Build Thread 1978 Fairmont. I bet somebody back home’s thinkin’…I wonder why he don’t write..?

is there a clip on style holster that lets me store the gun in its holster, and while driving, snap it onto my belt?
Yes sir, absolutely. Sounds like it would probably be your best bet.

I thought I read you had military service. Thank you for serving. Those skills ingrained in you at Fort Lenard Wood are still there. Break them free from the mental rust and you’ll be good enough to defend your life with, especially with the situations you would be expecting to carry.
 
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I do not intend to carry. Neither concealed or open. I only want this thing for the reason I bought it. And if the times were different, maybe I wouldn’t need to even entertain the notion of a “ what happens if” and felt the need to even buy one.
If there is a better way to keep it in the car, talk to me, i’m all eyes.
Obviously, Ive never shot this gun, but I am planning on experiencing how it fires and attempting to control it well enough to have a remote chance of hitting what I’m aiming at. ( which means a range, maybe a class). It’s not the first time I’ve fired a handgun though.
I have shot and qualified with the .45 caliber army issue 1911 while in the Army, but that was a Bagillion years ago.
I qualified with a 1911 also, and that was the extent of my handgun training. Then certain events happened and I had to change the defensive posture around my home and family. I traded my bear gun (Ruger Redhawk) for a firearm more suited for my purpose, and in the process learned that despite 23 years in the Army I didn't know much about fighting with a handgun. I was en excellent marksman, but that's just one component.

I'd recommend a class, and be discerning. You're not looking for a testosterone-soaked day camp. Find someone who teaches well. You'll know it when you see it. Way too many yahoos carrying, and blowing off ammo at the range and on YouTube who are a hazard to themselves and everyone around them.

Also, consider the treat--if you're primarily worried about getting jumped on a backroad in rural MS--how many times has that actually happened to anyone in the last 10 years? How many of those instances were old white guys?

Not saying you shouldn't own a gun. But to own one responsibly means investing time and resources in being proficient. That seems like a lot of time that could be better spent given your threat profile.

If I overstepped my bounds, understood. I don't give you much advice on car builds cuz you're way more knowledgeable and experienced than me.
 
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As a Florida concealed carry license holder I have some advice.
The ccw course is bs, they teach 'gun safety ' and very little on where, when and how to carry.
Look for a class that will show you how you can carry, on your person or in the vehicle. In Florida you can legally carry a firearm (without ccw permit) inside a vehicle as long as it takes two distinct and separate moves to fire the weapon, ie: behind a locked door (glovebox, is it still called that?).
research your state laws regarding weapons and self-defense.
And yes, as a older white male you are a target.
 
I qualified with a 1911 also, and that was the extent of my handgun training. Then certain events happened and I had to change the defensive posture around my home and family. I traded my bear gun (Ruger Redhawk) for a firearm more suited for my purpose, and in the process learned that despite 23 years in the Army I didn't know much about fighting with a handgun. I was en excellent marksman, but that's just one component.

I'd recommend a class, and be discerning. You're not looking for a testosterone-soaked day camp. Find someone who teaches well. You'll know it when you see it. Way too many yahoos carrying, and blowing off ammo at the range and on YouTube who are a hazard to themselves and everyone around them.

Also, consider the treat--if you're primarily worried about getting jumped on a backroad in rural MS--how many times has that actually happened to anyone in the last 10 years? How many of those instances were old white guys?

Not saying you shouldn't own a gun. But to own one responsibly means investing time and resources in being proficient. That seems like a lot of time that could be better spent given your threat profile.

If I overstepped my bounds, understood. I don't give you much advice on car builds cuz you're way more knowledgeable and experienced than me.
As always, I always appreciate the interaction as opposed to the alternative. I’ve never felt the need to own one up until recently. For all of the perceived threats that I can possibly imagine, none of them have loomed large enough to create a need big enough to invest in any gun. Part of my desire to own one stems from the simple fact that I can, and that as a machine ( if you can call a gun a machine) I’m always amazed by the way they fit together, come apart, and work.

The “Macon County Line” need to own one, as obscure as that is, goes hand in hand with the amount of time I’ll be in that situation. Any other time I’m in that car when not traveling through a remote part of the country where T-Mobile isn’t supported, that gun could just as easily be left in a drawer in my tool chest. it becomes irrelevant. But put me back in that situation, knowing that I’m driving in areas that a breakdown or flat tire in the middle of nowhere w/no cell phone puts me at the height of vulnerability, and that simple piece of mind becomes relevant again.

I’ll learn to shoot it, ( not so much learn to shoot it, more like learn to expect what happens when I pull the trigger) with the friends I have, the place and opportunity to shoot that thing is a simple trip up the road.
As for finding the right teacher, I can’t give that too much credence.

No teacher will ever be able to adequately asses my mental state, and how I’ll react if I’m ever in a situation where I feel threatened enough to pull that gun out and point it at someone.
 
