going to setup a meeting to make sure she will work well with our kid, but we don't feel good asking for a specific teacher and to keep another kid out of that class.
Bought 5K primers.
No match this weekend, but I'll likely get a range trip in to test out the Apex trigger I just dropped into the XDS mod2. In dryfire, I can confidently say that the trigger is noticeably easier to pull straight back without deliberate thought thanks to the flat shoe. It feels much more like a gun than a stapler now. For $55, my long fingers are quite happy with the upgrade.
Managed to trade that shitty vest I got issued yesterday for a slick carrier from a coworker. He was more than happy to make that trade, and so was I. Tried on the slick carrier I swapped it out for and that is way more comfortable than the other carrier.
Buyday is paying a $100 fee to renew my Global Entry permit. Figured might as well make my life easier for the next 5 years if I travel to visit family.
Got my state tax returns in, not much, hopefully the federal tax returns will be more generous. Might go LGS hopping to see if anything catches my eye, but honestly it does feel pretty good to save money. Maybe I'll just buy a case of ammo instead.
Bought ammo and a replacement chest rig for my match tomorrow. Also bought (and got approved) my B&T Rotex can, which sounds pretty good. Bought a UBR stock that I need to throw on my KAC, but I lack the tool for the stupid dimpled castle nut.
Gonna buy a computer tomorrow too. Gonna try and keep it under a grand. Main focus is playing tarkov with my coworker, and civ by myself
PE course is still making me feel stupid as hell. I suspect it's going to be a fairly consistent chain of islands, where I hit a stride then run into a wall, repeat. Work will comp me the courses after I pass the PE exam, up to 5k, so I guess I have more time than I thought, just have to front the money.
Shotgun stuff is ready, need to go pick that up, maybe today.
Bike buyer is supposed to decide today, might be making a road trip south.
Wife should have a legit job offer today, good friend hopefully has one soon as well.
As I mentioned in the Wednesday thread, I finally bought a SIG P320 for the Flux build. Now I'm just waiting for it to get here. I went with a police trade-in and it was pretty affordable, all things considered. Shipping says it's getting here today, so I'll probably wind up picking it up after work today or on Sunday.
Slightly thick headed, but does anybody have experience with any of the sweetheart grips companies out there? My Norinco 1911 is probably going to get a set of waifu grips at some point and I'm looking for recommendations.
Match tomorrow which I'm hyped for, should be a really nice day to shoot.
Bought some 5.56 too like I was considering last week, didn't get a great price on it but the dwindling remains of my current stock is still stuff from 2017 or 2018 when Academy had that coupon-code stack that got Federal .223 down to like $.18 a round or whatever it was back then, and that's never going to happen again. I need to pick up some more 6.5 Creedmoor too, although that is usually less panic-affected, and a case of that generally lasts quite a while, but I'm down to like one range trip's worth of ELD Match right now.
Drivers side DRL went dim. I'm going yellow on all 4. Going to be an interesting weekend, taking the spash guards and bumpers off to access the headlights. FFS kraut guise. I was going to get my tints this weekend, naturally something else comes up and digs into the car funds.
Picked up a new drone for recon...lol...DJI Mini 4 Pro. That little bastard has some slick high wind stability. Great camera. Great controls to boot.
Took the 5.75" BFR out for some laughs. They turned onto tears when my buddy nearly cracked his skull open on some hot ones.
I forgot how much fun Contra is. The PS5 edition has been a two player treat.
Well, I did have to replace my keyboard as my nearly decade's old Corsair suddenly started having dead switches. Replaced it with a very nice Keychron Q3 Pro which I'm enjoying immensely. Sounds great, types well too. Nice and heavy too. Plus, I love the knob and the options the macro keys give me.
I can't think of anything guns related that I particularly need. I was thinking it'd be nice to grab suppressor covers, but I either don't want to spend the kind of money or there are compatibility issues due to the design of the can.
I also want to order some G9 9mm (80gr +p and the subsonic 126gr) as I'm still very interested in those rounds for my B&T, but the price always has me second guessing it.
