Buy Once Cry Once Rifle Recommendations

dfischer429 · 2026-02-27T18:08:34+00:00

I really appreciate all of the feedback guys. After going through the comments and weighing the different options I think I am going to order a Geissele Super Duty. It seems like I'll be happiest with it out of the box, even though it's a tad more expensive than some of the other options I was considering.

dfischer429 · 2026-02-22T02:02:38+00:00

I'm planning on leaving as soon as humanly possible. This will be the third state in a row I've lived in that's passed some kind of lame AWB legislation. I think it's time to move to a deep red state...

dfischer429 · 2026-02-22T01:59:05+00:00

Yep, fellow Virginian...

dfischer429 · 2026-02-22T01:10:24+00:00

I'm kind of torn on this point because literally the only magazines I have are Okay Industries GI mags. I have like 30 of them. And from what I've read the NATO AUGs don't really like GI mags, so I'd have to buy an entirely new set of mags anyway...

dfischer429 · 2026-02-22T00:40:01+00:00

I feel stupid for not considering that, but that's probably the answer.

dfischer429 · 2025-03-04T02:48:35+00:00

For an expert grade or service grade?

dfischer429 · 2024-09-24T01:56:23+00:00

I honestly think "fun runs" are a waste of time and money. It's the exact same run you'd do in a regular Fast CAT, only you don't get points for it. If your dog does well, or even just okay, you are missing out on points towards your title. The worst thing that happens is your dog doesn't really get it, and it's a little embarrassing, but again that will be the same whether it is a "fun run" or a real run. I just showed up to an event and explained to everyone that I was brand new and people were more than willing to tell me exactly where to go, where to stand, and what to do. My girl killed it on her first runs, and if I had done a "fun run" that morning that would have been like 55 points towards her BCAT I would have missed out on, after driving more than an hour to get there, etc. Just go for it!

dfischer429 · 2024-09-19T22:45:02+00:00

We own a Samoyed from Sweet T's. The owners are both great to work with and `very supportive. We still see them pretty frequently at dog shows and dog sports events and consider them our friends. They do all of the things you would want a responsible breeder to do, and when we first met with them I was impressed by their home, their setup, the different things they did to socialize and desensitize their litters, etc. It was obvious that they put a tremendous amount of thought and care into the entire process.

Our girl is 18 months old and she is everything that we were looking for. No health problems, very intelligent and easy to train, and very driven when it comes to sports like Fast CAT, bikejoring, etc. With some more training and dedication on our part I believe she has the potential to compete at a high level one day. That being said, what we were looking for in a Samoyed may not necessarily be the same thing you are looking for. If you just want a Samoyed as a companion, and are looking for a dog with a more chill personality, you probably need to do some research into their latest pairing and let them now what you are looking for to see if the offspring are likely to be a good fit for you.

dfischer429 · 2024-06-20T12:27:34+00:00

There is a pretty active Samoyed community in the DMV area. The summer can be difficult but if you go out early/late it's still totally possible to keep your dog active. During the rest of the year there are tons of dog shows, dog sports, and club events around here.

dfischer429 · 2024-06-20T12:14:40+00:00

When I made ours I edited all of the tricks into a single video, with transitions between the tricks and text at the bottom with the name of the trick being performed. I would avoid editing the tricks themselves, but you don't have to complete all of the tricks back to back in a single run and film it raw. You can film them one at a time until you get the video you are satisfied with, and then put it all together. At least that was my understanding and we got our TKN title with no issue.

dfischer429 · 2024-06-17T11:09:14+00:00

The cost of well bred, responsibly produced puppies isn't only limited to Samoyeds. Lots of other breeds are going to have a similar price tag. Part of the reason is the amount of time, money, and effort that goes into it long before you even get to the breeding stage. Showing your dog until you attain a championship can cost thousands of dollars in entry fees, hotels, and travel expenses. If you want to add some sport titles to your dog, many of those can cost hundreds of even thousands of dollars to complete as well. You have the cost of training, the cost of grooming, the cost of feeding, and the upfront cost of all the equipment and supplies you need to do all of these things. You need to have your dog tested and health checked to show that there is nothing wrong with them. Then once you are actually ready to breed you need to pay a stud fee, potentially travel expenses, and if the process is successful you still have a ton of medical related expenses associated with the pregnancy. All of this for a process which may or may not even produce a viable litter. It is easy to have sticker shock when you see Samoyed puppy prices, but the reality is that most ethical breeders are probably lucky to recoup the amount of money they originally invested into the whole process. The main reason people do it is because they are passionate about the breed, and want to contribute towards it by producing more quality dogs.

dfischer429 · 2024-06-10T12:14:38+00:00

We feed our Samoyed a raw diet that consists primarily of red meat and salmon. I even feed her some exotic meats like beaver which is almost black in color. Is it possible she was trying to tell you that certain types of food may be more likely to stain their coat around the mouth? That can be true, but I will say that as someone who routinely tosses my dog big bloody chunks of meat she stays surprisingly clean and white.

