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Gladeite

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Everything posted by Gladeite

  1. I have had my Cartier Santos 36 years and it had it serviced 16 years ago. It is slowing down a bit, but still keeps reasonable time. Kind of like me. There was nothing wrong with it the last time. I just fell for the Cartier sales guy pitch. $800 later I got a polished watch back. I don't plan on getting it serviced again.
  2. I'm a 1911 fan and carry one frequently. You will not go wrong with SA Operator. Well built gun for its price range. A step up is Dan Wesson. The Valor is my favorite, though I sometimes carry an ECO that shoots very tiny groups. Next up is Baer, Brown, GI, Nighthawk, Wilson class of semi-customs. My daily carry is a Novak Custom LW Commander. Actually had a pair made, one 9mm and one .45 ACP. No grip safety, Ambi thumb safety, Kart barrel, NM bushing, Greider trigger set at 3 lbs. They shoot incredibly well and are easy to carry. 120 grain Lehigh Defenders in .45 and 65 grain Lehigh Defenders in 9mm. So much lighter than lead and can really tell the difference in weight. The .45 zips along at 1400 fps and the little 9 runs 1700 fps out of my gun. Whitetail deer sure act like it hurts when they get hit with one. Then they fall over.
  3. Wife(no pic) and I finished first half of Season 4 last night along with with a couple of bottles of good Malbec. One of our favorite series to watch. Very interesting characters and happy for Darlene. Wyatt, not so much. He could have easily gone on a nice boat ride with Ruth.
  4. Sounds familiar. In East Texas, the small incorporated community of East Mountain had similar bullshit. Dumbass police chief, mayor and city council. I think the department was disbanded and city council replaced.
  5. Of the bullets you listed, the 200 grain Accubond would be my choice. It will expand and will penetrate at 300 velocities. Just my personal opinion, but I'm not a fan of the 180 grain Barnes TTSX or Hornady GMX. These all copper bullets are longer than conventional lead/copper. They take up more case room, create a larger bearing surface for the rifling, operate at higher pressures and don't always expand. The lack of expansion is due to lower speeds. The all copper bullets need to be driven fast to work efficiently. Drop down to 150 grains, and it is a different story. Can drive a 300 at 3250-3350 fps and it will expand and it will exit an elk. For example, I cull a lot of cows and whitetail deer. I use the Barnes 110 grain TTSX at 3500 fps. One shot kills every time. 180 grain conventional bullets at normal velocities also work great on elk. Sierra Pro Hunter is a favorite. Core-Lokts and Federal soft points have killed a lot of elk. The Swift Scirocco and A-frame are very highly thought of in the elk size hunting community. I have used those extensively in Africa on hippo, buffalo, giraffe, eland, kudu, Wildes and zebras. Actual case stories from recent hunts: Hunter using 300 Win w/ 180 grain Barnes TTSX. Mature bull shot at 150 yards. Looking thru the glass, I see the bullet impact behind the shoulder. Elk does not flinch and continues walking down hill to a cedar choked ravine. Walk to shot location and no blood but did find a few hair strands. Follow general trail direction, no blood. Walk around 30 minutes and nothing. Take hunter back to the lodge to eat breakfast and I go back to look again. Find the elk 400 yards down the draw. .308 entrance hole and .308 exit hole. Hide slipped over the holes and no blood. Dead elk but too much drama for me. My next hunter did not have a rifle so I let him use mine. 30/06 loaded with 180 grain Pro Hunters at 2850 fps. 75 yard shot off sticks. Just behind the shoulder. Elk shutters and stumbles 10 yards down the trail. There is a blood trail that looks like was done with a water hose. For those TLDR: I like Barnes only when driven fast, otherwise, any conventional soft point works great on elk.
  6. I have the Chef's Choice also. Remarkably good at sharpening kitchen knives. Leave it in the drawer below the knives. When I use one or three, get the sharpener out and give it a few strokes. It is not particular about the stroke pattern and knives are pretty sharp. I have the Ken Onion Work Sharp, electronic Chef's Choice with polishing wheels, and others. But the manual gets the most use.
  7. Finishing up Season 3 of You. Wife and I enjoyed it and so far the third season is the best.
  8. 2020 F150 3.5 Ecoboost. Just returned from 3000 mile Colorado trip. 13/17 seems about right for the trip. Overall average 16 mpg. Large percentage of highway driving, although it was above 2000 rpm at 90 mph. I think a more sedate 70 mph on the highway would have netted a higher mpg, say 19 or so.
  9. 37 year old santos. Wear these 2 almost every day.
  10. I am on a hiking trip and did not wear it. Will post when I get back.
  11. I have one. Bought in 1984 and have worn it daily since. SS/Gold. Been cleaned twice in 37 years. Still looks great and keeps reasonable time.
  12. I am in the Colorado mountains about 1/2 the year. Have the '20 platinum with 3.5 ecoboost. I think it is the best engine out there for altitude.
