M2

Correct on both accounts.

The truth is that it could have just as easily been Wilbur (Basher 51) that got hit. As Batman stated, O'Grady just happened to have a continuation of his run of bad luck; but nothing O'Grady did or did not do caused his shootdown... Truth be told, O'Grady should be considered very lucky to have survived his shootdown; and had he been killed, his "legacy" would have been quite different...

Here are some of my pics... That last pics is all the people who lined Military Drive to watch the takeofff. And here are two videos, my camera doesn't do that will with long distances...

Steve It can't be talked about in detail here, but the bottom line was despite the fact that he could have done a lot of things better; in reality he really didn't do anything wrong... Cheers! M2

Yep, but it is starting to get a little better. Just when the new administration was elected, there was a rush on ammo and what little could be found was very expensive. Now it is starting to show up at shows and such, but the prices are still high. 9mm and .45ACP can be found at decent prices in a few outdoors stores such as Cabela's and Academy, but less popular ammo such as .380 can only be found at gun shows for about 3x the price it used to be. Oddly enough, I was able to find .455 Webley at Cabela's a few weeks ago, and for only $17 for a box of 20. But I was limited to two boxes... Cheers! M2

You will most likely rent or buy an AFN satellite package, so your US (NTSC) system will work with it. You won't need a transformer for it, since it is dual voltage; and you can get a converter plug at Ramstein. You won't get German or European stations unless you get their cable or satellite, but it will work. We used our US-specs TV in Germany both on and off base for four years... Cheers! M2

O'Grady's bad luck was more of a factor in his getting shot down than his incompetence... I am not defending him, he is an assclown; but the claims that he had something to do with his being shot down by the B-Serb SA-6 are simply not true. What he did that day was no different than what anyone else would've done at that time and place... But beyond that, he couldn't have fucked it up any more! Cheers! M2

Spoo & contraildash You two want to take it somewhere else? Any more comments concerning BQs, CTs or any other IDGAFs is gonna get all of your posts deleted and both of your accounts suspended for 30 days. No one wants to hear about this A&M crap...

Just watched the Shuttle Shuttle (NASA911) take off from KSKF on its way to KCBM. This is the first time I've seen it, quite impressive. Here's a pic (not mine) of its approach earlier this morning... And more pics from its blog... It was in El Paso earlier today... Cheers! M2

No thanks to his own actions! The man epitomizes the old saying about "better lucky than good;" and those that he did better than (your words) most likely did a lot more things right but just weren't as lucky! And how is O'Grady the subject of a code of conduct CBT? He was never captured (the B-Serbs didn't want him, and no matter what he claims, they would've gotten him if they wanted to) so he had no conditions under which his actions could be judged. He basically went on a hiking trip in the RS for a couple of days... But thanks for the reminder of the anniversary, it brings back great memories of drinking a lot of German beer and discussing the circumstances surrounding the event.

G'damn, I haven't seen one of those SOBs for years! 28 years ago when I was at Basic, we had to carry two of them in our shirt pockets, folded over and under the pocket flaps so the TIs could just walk and pull one when they detected a discrepancy. I remember a TI walking up to a trainee and pulling one for some reason, then asking the kid how many 341s he had on him. Obviously the answer was 'one,' but the correct answer should've been 'two,' so the TI pulled his second 341. Luckily, the TI didn't ask him again... Thanks for upheaving a long-buried memory, next thing you know and I will be hearing "pick 'em up, put 'em down!" over and over again in my sleep! Cheers! M2

Although this no longer applies to me, I got a copy anyway... What, having your finger up your nose (or head up your ass) is not prohibited? Apparantly not! The service medley thing on Fridays is also a new one on me. They actually expect folks in uniform to stand at attention under the full onslaught of the southcentral Texas summertime sun while they play the service medley? Well, sorry guys, I will be the civilian that walks around you and keeps on trucking. Everytime I get another email like this, I am a little more happier that I retired three years ago. Cheers! M2