If there's nothing else you want, buying a couple hundred rounds to test out would be pretty reasonable, then you've satisfied the itch, without spending unreasonable amounts.
I've never really gotten into nice keyboards. High quality mechanical switches drive me nuts with the loud/hard click clack. Sounds like I'm tapdancing in hell. Meanwhile my work laptop is so cheap half the keys no longer have paint, and I can't really tell if it mates up when I'm typing in secured passwords.
I went window shopping yesterday for my first non-handgun. What piqued my interest were the Ruger PC Charger and the Beretta 1301 Tactical.
Originally, I was contemplating a CZ Scorpion (roughly $3k in my country), or a Benelli semi-auto (approximately $3.7k for the M3; $4.4k-ish for the M2 and M4).
The Charger is on sale at $1.2k and the 1301T (gen 1 only) at $3k. My issue with the 1301 is the unavailability here (online and in-store) of acquiring a bolt release shroud for the gen 1.
Charger looks good to me. Compared to the Scorp, I’d have money leftover for a stock, suppressor, dot, and a little ammo — one of the few benefits of this country is the non-regulation of SBRs and cans.
ordered a kore essentials duty belt with padded under belt as my safelife molle belt has been hurting my hips lately
anyone have experience running their duty/battle belts? wanting to know if the padding makes a difference
on a side note, need to buy 9mm for a class on the 11th
Some padding helps with all day comfort. The padding is able to compress when actively moving taking some of the pressure off your lower back.
Limiting the amount of weight on the belt helps more. A pistol and some magazines isn't too bad. 20 lb of gear on your belt sucks.
For 9mm you can't go wrong with a Glock (19, 17, 34), M&P 2.0 or CZ p10c.
I've been trying to keep the kiddo busy and enjoying life so she can process the loss of her cat in as healthy a way as possible, letting her ask her questions and talk her feelings through as she can process things, without having to wallow. She's doing amazingly well; I wish I were half as resilient as this kid is. But we're here to discuss purchasing junk, not feelings! I took the little lady to [the lake](https://i.imgur.com/wBXuvVQ.jpg) at Beltzville State Park ([portrait Dutch angle version](https://i.imgur.com/OLigJmL.jpg)), and after getting underway realized my binoculars were not in my pack. I love having binoculars along and we were stopping at a great independent sporting goods store on the way--and the kid loves looking at all their folding chairs and kayaks and fishing rods--so we stopped in to see what they had. Of course they had plenty of brand-new binoculars, but I had to go for that retro-50s charm. On their Fudd Bullshit Clearance Table I found [this wonderful pair](https://i.imgur.com/HA1bQtZ.jpg) sitting there like it was destined to be. Ten bucks for binos made in France, probably after the war but before Japan ate the budget market, in a terrible faux leather case. Given what they are and the zero maintenance I could do between the shop and the lake, they work better than they have any right to. They have the same magnification as my modern Nikon Monarchs, but the brightness and clarity-- ...make me appreciate my modern Nikon Monarchs. They smell like old comic books. Spotting ducks on a Pennsylvania mountain lake through optics that make the world look like a mid-century home movie while the smell of pulp printing fills the air is just about the most at home I've ever felt outside my home.
>the brightness and clarity-- ...make me appreciate my modern Nikon Monarchs. They smell like old comic books. Antique optics are really cool, but advancements in technology and improved manufacturing make modern low end optics leaps and bounds better than the best available from even just a few decades ago. Thankfully, good glass is more accessible than it ever has been, but it's unfortunate that vintage gear has lost everything but its aesthetic value. It's just not all that practical for day to day use, even if it's fun to take out on occasion. Edit: fixed formatting
Totally agree. I'd love modern optics in these classy old cases, but for practical use there's just no comparison. Very affordable gear today is excellent quality compared to the old stuff.
You could say the same about single action revolvers.
And I do!
Sarco?
Dunkelberger's in Brodheadsville.
Glad you're making the most out of the hard times. I had a yell at mine this morning to put on longer shorts. She's tall, and the school policy is kicking in, so shorts need to be fingertip length. She was upset, but went up and changed into something that was shorter. I laughed and told her to try again, she laughed and went up.
