Vandal

First, congrats on the XD9. For cleaning I have been using CLP on my XD45 for the last year and a half with gun butter in the slide rails. The polymer is pretty damn strong and my XD owners manual doesn't say anything that I can remember about what not to use for cleaning. No issues to date. I am sure M2 can go much more in depth. One of the best XD resources out there is www.xdtalk.com for ammo. cleaning or aftermarket gear.

How was working with Bud's? I am looking at buying my M1A Scout Squad from them if I can't find one cheaper or close to the same price with shipping locally.

You may not get ROTC DG or some other awards that, long run, mean nothing other than to put more cadet bling on your chest. Tragic. If you get a conditional take it like a man and press. Codename46- anything else on your pleasant little mess?

That just sounds like a kid going "Look at me, I was there too, give me attention!" Congrats MSgt. Coleman, your folks did their jobs, should we give them all a cookie and medal for doing what they are supposed to do?

If the Ruskies come, I am going back to Northern Idaho.

On to a new weapon, does anyone here have a Springfield M1A Scout Squad? The civilian M14 with a 18" barrel. I am looking to buy a rifle in the near future and have had my eye on one of these for a long time. I do not want one of the SOCOM II or SOCOM 16. Too much proprietary stuff on it that has virtually nothing on the aftermarket and I can't slap on a 5 round mag and go hunting here in Idaho.

For Home Defense, when in doubt... Shotgun. I have a 12 gauge 870 Tactical with XD45 for carrying.

Yeah, I have. I went to pick up 100 rds of Blazer Brass for my XD45 and my wallet feels like it has been raped and wants the number for the SARC....

Gotcha, My dad used to have a 73 Z28 with the LT package and turbo 350. It had zero external z28 markings and just the LT badge. To know it was a z28 you had to look at the door for the RPO. Too bad it was rear-ended (sts) and totaled when I was 2 or 3. We have a 06 Mustang GT 5-speed now because Chevy is running behind with the new Camaro. That and from what I have seen the new Z28 and SS models will be cost prohibitive for the middle class.

I do mean 2nd Gen. 1974-1981. Thanks for the catch. I blame Henry Weinhard and his Private Reserve.

Looks like an early 4th Gen Z28. The sloped back was a feature of the 3rd gen (70-73) Camaros and was shard with the Firebird/Trans Am from 1970 on. Also the Z28 badge kind of gives it away...

Or you could be a Spec Ops fighter pilot O-6 from Florida. I bet he would listen to that!!

They will revolve around flying here since this is a Military Aviation website but most of what is said can be translated to the rest of the AF. My current girlfriend's Dad is a Ret. LT. Col. who was a Comm guy in the AF and before that a Tank guy in the Army. As a Comm Maj. In Germany during the first Gulf War he wasn't home for the first week of the war. He was basically stuck in his building running the commo into and out of the AOR. My point is there is no such thing as a "normal" day in the AF no matter what you get as your AFSC. It just doesn't happen. If you want a normal day the military probably isn't for you. If you cannot work with women in close quarters in the AF today you will be ineffective no matter the career field. For talking to a female CC or if you are in charge a closed door session STS with a female subordinate you can have a "witness" if you will but then you will still have to talk to her, not talk through a mouthpiece. Remember the military revolves around the needs of the military not the needs of the service member. I wish you the best of luck but suggest you look into another line of work. If you are set on going this route be prepared to make some religious sacrifices, if you cannot do there will be issues for you and those around you.

Does anyone have any updates to share?

Sexual assault will put him on the sex offender list, That would make a great bargaining tool.

The battery charge will be easy to prove. He shoved the douche. Open and closed, worth a felony? Not in my opinion. For the intent to kill BS you have to prove to a jury that the defendant went to the establishment looking for a fight and then that he planned the incident while having the intent to kill the so-called vicitm. The key there is intentions. Did the guy from Shaw intend to mortally injure the asshole that groped his wife? He needs a good lawyer and a lot of this will go away. I completely agree that a lot of this stems from small town politics and I also think that the mighty AF will let him swing as an example.

I'll add to the list. 4. Volunteer for stuff. If you f' it up learn from the experience and take what you have learned to make you a better cadet. 5. Help your peers. Start by helping your roommate then when you have your stuff ready go help your flight and squadron. Take personal interesting seeing the squadron succeed. The faster you can move from being focussed on the individual to the squadron working together the better life will be for you and your squadron mates. Good luck to all of you being the guinea pigs this year.

There is a difference, Communists are well, dirty rotten pinko commie bastards. The french are socialist, self-loving surrender monkeys. On topic, any thoughts on the sig556?

Hate to bust any bubbles but the day you arrive is the day you start. TD0 is one of the most intense days of camp.

RuffRider's Male Escort Service. All applicants must send a color picture then select your "clients" based on looks. You could meet some nice politicians and make some bank.

Last I checked prison was to punish those who broke the law. It is not supposed to be a resort but a 6 by 8 cell with concrete and bars. Personally I think our country gives prisoners too many rights. 3 hot meals a day, TV, time to exercise, a library, access to mail and the internet. Shit, that is better than some tax-paying Americans have it. If the rag-heads in jail want to pray, let them but don't treat them specially for being muslim. They can eat with the rest of the swine that are behind bars. I have my own thoughts on how prisons should be run, I like the Maricopa County Sheriff's idea of sticking them in the desert in pink and making them work. Or make 'em eat MREs, no TV, no library, no mail and solitary for all.

My xd45 has been known to beat out Kimbers in reliability and accuracy.

What is your definition of affordable? Give us a price range and what you are looking for and we can go from there.