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Why do you think a rural stop is going to be more of a threat than a spot with more people? If you wander into a meth facility in either place, it’s a problem. In a rural area, the wildlife is more likely to leave you alone than the human animals are in bad area of a city. If Billy Bubba comes by in his Trump flag flying pickup, he’s not likely to do less than give you a ride to a phone. A rancher will give you a ride or radio for help so you don’t shoot a cow and have a cook out.
 
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Any other time I’m in that car when not traveling through a remote part of the country where T-Mobile isn’t supported,
Isn't it funny how scary the thought of being on the road somewhere without the ability to make a phone call is? A lot of you guys are older than me and I grew up using a map and a pay phone, if you could find one.

Switching to a bigger carrier will eliminate a lot of the phone coverage issues. T-Mobile is cheap, but not very good outside of a city.
 
Yes sir, absolutely. Sounds like it would probably be your best bet.

I thought I read you had military service. Thank you for serving. Those skills ingrained in you at Fort Lenard Wood are still there. Break them free from the mental rust and you’ll be good enough to defend your life with, especially with the situations you would be expecting to carry.
It was Ft. Sill. The guns they taught us to shoot there are way too big put in any holster;)

JK. Naturally I went through the whole weapon familiarity training regimen that every soldier went through back then starting with the M1911/M16/M60/.50 cal/ Law, ending with the 40 mm grenade launch tube fixed under a few of the M16’s they issued.
Why do you think a rural stop is going to be more of a threat than a spot with more people? If you wander into a meth facility in either place, it’s a problem. In a rural area, the wildlife is more likely to leave you alone than the human animals are in bad area of a city. If Billy Bubba comes by in his Trump flag flying pickup, he’s not likely to do less than give you a ride to a phone. A rancher will give you a ride or radio for help so you don’t shoot a cow and have a cook out.
Because more people, and urban usually means a phone call can be made to help get me out of where I am stopped. Granted, being stranded in parts of Birmingham could be way more dangerous despite having cell phone coverage versus along the side of some B.F.E. country two lane w/o it,… but I usually have a choice when moving through parts of the city, and i’m usually on the interstate above, not down on the streets below when i’m passing through those areas. When faced with going through parts of the deep south,…not so much.

In the end, I believe that most people are inherently good. I only feel the need to justify that gun when i’m in a situation that i cant either control or avoid. So, in the end…it’ll be rare thats it’s ever in the car.
Isn't it funny how scary the thought of being on the road somewhere without the ability to make a phone call is? A lot of you guys are older than me and I grew up using a map and a pay phone, if you could find one.

Switching to a bigger carrier will eliminate a lot of the phone coverage issues. T-Mobile is cheap, but not very good outside of a city.

I’m used to the service, and for what it’s worth T mobile is far from a small carrier. Globally they are amongst the largest providers. It’s just parts of MS and lower Alabama NW fla where things get dicey.
 
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It was Ft. Sill. The guns they taught us to shoot there are way too big put in any holster;)

JK. Naturally I went through the whole weapon familiarity training regimen that every soldier went through back then starting with the M1911/M16/M60/.50 cal/ Law, ending with the 40 mm grenade launch tube fixed under a few of the M16’s they issued.

Because more people, and urban usually means a phone call can be made to help get me out of where I am stopped. Granted, being stranded in parts of Birmingham could be way more dangerous despite having cell phone coverage versus along the side of some B.F.E. country two lane w/o it,… but I usually have a choice when moving through parts of the city, and i’m usually on the interstate above, not down on the streets below when i’m passing through those areas. When faced with going through parts of the deep south,…not so much.

In the end, I believe that most people are inherently good. I only feel the need to justify that gun when i’m in a situation that i cant either control or avoid. So, in the end…it’ll be rare thats it’s ever in the car.


I’m used to the service, and for what it’s worth T mobile is far from a small carrier. Globally they are amongst the largest providers. It’s just parts of MS and lower Alabama NW fla where things get dicey.
Sprint and T-Mobile do have some big holes all over their maps.
But there are places in Omaha I do not want to go after dark, and they aren’t Chicago or KC. If I was stuck out in a rural area, I’d want plenty of ammo for target plinking until someone stopped to help. Boredom would be the killer to fear the most, besides the weather.
(Edit, I don’t live in the south, so things might be stranger there.)
Now home robberies and invasions, they worry me, and I don’t have anything extravagant enough to make breaking in worth the hassle. But three young males did break into my detached garage 10? years ago and were selective about the tools they took and the ones they did not touch.
And I want a M1911A1. But carrying it would probably cause a gravity issue with my belt and an accidental indecent exposure charge.:eek:
 
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Sprint and T-Mobile do have some big holes all over their maps.
But there are places in Omaha I do not want to go after dark, and they aren’t Chicago or KC. If I was stuck out in a rural area, I’d want plenty of ammo for target plinking until someone stopped to help. Boredom would be the killer to fear the most, besides the weather.
(Edit, I don’t live in the south, so things might be stranger there.)
Now home robberies and invasions, they worry me, and I don’t have anything extravagant enough to make breaking in worth the hassle. But three young males did break into my detached garage 10? years ago and were selective about the tools they took and the ones they did not touch.
And I want a M1911A1. But carrying it would probably cause a gravity issue with my belt and an accidental indecent exposure charge.:eek:
I was born in Omaha…left there in 64, returned in 76, left in 85. never to return.
South Omaha has nothing on West Birmingham.
 
