steve1

................................................................ I agree....I'd rather have a shotgun with slugs. I've packed that in Alaska, for bear protection. Down in the lower 48 I usually end up packing a pistol around. It's just easier, and I'm basically lazy. My Dad had his camp raided by a grizzly, years ago, in the Bob Marshal. I'd definitely want something bigger for a bear like that. Bears are powerful critters...even black bears. I've skinned out a few. You end up with a carcass that looks just like Arnold Swarzenegger on steroids. Black bears are usually real timid, but not always. This bear was obviously used to people....

I am happy that in 36 years I have never been in a situation where I wished for a gun. ................................................................... I can think of lot's of times when I was glad I had a gun. This past summer I was packing into the mtns. on horseback. We had three horses. A couple backpackers came down the trail to meet us with big eyes. A bear was in the trail hissing at them and wouldn't let them around. I figured this was just another black bear and it would be long gone when we got there. Since I was packing a 357 I felt safe. The backpackers decided to come along, since I was packing a weapon, and they were unarmed and scared. I got off the young horse I was on. I figured I didn't want to be on a spooky horse, if I was confronted by a bear. We walked up the trail several hundred yards, and the backpackers said that we were getting close to where the bear was. About then a huge black bear started climbing up a tree right next to us. At that point I did a lot of hollering and tried to get my horses turned around. We backed down the trail to give the bear time to take off. Ten minutes later we headed back up the trail. That time I had my 357 out, ready for action. The bear was gone. I didn't know it but that section of the trail had been closed for two weeks because of this same obnoxious bear. I'm glad I had the pistol. I don't put much faith in bear spray. I also know that bears aren't they only kind of predator, one is likely to run into. The two legged kind scare me more....

It seems like hunting has changed for me has changed a lot, over the years. When we were kids we shot about anything that moved with our BB guns. When we moved up to 22's, there wasn't a gopher that was safe in our county. I killed my first deer at 12, hunting alone, with a 30/30 and there was no going back....I was hooked. That enthusiasm lasted for another 30 years. I had a real itchy trigger finger. I spent a lot of time trophy hunting. It was too easy to shoot a little one. Now, I feel like I've killed more than my fair share of game. I'll bet I've shot over a hundred deer. Many were big bucks. I made every effort to save all that meat, and it was eaten by my family. Now, I'm really not into that. I still like getting out into nature, but I'm just not into the killing part. I shot two deer last year. It was mostly just for the meat. I didn't enjoy pulling the trigger on either one of them..... I still enjoy seeing the excitement in my daughters eyes when they hunt. My wife too still enjoys getting out. So, that's a big part of what keeps me returning to the mountains or river bottom each fall.

I used to be a hunting fanatic. I couldn't wait to get out in the mtns. to hunt. Maybe I'm just getting old. I don't have the enthusiasm I once did. I bought a couple of young mules this past summer. We also have three other horses. My game plan is to have a pack string that I can use hunting when I retire. I'd love to pack into the Bob Marshal and spend most of the season hunting, fishing, and just enjoying the wilderness. I shot my first elk in the Bob about 40 years ago. It took two days of hard riding just to reach our camp. It was about 50 miles in. I haven't hunted there since. I'm anxious to go back.....

I live in a small town in Eastern Montana. The winters are awful. The good news is that many people won't live here. We don't even lock our doors. That may not be smart, but we've never had a problem here. I remember the first time we traveled to California. I kept wondering why so many people had bars on their windows and even doors. Several years ago I went to visit my brother in Palm Springs. He lived in a nice house in a nice neighborhood. While we were in the backyard in his hot tub, a group of thugs came in and stole all our wallets and anything else that was handy. Maybe they saw the Montana license plates and thought this would be some easy pickings. So, the first thing we learned when we travel, is to lock the damn door......

In the 70's we were able to skydive out of most of the smoke jumper aircraft, in Missoula. That was when Johnson's Flying Service owned things. We'd give Johnson's a call, and within the hour we'd have a DC-3 or twin beech ready to take us to twelve five. I think we'd paid around $7.00 each for those jumps. That was a fun era. Even Jerry Bird brought his team up to take advantage of those aircraft. Under new management, all that came to a halt. I think it had something to do with liability issues. I can't say we ever jumped out of a DC-3 as nice as the one shown in you pictures.....