  13. Aaron Little is a very talented gunmaker. I have seen his work. If you want to go one step higher, Todd Rameriz is right up the road from Aaron in Alba. Todd built a rifle for me years ago.
  14. Barton Creek resident. Was not happy to see me.
  15. The old days. My wife and I lived in a new from the studs remodel in Travis Heights for $90/ft in the late 80's. New kitchen, new bathrooms, and plans for a 2nd story addition and 2 car garage. We thought we would be wasting money adding on. In those days, cars on blocks were common and none of our neighbors spoke English.
  16. I started early, was lucky to finish childhood and sorry for the emotional pain inflicted on grandparents. At 5, grandfather was teaching me how to cut hay bales when feeding the horses/cows. First one, I slid the blade under the twine and pulled up just like he showed me. Cut the twine and knife went into the socket just above the eyeball. Blade slid on top of the ball. Very lucky to not have a bad ending with that one. Healed up nicely and grandmother was babysitting while parents working. I showed her Superman on TV and I wanted a cape. She got out a towel, made a clasp, and I paraded around the house as Superman. While she was not looking, I went outside to conquer robins, red birds, spiders, etc... Thought if I concentrated hard enough, I could fly. My inaugural flight from a raised porch ended on the concrete sidewalk. Head split open. She held my head in her lap as she drove to the hospital. I still remember her dress and front seat being covered in blood. It took awhile for her to recover from that one. A few years later, Evel Knievel was the man and I loved jumping my bicycle off ramps. My other grandmother had a wire clothesline at the end of her yard and then a moderate slope of about 10 feet from there to another flat area. My 12 year old brain did some complex math calculations. I could build a ramp under the clothesline, launch and land on the downslope just like I had seen Evel do on TV. Made my ramp, was able to reach desired velocity.....and launched into the last wire of the clothesline with my face. It cut all the way thru between my chin and lower lip. Another mad dash to the hospital, driven by an upset grandmother who could see my teeth while my mouth was closed.
  17. I have flown qatar, Emirates , BA, Delta, Lufthansa and others. Qatar is the best in my opinion and the least expensive. Round trip to Africa has always been less than $4500. Stellar service, private pod, good food and wine. I enjoy the 5 star layover Oryx hotels in Doha. If you can stay awake, about 10 pm, some of the best looking women in the world show up to the jazz clubs, trolling for billionaire sheiks. Yes Weather is too hot, humid and sandy so I don’t do the markets, tourism stuff.
  18. 59 years old. Been on 0.75 weekly injection for 3 years. Cardio/body weight workouts daily. Lost 4” in waist size and 20 lbs of fat over time. Eat normally and drink regularly. I highly recommend for old guys that are slowing down.
  19. You have a good point.
  20. Every day wear.
  21. I was a real estate appraiser in the 1980s. Residential property values in Texas dropped around 40% from 1984ish to 1989ish. Commercial valuations dropped even more, probably 50+%. It was a brutal time. In Houston, several large subdivisions had every single home foreclosed on. People paid $100-120,000 for them new with all sorts of points, closing costs, etc.. included and minimal down payments. Values went down to $60000+/- if in great shape, $40,000 if trashed. Entire neighborhoods just walked away. Our office did numerous condominium projects where every unit had been foreclosed on. We did most of the Galveston condominiums that were financed by Gibraltar. Every vacation unit owner walked away. In Austin, we did 1000s of NPC, Milburn, etc... tract home builders that had minimal down payments and lots of financing costs built in. In San Antonio, we did 1000s of Ray Ellison foreclosures. Probably the largest declines overall. His incredibly cheap quality builds deteriorated quickly and he built the most financing, furniture, pools, etc... into the price. Very sad for a lot of families. To pay $125,000 new and 4 years later be worth $50-60,000. The change of the tax code destroyed the commercial market. Overnight, apartment projects were worth less than 1/2 of what they were. Cap rates? 20-30% after the change in tax code and lack of financing. Units traded less than $10,000/door. It became impossible to sell a strip center. No tenants and no financing. Lenders were giving them away. Fourplexes in Austin were renting for $500/unit and lenders could not sell them for $40,000. Class A buildings were owned by the lenders and they became landlords since they could not sell them. Vacancy rates were over 50% and rents were $0.50 to $1.50/ft.
  22. He is a hunter also. Killed a 200" deer last year on a South Texas ranch. His guide is a friend of mine.
  23. Hot Dr. Pepper. Mom/grandmothers used to warm Dr. Pepper on the stove and serve to the kids in the winter. With a slice of lemon. Very good on a cold(Texas) day.
  24. Lefty here also. Carry AIWB every day at 11-11:30. G19 w/RMR or LW Commander. Able to draw effectively from seat with belt on. Hardly ever practice it, but seems to work OK.
  25. Don't own one but have friends that do. Apparently, the gas operating system can't take the higher operating pressures and are prone to failure. My friends use specific M1 Garand ammo or load their own. Typically 150 grain soft points running at a pedestrian 25-2600 fps.
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