My son trained in Ft.Sill he's headed from S.Korea to Ft.Hood by February.

Most states call for the firearm to be unloaded and ammo and firearm in two separate areas of the vehicle when transporting.
 
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Fort Sill - That brings back some memories. Went through MOS training there as well - I trained to aim those guns. They make pretty sparks when they actually hit a target. :nice: Trained at Coronado/North Island NAS as well aiming the naval guns. Never did get to see them live fire though. When I wasn't out maneuvering with whatever squad I was attached, I was an armory assistant. Fired multiple rounds down range with a number of different weapons. Once I got out of the Marine Corps I never felt the need to own a firearm of any sort, I guess I had my fill of bang-bang time. I mean the odds of getting into any kind of situation that warrants the use of a weapon of that sort was so low I couldn't see the point in spending the money. Now, on the other hand, with everything that's happened on the political landscape and how divided we are as a country, I've been contemplating that decision. IF I decide to own a firearm of any sort it won't be for protection from a car jacking or whatever, it'll be to be prepared for the lunatics who think that storming our nation's capital was a good idea or, in the unlikely event that someone decides to try to force their opinion down my throat through the use of force, I'll reply with the same force. Too many emboldened idiots in the country/world nowadays - it seems that a lot of people can't seem to live and let live.
 
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I’m used to the service, and for what it’s worth T mobile is far from a small carrier. Globally they are amongst the largest providers. It’s just parts of MS and lower Alabama NW fla where things get dicey.

T-Mobile sucks if you get off the Interstate outside of a city. So does Verizon around here. Both have terrible service off the interstate in north Mississippi or East Arkansas and even around the city of Memphis. I hate ATT the company, but they have a good network, so I think I will get back on their network with Straight Talk.
 
Off of the handgun topic…but staying on mobile carriers…..
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Im back in Puerto Vallarta. As soon as the plane hits the ground here, and I take the phone out of airplane mode, this pops up. Kates carrier is Verizon,…she says “ Mine doesn’t do that”….

I say, “I know.”

We keep coming back to this place. I live in Birmingham….Getting in the car, and driving to any beach destination in the Florida panhandle is 5 hours. ( A plane ride to here is 5 hours). A gulf facing 2/2 condo is usually in the 300-500 a night range there. Once you’re there, your diversion options other than the freakin water itself are limited to theme park things like a water slide, banana boat, parasail or golf…none of which i could give a RRBH about. Of course, dining options are all over the place, and range from very expensive, to wings-n-beer. But because it is a destination for thousands, the places are always packed, freakin noisy and, even in the higher end category….hit or miss for quality of food, and service.
In November, it gets cold enough for the season to end there, and places close, the thousands go back to where they came from, and your choices for food/drink/diversion go right along with them.

But then there’s Puerto Vallarta.

It’ll get to almost 90 today, but as soon as the sun goes down, the proximity to the water drops that temp down into the low 70’s. At this time of year though the humidity is very high, just like Alabama in mid August. In the spring months through may, temps are the same, but the humidity goes way down.
This is a big place…Depending on where you stay, everything is walkable though. Last night when we got here, we walked to one of the pool bars on the property where they were having half priced well drinks during the ” happy hour”.

That made my Gin and Tonic 3 bucks…….or 65 pesos however you wanna calculate it.

After two of those we walked to one of the corner grocery stores for “stuff”, went into a coffee shop and had them grind some fresh coffee, then walked to the restaurant we chose to end the evening. There are three of us here,….We each had a 5 course meal which included a fillet, and desert ( all of which were freakin outstanding) I drank Makers, Kate and her friend that also comes here regularly drank wine, and the Bill came to 200 bucks….for all three of us.

The 2/2 Kate and I are staying in is 200 a night, (2/2’s are always bigger than the 1/1’s) the Airfare was 1000. While that puts it as potentially more expensive than the domestic beach trip alternative the cost of food offsets everything else.
Theres all the same stupid sht to do that you can do in PC Fla., but there’s a tropical jungle back behind this place, ATV adventures, Ziplines that you gotta ride a freakin mule to get to the summit to ride down, and all the while, weird ass birds landing in the big assed tree that almost touches your deck..
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You really owe it to yourselves to check this place out.

This travel revue brought to you by the Fine folks at it ainteasybeingme.com.
 
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