I've tested magsafe rounds firing into wallboard and scrap meat (bought it from a butcher because it was going bad). I was not impressed, at all, with the stopping power of the round. The impact wounds were massive, but very, very shallow (maybe 2 or 3 inches deep at best). I wouldn't trust a pre-fragmented round in a real situation. ........................................................................... I'd rather have over penetration, than not enough. I've got a favorite hunting load that is deadly accurate. The only problem is that it will blow up on most any bone and not penetrate deep enough to reach the vitals in some cases. I've wounded several animals, that required a finishing shot, because of that too fragile of a bullet. I hate having that happen. I'll never hunt with that bullet again. It would work fine as long as you missed the shoulder blade, but it's not always possible to place a bullet perfectly in some hunting situations. It would blow up, penetrating only a couple inchs, even on a light shoulder blade such as an antelope. Yes, there would be a massive hole on the outside, but no penetration. The same holds true for home defense. I want a round that will penetrate to the vitals, not just blow up on a leather coat or piece of sheet rock. I know that over-penetration could be a dangerous thing......but I want to be able to put a bad guy down, not just make them mad....

............................................................... I quit skydiving back in the 70's and started rodeoing. I specialized in bareback, but have been on a couple bulls. There was a lot of similiarities between skydivers and those who rodeo. Many skydiver are a little crazy, and so are those who ride broncs or bulls. I'd often tell stories of back when I was a skydiver to some wild looking bull rider. He'd usually get big eyes and say that really sounds scary. Some would say I'd never do that, (because of the danger)....yet they were entering rodeos and riding bulls nearly every weekend, without much thought to that danger. To tell you the truth, I think rodeoing was a lot scarier than skydiving was. You truly had to be mentally a physically tough to live that life. Getting hurt was part of the game.....

I have an older Smith & Wesson auto, loaded with hollow pts. I also have a 357 revolver with a six inch barrel. I pack the 357 in the mtns. It may not be the best bear gun in the world, but it would probably get the job done. Thanks for the info. on the flashlight Dave. That makes sense....

Thanks for all the replies on this. I'm wondering what would be considered an older firearm. I have some old, bolt-action, rifles that are over 40 years old, that I still hunt with. A couple are model 700 Remingtons.....

I've always been told, since way back when, that if you dry fire a gun you will damage the firing pin. Then I heard rumors this may not be true. Then I read a story the other day, that said that dry firing most modern rifles will not hurt them a bit. Some rimfires can be damaged by dry firing. I think it was the chamber that could be damaged. So, what's the straight story on this? I know they sell snap caps, but are they even needed for center fire rifles and pistols? And how about most pistols? Someone once told me that it is good to dry fire a revolver...that it will make everything work more smoothly. Is that another tall tale? Dry firing may not be as good as actual shooting, but I think it really helps make you a better shot..... I read once, that Carlos Hathcock would spend hours practicing getting into position, using the right breathing, and squeezing the trigger till it broke.....

That old saying of, "If you get bucked off, you need to get back on", holds true for skydiving too. I've never been really busted up bad skydiving. I've sprained ankles, bruised feet, messed up my neck, along with a few other minor injuries, but I've never broke anything skydiving. Maybe I've been lucky. Probably my worst accident came from a low turn a few years back. I slammed into the ground with unbelievable force, and I think a good PLF saved me. I spent over a month recouping and thinking about that accident. When you are hurt, you have to wait till you heal to jump again. All that waiting gives you too much time to think. The sooner you can get back in the air again, the better. And yes, my first few jumps back were scary. If you can conquer that, you'll feel really good about yourself. I've had a long list of broken bones. I too used to rodeo. It was really hard to crawl back on a bronc after getting busted up bad. My first rodeo, I was nocked out for 45 minutes. Everyone thought I had a broken neck. I woke up in the ambulance with a broken arm. I remember laying in a hospital bed (that night) with a concussion and wondering if I should quit.... A few days after getting out of the hospital I got on the phone and entered another rodeo. I could still ride with my free arm in a cast. I was scared plenty at that next several rodeos, but I did it. After a while the fear began to lessen. Maybe all that was kind of stupid, but I'm glad I could muster the courage to continue on with that sport. If I hadn't I would have spent the rest of my life wondering what it would have been like if I hadn't quit......

