Starbucks

I'm not really surprised, but I am disappointed.  Howard Schultz posted an open letter which basically says:

Please don't bring your guns to Starbucks.

It's not a ban, it's a request. I suspect it was really an attempt to get people to stop using Starbucks as a rallying point for their gun agenda (pro or anti). He states that part very clearly, and I agree completely.  Starbucks appreciation is one thing, slinging an AR across your shoulders to piss-off anti's wasn't useful, nor was it much appreciated by Starbucks - I suspect it wouldn't be appreciated by any business.  If you normally strap an AR to your back, well then - good for you.  But I've been around a few years, and I've NEVER seen it happen.  Around here, I'd have to say it' a rare thing.  Having the store full of people doing open carry as a planned even - also not useful.     

As such it's a good idea, the problem was the wording.  He specifically requested that we not bring guns to Starbucks, rather than reaching out to the gun community and asking them to please stop using his business as a political tool.  Which I suspect we'd have complied with, I would have done so happily -  Sadly, what it's going to do, is alienate gun owners, and it's not going to make the anti's any any happier at all.   The upside if there is one, will be for people in the middle, those who just wish we'd both go away.  The end result will be for a lot of gun rights activists to eventually find some other place to buy their coffee.

I am one of those. Not because I'm mad at Mr. Schultz, I'm not, just a bit disappointed.  I'll stop going there because he very politely asked me to. Given the choice of having to handle my gun in the parking lot, or finding another coffee shop, there's really only one sensible choice.

I've been a Starbucks customer for a long time, not particularly because I like their coffee, there's really only a couple blends I really like.   I'll be canceling my Starbucks card, hopefully I'll be able to get the cash back.  There are lots of other coffee's quite a few I think are noticeably better than Starbucks

An interesting approach

Sebastian pointed this little gem out.    The approach seems to be: Find an example of someone doing it wrong and use that as an argument to invalidate the law.

So:

We have someone speeding - which is against the law.  Obviously the law doesn't work and needs to be eliminated.

Someone murders someone - which is against the law.  Guess  we need to eliminate that law too - since it didn't work.

Hmmm....

A Caliber Problem

Too many that I like - not enough sefl control - that's my problem
I suppose next to Tam, I'm a bit of a piker so there's that.

I've improved over the years, but I'm slipping again.
At one point I'd tried to get down to just .45acp and .308 But .308 is too expesive to blow though 500 rounds every few months. (well so is 5.56 but you have to practice right?) I'd almost made it but I couldn't give up the 9x23 and I couldn't give up the 5.56 and the 45-70. So I have 3 guns I'll probably sell this month - a .380, a .40S&W and at Win Model 92 in .44mag

The smart thing to do would be - sell everything except the 5.56 - and buy 3 M&P 9mm.
Since 2 is 1, and 1 is none the correct number would be 3 of each right? Would be cheaper than what I'm doing that's for sure. Even so, it's not going to happen.

Current Pistol:
.45ACP (for the 1911's and the XD)
.40 S&W (1 double stack 1911 compact)
.380 for the PPK that I really need to sell
9x23 for Burns Custom 1911 9x23 (I LOVE this round)

Rifle:
.44 Mag (For the Model 92)
5.56
.300 AAC (new and I'm sort of tempted to replace the 5.56 with it --- but.....)
.308 WIN
.45-70

Shotgun (only 12ga) Yay!

I'm set up for reloading all of theses except the .44mag

I'm seriously considering adding 9mm

Adding 9mm would cut my ammo expenses for classes, and practice down a $100 - $150 / case, more if I used Wolf ammo. I suspect the real reason is that I keep looking at this M&P 9mm that my local crack (ahhh gun) dealer has and I kind of want it. I also want a second 9x23 (with perhaps a 9mm barrel I can swap in/out)

I've always had a talent for rationalizing gun purchases - part of which is I've never lost money on a gun. It's just that I'm thinking about spending 600 bucks on a gun to save myself maybe $300 bucks on ammo over the next couple years. Does this qualify as an addction?

From a TEOTWAWKI point of view I can see reasons to hang on to the ability to use 5.56 and 9mm - as I suspect those are the two most common (in terms of quantity) rounds in the U.S.A. at the moment. They're also cheaper to reload - so even better
Maybe I should sell the XD if I get the M&P......

See there I go again - it's a friggen disease. I'm really starting to envy those people who were smart enough to not go down this path - you know those of you who started with a 9mm Glock, then added an AR-15 - WAY smarter. I guess my excuse is I've had 40 years to get here, and when I started there were no Glocks - come to think on it - there was no AR-15 either.



- Posted from the pad

Picking a new gun.

I've been going around and around on this.

I want a lighter gun for every day carry.   My full sized .45's - even my 9x23 are too heavy to be comfortable.  

I've thought about using my PPK but .380 just doesn't fill me with confidence.   I've looked at a number of pocket 9's like the Kahr P9, or the Ruger LC9.   Which I think would do the job, but I don't own a 9mm, and I got rid of my .40S&W's.

Ideally I'd like to build a commander size 9x23 on a titanium frame, which I can do - using a Caspian Recon Titanium frame, and a 4.25" slide.  Probably a ramped barrel - although my 5" Burns 9x23 doesn't use one.   Why 9x23?   Easy, I get 10 rounds in a single stack - I don't like fat guns in general (small hands).  The ammo is lighter, and it's got the stopping power of a .357Mag which is every bit as good as a .45 ACP.    I've been thinking about building it myself but if I screw up, the frame is about $630 (with options), the slide is another $300 (with options), about $250 for the barrel.  And then there's all the little parts like the bobtail mainspring housing, grip safety, safety, slide release, etc.     All said and done - if I do it all myself with out screwing anything up I'm looking at close to $1400.00.   If I have a smith do it - well OUCH.  

Or I can suck up the bit of extra weight (not much) and go with a Smith & Wesson SW1911SC  Like this - SWEET    Except, for some reason - NO ONE has these - you'd think S&W had given up making - Did they?

I considered a Kimber Ultra Carry Pro but, I've not been all that happy with the last couple of Kimbers I had, every one of them needed work.    Think I'd rather have a Ruger LC9.