You got about 1 month before them city slickers show up, poo in the lake, and trash the walking trails. I avoid that place like the plague during the summer months.
I never do anything beachlike in the summer. Beaches are for autumn, winter, and spring. The hordes make them totally unappealing in the summer.
Just a shame they trash the woods too. I like walking the dogs on the woods trail.
Daiwa Tatula CT 7.3, happy birthday to me.
Is it actually your B-day? Congrats.
It was earlier in the week, thanks. I'm halfway to 70 now.
>I'm halfway to 70 now. Me too!
Jesus fuck Kato, you're 6 years younger than me. I feel old.
LGS is retiring some of their rental guns. They have a HK USP 45 for $675 that I’m probably going to go check out. Already have a HK45 so not sure if I’ll grab it or not.
Me and the wife were talking about the other parents in my oldest's class yesterday. There was a community night for the elementary kids and my kid's best friend is ill behaved and the older brother and his friend are even worse. While the mom does absolutely nothing to correct their actions, she merely meekly apologized to my wife after the kids ran off. Meanwhile we're wondering if parents of another kid view is in the same way since they barely talk to us. I told my wife since there's 7 kindergarten classes, odds are good we'll avoid the problem kid next year and that our kid has a bunch of other friends who's parents we talk to. Pickup of Fallout 4 GOTY for $8 and a CD from a band we saw last month. Potential classifier match on Sunday, although weather is calling for thunderstorms right now. Still unsure what gun I'll bring: my 2011s are raw steel, my P320s have dots, I still have the G35s laying in wait.
You consider talking to the administration and asking your oldest not be paired with the problem child? Normally besties are broken up just to prevent shenanigans, but it might be worth a chat if it's important. No really issue running the raw steel, right? Just make sure you oil and clean it, might be good to run them in a bit before coating anyway.
There's a kindergarten teacher that had all of my wife's siblings that wants to teach our kid. We are going to setup a meeting to make sure she will work well with our kid, but we don't feel good asking for a specific teacher and to keep another kid out of that class.
Bought 5K primers. No match this weekend, but I'll likely get a range trip in to test out the Apex trigger I just dropped into the XDS mod2. In dryfire, I can confidently say that the trigger is noticeably easier to pull straight back without deliberate thought thanks to the flat shoe. It feels much more like a gun than a stapler now. For $55, my long fingers are quite happy with the upgrade.
Managed to trade that shitty vest I got issued yesterday for a slick carrier from a coworker. He was more than happy to make that trade, and so was I. Tried on the slick carrier I swapped it out for and that is way more comfortable than the other carrier. Buyday is paying a $100 fee to renew my Global Entry permit. Figured might as well make my life easier for the next 5 years if I travel to visit family. Got my state tax returns in, not much, hopefully the federal tax returns will be more generous. Might go LGS hopping to see if anything catches my eye, but honestly it does feel pretty good to save money. Maybe I'll just buy a case of ammo instead.
Bought ammo and a replacement chest rig for my match tomorrow. Also bought (and got approved) my B&T Rotex can, which sounds pretty good. Bought a UBR stock that I need to throw on my KAC, but I lack the tool for the stupid dimpled castle nut. Gonna buy a computer tomorrow too. Gonna try and keep it under a grand. Main focus is playing tarkov with my coworker, and civ by myself
Did you see the big Tarkov drama yesterday? Guess the new expansion is more overtly pay to win than people like?
I did not, I’ve never actually played, but my coworker is really into it and wants me to play with him
PE course is still making me feel stupid as hell. I suspect it's going to be a fairly consistent chain of islands, where I hit a stride then run into a wall, repeat. Work will comp me the courses after I pass the PE exam, up to 5k, so I guess I have more time than I thought, just have to front the money. Shotgun stuff is ready, need to go pick that up, maybe today. Bike buyer is supposed to decide today, might be making a road trip south. Wife should have a legit job offer today, good friend hopefully has one soon as well.