I was an ex-paratrooper and S.F. troop, prior to starting skydiving. When I started sport jumping, I started with four static line jumps prior to freefall. That was the only method offered then. You'll find many things familiar to you. If you've already stepped out of a perfectly good airplane 80 times, you'll undoubtedly have less fear, and be more aware of what is happening. Welcome to a whole new world of fun!

BikerBabe, I'm sorry for some of my words. I don't blame you for being pissed. Unfairness is one of my issues. When I see something unfair it drives me a little crazy. I don't mean to put down what you have accomplished. It just seems to me that there is predjudice in deciding who gets into the Air Force Academy. I have seen many young people apply, who had everything going for them, and they were turned away. I'd like to know what goes into this decision process. We had a relative who was a colonel in the Air Force. His son had no trouble at all getting into the Academy. I've talked to some of the cadre from the Colorado Springs, and they went on and on about how hundreds are often turned away before they accept the right cadet. My question is...is the one they select really that much better than the many, many who are turned down, each year. Often times being connected with those in power, and knowing the right people does matter. I knew a kid in my High School who was accepted to Annapolis. Believe me this kid was a real idiot. He was selfish, narcistic, and I could go on. He came from a wealthy family who knew the right people and he got in. Then he quit months later. No, not everyone in these Academies think that their manure doesn't stink. But, there are many who do. And you can't tell me that those on the Air Force Academy parachute team, don't have an advantage in competition. It felt good for a bunch of long haired, rag tag, jumpers, to show up at a collegiant meet, and beat the Air Force Academy. One of our long haired team mates was B.J. Worth. I imagine doing something like that, these days, would be impossible......

Nice looking gear Airtwardo! I had a nice rig back then. I took a quarter off school just to save enough money for it. Everyone who was still jumping B-12's called me a gear freak. I didn't care I loved my Super-Pro and Red-devil P.C. That demo jump looks crowded.....

I quit logging my jumps for a few months back in the 70's. Many renegade jumpers did that, back then. It may have even been considered cool, for a time. I always regretted that. As a result, I don't know for sure how many jumps I have. If I had it to do over again, I would have also logged the names of more jumpers that I jumped with. On many jumps I left them out. As Dark Wing said, it is fun to look back at fun times, from long ago....in a log book. When I started up jumping again, it was hard. I had most of 300 jumps logged from back in the 70's. But the only license I had was a riggers ticket. Try to go to a big D.Z. and jump with that. Most places will quickly turn you away. In the 70's you could talk your way on to a load even if you didn't have log books. Today things are different. Sue happy people have changed all that.... I remember once stopping at Ted Mayfield's D.Z. in about 75. I hadn't jumped in over eight years. I had no log books, or even a rig. I did a lot of fast talking, and he rented me an old P.C., and a belly reserve. Next thing you know I was on a beech load. You'd never do that these days.....and probably for good reason. No wonder so many people bounced back then.....

I don't know a whole lot about this issue. It seems like the Air Force Academy has a huge advantage in these competitions. If anyone is excluded it should be them, (in my opinion). With all their free jumps and financial backing, how can that be fair! In 73 or so we kicked the Air Forces Academy's rear in competition at Boise, Idaho. Most of these cadets thought they were too good to even talk to my long haired team-mates. Most of these cadets come from families of privilege, and most are connected even to get into the Academy. It felt great to beat them at R.W. (in ten-way competition).

I'll interject a little bit more of my first hand experiences. Even though this topic focuses on the Middle East, it applies anywhere. . Army Special Forces are doing a great job in the Middle East in my opinion. I have a friend who just got out of the Navy Seals. He had a tour in Iraq. He had nothing but good to say about Army Special Forces. His team did some missions in conjunction with S.F. and Special Forces were the ones who taught them more about the people, culture, and how to get along with them. He said he liked it there and wanted to go back. His wife talked him into getting out. He turned down something like 96 thousand in re-up bonuses. Goat meat isn't bad. The last time I ate it was in S.F. training 38 years ago.