I am surprised that this hasn't come up on here yet. Kosovo has declared it's freedom from Serbia. Russia has denounced the action and the US is calling for calm in the region and there are still 16,000 peacekeepers in-country. Thoughts? https://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,330951,00.html Kosovo Declares Independence From Serbia Sunday , February 17, 2008 ADVERTISEMENT PRISTINA, Serbia — Revelers fired guns into the air and fireworks lit up the skies over Kosovo on Sunday after parliament proclaimed independence, defying Serbia and Russia with a historic declaration as the world's newest nation. A decade after a bloody separatist war with Serbian forces that claimed 10,000 lives, lawmakers pronounced the territory the Republic of Kosovo and pledged to make it a "democratic, multiethnic state." Its leaders looked for swift recognition from the U.S. and key European powers — but also braced for a bitter showdown. Russia's Foreign Ministry said the declaration violates Serbia's sovereignty and the U.N. Charter and threatens "the escalation of tension and ethnic violence in the region, a new conflict in the Balkans." It warned other nations against "supporting separatism" by recognizing Kosovo. Serbia also denounced the declaration as illegal, and the U.N. Security Council convened an emergency meeting at Russia's request. The European Union and NATO, mindful of the Balkans' turbulent past, appealed for restraint and warned that the international community would not tolerate violence. Underscoring fears of renewed unrest, an explosion lightly damaged a U.N. courthouse in Kosovo's tense north, home to most of its minority Serbs. No one was injured. Another unexploded grenade was found near a motel that houses EU officials. But in the capital, Pristina, the mood was jubilant. Thousands of ethnic Albanians braved subfreezing temperatures to ride on the roofs of their cars, singing patriotic songs and chanting: "KLA! KLA!" — the acronym for the now-disbanded rebel Kosovo Liberation Army. Many dressed in traditional costumes and played trumpets and drums, and an ethnic Albanian couple named their newborn daughter Pavarsie — Albanian for "independence." "This is the happiest day in my life," said Mehi Shehu, a 68-year-old ethnic Albanian. "Now we're free and we can celebrate without fear." International officials warned their staff to stay indoors and avoid "happy fire" as some revelers shot handguns into the air. Sunday's declaration was carefully orchestrated with the U.S. and key European powers, and Kosovo was counting on international recognition that could come as early as Monday, when EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels, Belgium. But by sidestepping the U.N. and appealing directly to the U.S. and other nations for recognition, Kosovo set up a showdown with Serbia — outraged at the imminent loss of its territory — and Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin has argued that independence without U.N. approval would set a dangerous precedent for "frozen conflicts" across the former Soviet Union and around the world. Serbia's government ruled out a military response as part of a secret "action plan" drafted earlier this week, but warned that it would downgrade relations with any foreign government that recognizes Kosovo's independence. Meanwhile, Serbia's government minister for Kosovo, Slobodan Samardzic, said Serbia would increase its presence in the roughly 15 percent of Kosovo that is Serb-controlled in an apparent attempt to partition the province. Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu sought to allay Serbs' concerns, telling them: "I understand today is a fearful day for you all, but your rights and your property will be protected today as it will be always." At an extraordinary session of parliament televised live nationwide, sustained applause erupted after the rest of the chamber unanimously adopted the declaration of independence, which was scripted on parchment. The session was boycotted by 10 minority Serb members. The lawmakers also unveiled a new national crest and a flag: a bright blue banner featuring a golden map of Kosovo and six stars, one for each of its main ethnic groups. "We, the democratically elected leaders of our people, hereby declare Kosovo to be an independent and sovereign state," the proclamation read. "From today onwards, Kosovo is proud, independent and free," said Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, a former KLA leader. "We never lost faith in the dream that one day we would stand among the free nations of the world, and today we do." "Our hopes have never been higher," he said. "Dreams are infinite, our challenges loom large, but nothing can deter us from moving forward to the greatness that history has reserved for us." Like Sejdiu, Thaci reached out to ordinary Serbs, but he had stern words for the Serbian government. "Kosovo will never be ruled by Belgrade again," he warned. Thaci also signed 192 separate letters to nations around the world — including Serbia — asking them to recognize Kosovo as a state. Kosovo had formally remained a part of Serbia even though it has been administered by the U.N. and NATO since 1999, when NATO airstrikes ended former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic's crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists that had driven nearly a million people from their homes. The province is still protected by 16,000 NATO-led peacekeepers, and the alliance boosted its patrols over the weekend in hopes of discouraging violence. International police, meanwhile, deployed to back up local forces in the tense north. U.S. President George W. Bush said the United States "will continue to work with our allies to the very best we can to make sure there's no violence." "We are heartened by the fact that the Kosovo government has clearly proclaimed its willingness and its desire to support Serbian rights in Kosovo," Bush said while on a visit to Africa. "We also believe it's in Serbia's interest to be aligned with Europe and the Serbian people can know that they have a friend in America." Kosovo's leaders signed their names on a giant iron sculpture spelling out "NEWBORN" before heading to a sports hall for a performance of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" by the Kosovo Philharmonic Orchestra. Ninety percent of Kosovo's 2 million people are ethnic Albanian — most of them secular Muslims — and they see no reason to stay joined to the rest of Christian Orthodox Serbia. "I feel stronger," said Ymer Govori, 36, carrying his daughter on his shoulders to celebrations downtown. "I have my own state and my own post code," he said, "and it won't say Serbia any longer."

Port Dog, congrats on the XD45. I love mine. I lack the night sights on mine but the gun will shoot where you point it so at a close distance in a fight sights wont be an issue. Of course it is only there to fight my way to my 870 Tactical with a Streamlight M3 mounted under the mag tube extension. If you have questions take a look at www.xdtalk.com; lots of answers there and here from those of us who have XDs.