T-bonez He was talking about the Webley, which is much more stout than the Nagant. Speaking of which, the guy I bought my Nagant from had a Webley Mk VI in the case. When I asked how much he wanted for it, he said it wasn't for sale. He later admitted that a friend of his offered it to him for an extremely low price, and he wanted to know my opinion of it. It had some corrosion on the side; but it locked up tight and overall was in pretty good shape. The one I got is in better shape, but he was getting this one for a fraction of the price. Other than that, we didn't see any other Webleys at the show. There actually weren't that many Nagant pistols either, one of the others I saw was a Izhevsk-made one (circle with a triangle in it) and the guy wanted $175 (negotiable) for it. It was in nice shape but I didn't see the need to pay that much more for one. Plus, I like the star on the Tula-made ones more. Speaking of which, is that your Nagant in that pic? I noticed it is also a Izhevsk factory model. But that hammer is sure scary! What is nice is that I can use a bore scope light and see little inside the barrel, which was in near-pristine shape. Overall I am happy with the Nagant I snagged, I may pick up another one of these days as they are reasonably priced. Oh, and there is a small forum concerning them over at Gunboard. You can also find info on the Webley's in the same forum, in the British Gun Pub section. Cheers! M2

2.37 pounds, according to online sources. Cheers! M2

Thanks, but there is actually a lot of .380 out there now. I saw tons of it at the gun show this morning, and at a shop I went to last week. The problem is everyone wants $36+ for a box of 50 rounds, and that is ridiculous. The price should be $12-14, but since there may not be any produced this year due to the high demand for 9mm (.380 is a short 9mm round, which is why it is called a 'Kurz' in German), the production lines won't be converted over to produce .380. I don't really need much .380, it isn't a pleasure to shoot in the small Ket-Tec P3AT I have; I just wanted to get some rounds through it to break it in some more. I just find it ridiculous that it costs so much, I pay less for .455 Webley and 7.62x38R for the Nagant I just bought! Speaking of which, here are a few cheesy pics I took of it this afternoon... Cheers! M2

Well, I picked up a 1939 Nagant at the gun show this morning, it came with the usual holster, lanyard, cleaning rod and screwdriver (the latter having the factory stamp on it, which was pretty cool). I was also able to find 50 rounds of 7.62x38R for $35. Not too bad, it is a cool little revolver and I can't wait to take it and my new Webley out to shoot 'em! I will get some pics up later, but I believe it was made at the Tula factory as it has the star with the arrow in it. I used my scope light to check out the barrel, and from what I can tell it is extremely clean. I might've saved a little money by ordering one from Aim Surplus; but the ability to check it out before buying made getting this one a little more desirable. Cheers! M2

Vertigo I was up at the Cabela's in Buda, Texas last Saturday and they had .45ACP on the shelves. I have had an order for .380ACP with them for months now, which initially was suppose to be filled in less than a week. I finally gave up on ever expecting to see it. Cheers! M2

Crow I am lucky as I work with a guy who has a FFL which makes it really easy to do transfers. I have notice some Nagants have a US importers stamp on the left side... I am going to try and find one that doesn't have it. T-bonez, Geez, I feel like I am trying to replicate your collection! The big monthly gun show here in San Antonio is this weekend, if I don't find a Nagant revolver there I have a bud in Houston who will pick one up for me for $80. Of course, as previously stated, I am looking for one without the stamp. They seem to be easy to find and relatively cheap, and I think they are cool historically. And I need to get something a bit cheaper than what I paid for the Webley! Cheers! M2

CoAv Read this, TMO will ship your firearms, you just need to complete some paperwork. Unconfirmed, I've only handled unloaded versions at gun shows, but it weighs about the same as any revolver of that size. And, believe or not, I am already looking for my next acquisition... And yes, it is another Commie gun! A Nagant M1895 7.62x38R revolver. Cheers! M2

As requested, a separate thread...

Thanks T-bonez! But I am sure I paid a helluva lot more for this one as I got a little fixated on it! Here are the rest of the pics, I had to wait until someone else posted before I could post them... And the description:

OK, I paid more than I wanted to for one; but this little beauty is on its way to my gun safe! ...

From a bud of mine at AFSOC...and I just had to share! Cheers! M2

Bored If you are riding one-up, then a 500cc bike would be fine. Despite the American preference for more powerful machines, you don't need all that kick to have fun (this from a guy who has a 150+ HP 1000cc sportbike). As many of my European riding buds would say, it is more fun to go fast on a slow bike than it is to go slow on a fast one! Given you short commute and light weekend riding, a 500cc Ninja would be sufficient for the time being. You may find yourself bored with it after a while, but you will find it cheaper to operate (especially insurance-wise) and just as enjoyable as a big bike. Plus, you are less likely to get yourself into any serious trouble with a smaller machine. About the the only thing I would caution you on is riding it in fast-moving traffic, such as on interstates. It may be able to keep up with the rest of the vehicles, but you won't have a lot of extra power on tap in case you need to suddenly accelerate. Cheers! M2

A great way to recognize those who made the ultimate sacrifice... :salut: Cheers! M2