This guy sounds like he knows what he is talking about. There probably are more polar bears now than several years ago. Global warming probably isn't affecting them much.....yet! In the long run they may not do so well though. I imagine about any wildlife biologist (in the far north) knows a whole lot more about this than I do. But possibly Polar Bears will adapt okay to this warming. Hundred of other species may gp extinct in the mean time, but possibly Polar Bears will fair okay. There have been a lot of emotional commercials on T.V. lately stating that Polar Bears are on their way to extinction. I wonder if that is true? One threat to Polar Bears and other wildlife are Native American hunters. They often go out and slaughter all that they can find with few restrictions.... The government seems to think that is okay. You seldom see or hear about that.

I didn't watch all of this. From what I could see this was not an unbiased presentation. Not everyone who owns a gun is a lower class radical. I think that was the intention of this video.....In other words, to shine a light brightly on just how crazy gun ownership is. I think they could have done a better documentary on this subject by finding average gun owners and interviewing them. But who would be interested in that.....I realize that it would not be as sensational as just focusing in on radicals who own guns. There are plenty of good reasons to own a gun. Personal defense is one, but it is not the only reason.....

I met a guy who told me a water jump story. He'd made a couple water jumps (back in the 70's), but for whatever reason he didn't get his belly reserve repacked. I don't know if this guy had a death wish or what. He knew that his reserve was now probably full of mold, but he kept right on jumping with it. Weeks later, he had a malfunction. Guess what?.....it worked fine.

Hell, I wish I was fifty again. You're still a pup. I'd say go for it, and enjoy yourself!

I have a short barrel on my 870. It has a front and rear sight on it for shooting slugs, but I'd most likely just point and shoot (buckshot) in a home defense scenario. This set up also makes a dandy turkey gun. I use three inch, copper plated, 12 guage loads for that. Usually in five shot. My wife and even my daughters, have laid a lot of turkeys low with it. My oldest daughter shot her first turkey when she was ten with it. The recoil also knocked her down, but she did get that gobbler. For pheasants and ducks I slip on a longer barrel. It's simple to do on an 870. I have to admit shooting a three inch magnum, in 12 guage, is way to much recoil for a woman or kids. But a little twenty guage just won't reach out there as well as a 12 guage will. My wife did kill a turkey once with her twenty guage. I called it in to less than ten feet. Turkeys are tough, and I wouldn't want to risk wounding one with too little gun. So, we usually don't use a twenty guage for a turkey gun. A twenty guage in a youth model will fit a woman well. I like shooting one myself. They are fast and handy. Try a twenty guage in a pump. They really don't kick bad at all. Most women could shoot one a lot without trouble flinching. An auto would definitely kick less though. I've never owned an automatic shotgun. They might be fun to have. I know there are a lot of things you can hang on a shotgun these days. I use to have extra rounds on the stock, and even a sling when I was hunting. Maybe this is just in my head, but it seemed like I could get on target quicker without all the extra stuff on my shotgun. So, I took it all off. Pheasant hunting is great practice. They get up fast, and they are out of range in seconds. If you want to get more than one bird, you have to be quick on the trigger. I've never been in a shootout or home defense situation, but I imagine the same rule would apply there....

I've always been a pump shotgun fan. I hunt birds in cold weather and auto's often fail in that environment. An auto may work fine for home defense though. S Since I always shoot a pump, I have a short barrelled 870 for home defense. Remington makes an express model 870 pump that is really reasonably priced. I bought my wife and kids a youth model express (twenty guage) for around $200. They may be closer to $300. now. The only thing cheap about this shotgun is it's stock and possibly it's blueing. They shoot great! Heavier shot makes sense to me. Bird shot out of a little 20 guage may not get the job done. When I was a kid I tried to shoot a deer in the head and neck with number four bird shot, in 16 guage. The range was four or five yards away. I cut loose and the deer ran off. I never found it. The bird shot didn't even nocked it down. If I had 00 buck that deer would have been dead. Bird shot fired down a longer hallway or across a bigger room may not penetrate deep enough into a bad guy to reach the vitals. Particularly when fired from a twenty guage. I suppose some 00 buck bb's could penetrate a wall or two, but then again I want a weapon that is lethal enough to stop a perpetrator, not just make him mad. So, that's my two cents worth.

BeenThere, I talked to Hod the other day. He said he remembers that jump (with the stalled Lodestar) well. After he got on the ground he found blood and guts all over his new white jump suit. Those must have been some wild times at Casa Grande....