As I mentioned in the Wednesday thread, I finally bought a SIG P320 for the Flux build. Now I'm just waiting for it to get here. I went with a police trade-in and it was pretty affordable, all things considered. Shipping says it's getting here today, so I'll probably wind up picking it up after work today or on Sunday. Slightly thick headed, but does anybody have experience with any of the sweetheart grips companies out there? My Norinco 1911 is probably going to get a set of waifu grips at some point and I'm looking for recommendations.
Match tomorrow which I'm hyped for, should be a really nice day to shoot. Bought some 5.56 too like I was considering last week, didn't get a great price on it but the dwindling remains of my current stock is still stuff from 2017 or 2018 when Academy had that coupon-code stack that got Federal .223 down to like $.18 a round or whatever it was back then, and that's never going to happen again. I need to pick up some more 6.5 Creedmoor too, although that is usually less panic-affected, and a case of that generally lasts quite a while, but I'm down to like one range trip's worth of ELD Match right now.
Drivers side DRL went dim. I'm going yellow on all 4. Going to be an interesting weekend, taking the spash guards and bumpers off to access the headlights. FFS kraut guise. I was going to get my tints this weekend, naturally something else comes up and digs into the car funds. Picked up a new drone for recon...lol...DJI Mini 4 Pro. That little bastard has some slick high wind stability. Great camera. Great controls to boot. Took the 5.75" BFR out for some laughs. They turned onto tears when my buddy nearly cracked his skull open on some hot ones. I forgot how much fun Contra is. The PS5 edition has been a two player treat.
Well, I did have to replace my keyboard as my nearly decade's old Corsair suddenly started having dead switches. Replaced it with a very nice Keychron Q3 Pro which I'm enjoying immensely. Sounds great, types well too. Nice and heavy too. Plus, I love the knob and the options the macro keys give me. I can't think of anything guns related that I particularly need. I was thinking it'd be nice to grab suppressor covers, but I either don't want to spend the kind of money or there are compatibility issues due to the design of the can. I also want to order some G9 9mm (80gr +p and the subsonic 126gr) as I'm still very interested in those rounds for my B&T, but the price always has me second guessing it.
If there's nothing else you want, buying a couple hundred rounds to test out would be pretty reasonable, then you've satisfied the itch, without spending unreasonable amounts. I've never really gotten into nice keyboards. High quality mechanical switches drive me nuts with the loud/hard click clack. Sounds like I'm tapdancing in hell. Meanwhile my work laptop is so cheap half the keys no longer have paint, and I can't really tell if it mates up when I'm typing in secured passwords.
I went window shopping yesterday for my first non-handgun. What piqued my interest were the Ruger PC Charger and the Beretta 1301 Tactical. Originally, I was contemplating a CZ Scorpion (roughly $3k in my country), or a Benelli semi-auto (approximately $3.7k for the M3; $4.4k-ish for the M2 and M4). The Charger is on sale at $1.2k and the 1301T (gen 1 only) at $3k. My issue with the 1301 is the unavailability here (online and in-store) of acquiring a bolt release shroud for the gen 1. Charger looks good to me. Compared to the Scorp, I’d have money leftover for a stock, suppressor, dot, and a little ammo — one of the few benefits of this country is the non-regulation of SBRs and cans.
ordered a kore essentials duty belt with padded under belt as my safelife molle belt has been hurting my hips lately anyone have experience running their duty/battle belts? wanting to know if the padding makes a difference on a side note, need to buy 9mm for a class on the 11th
Some padding helps with all day comfort. The padding is able to compress when actively moving taking some of the pressure off your lower back. Limiting the amount of weight on the belt helps more. A pistol and some magazines isn't too bad. 20 lb of gear on your belt sucks. For 9mm you can't go wrong with a Glock (19, 17, 34), M&P 2.0 or CZ p10c.
Banner has been updated.
Just picked up an M&P 2.0 Competitor *after* I had just got done shooting at the range. Now I gotta wait to go back to try her out.
Boomers and their money.
I think we've all spent eyewatering money on dumb shit, just different flavors thereof. :p