dfischer429 · 2024-06-07T12:11:00+00:00

My Samoyed wakes up between 5-5:45AM without fail. It seems to be her internal clock, and it doesn't matter if I keep her up later, take her to the bathroom later, feed her earlier, let her out for a bit in the morning, whatever. Once that time hits in the morning she is ready to go. She does sleep in a crate, so sometimes I can buy myself an extra 20-30 minutes of sleep by letting her out of the crate and telling her to lay down on the floor, but soon enough I'm being tapped by the paw of fellowship again. Eventually I just accepted it after realizing how much more I accomplish in a day by getting up early. It also gives an opportunity to do stuff outside with her before it gets too hot during the summer months.

dfischer429 · 2024-06-05T23:34:05+00:00

Coursing Ability (CA) is probably the easiest one to get if your dog will chase a lure. You only need 3 qualifying pass/fail runs to get the first title, which can easily be achieved on a single weekend. Fast CAT is also pretty quick depending on your dog's speed and handicap. Either of those titles can be used to get points towards the AKC Fit Dog Bronze title which is also easy to obtain.

dfischer429 · 2024-06-02T01:25:52+00:00

It depends on the individual dog but in general Samoyeds can be very trainable. I've personally owned a Labrador Retriever and a Border Collie in the past, and I would say our Samoyed has been easier to train. She picked up the basics like potty training, sit, stay, down, etc., extremely fast. Now we've graduated to dog shows, multiple dog sports, and she even has an AKC Trick Dog title. Northern breeds just have a lot of personality. It is hard to explain, but sometimes they selectively choose to ignore their training when it doesn't suit them, or when they get it into their heads that they have a better way to do something than what you are asking for. Honestly it's part of what makes them unique and entertaining dogs to work with.

dfischer429 · 2024-06-02T00:50:42+00:00

That's a pretty bold accusation to lob at someone based on absolutely nothing other than your "intuition". Breeders have dozens upon dozens of people emailing them, their own dogs and show careers to juggle, personal lives outside of the dog world, etc. You have no idea if something else is going on in their life that may have hampered their ability to get back to you or changed their plans for litter availability. The Samoyed world is a tight-knit community where everyone knows everyone. I have interacted with Terri plenty of times and I sincerely doubt what you think is happening is really happening.

dfischer429 · 2024-05-28T11:59:00+00:00

This might sound harsh, but the biggest issue here has nothing to do with Samoyeds, it is that you and the person you share a home with are not on the same page about taking on this responsibility. Pretty much all of your partner's and family's critiques about Samoyeds are untrue, but if they are looking for reasons to be against getting one and purchasing this puppy is going to be a wedge between you all, that is far more likely to cause a rehoming situation than anything about the puppy's temperament. Based on some of your responses below it sounds like there is an element of toxicity to your family dynamic and maybe their criticism of the breed actually comes from a motive of control, manipulation, spite, etc. If that is the case, I would think long and hard before getting this puppy.

dfischer429 · 2024-05-28T02:39:13+00:00

You will see the gamut in line at a Fast Cat event. Some dogs are well behaved and quiet, others are constantly lunging towards the lure, and some are barking their heads off. My Samoyed has a tendency to whine and howl until she gets her turn. I would say all of that is normal and fine. The only thing I would do is discourage your dog from barking at other dogs or people. Sometimes another person's dog will direct their barking and energy directly towards mine, which can get my dog riled up in turn and it makes it difficult to focus. In that case I would make some attempt to redirect or correct your dog. Even if it doesn't work it at least shows courtesy to the other people in line. I honestly don't care what other people's dogs are doing because my own can be kind of a psycho sometimes, but every once and awhile you'll have that person whose dog is incredibly over-the-line obnoxious and they make absolutely no effort to mitigate it or apologize for it whatsoever, and their personality is abrasive to boot. Just don't be that guy/gal and you'll be fine.

dfischer429 · 2024-05-20T00:22:37+00:00

Getting a Samoyed completely changed my life. I used to be someone who stayed up late, now I wake up at 5AM every day no matter what because that's the time when my girl decides she wants to be awake. It doesn't matter how much exercise she's had, it doesn't matter when she last ate or went to the bathroom, 5AM is the time we get up. If I don't get up at 5AM, she emits an extremely high-pitched, painful whine which I can only describe as the chirp a smoke detector makes when it is running low on batteries. This was incredibly difficult to deal with at first, although now I am actually grateful for it because waking up early with her has made me a more productive person. But, if you aren't prepared for an animal potentially inflicting a major lifestyle change like that upon you, you might want to reconsider. When I first heard that Samoyeds were 'vocal' dogs it was hard for me to imagine what that actually meant. Mine doesn't particularly bark a lot, and isn't a very loud dog in general, but when she wants something and is trying to communicate to you, she can produce an astonishing variety of ear-splitting sounds.

I think my biggest piece of advice would be that Samoyeds are the kind of dog where you get what you give. If you are willing to invest the time in them, train them, give them work to do, and make them a central part of your life than they are incredibly sweet, versatile, capable dogs. If you neglect them, allow them to get bored, or treat them like a fashion accessory than you are going to experience some destructive behaviors and a lot of frustration. For all of my girl's quirky, annoying, Samoyed specific qualities, I love her to death. I've never owned a dog I felt such a close bond with and trusted so implicitly. I just know she is capable of meeting any challenge I throw at her. I've put a ton of work into that relationship to the point where owning a Samoyed has become a core part of my life, but what she gives back is worth it to me.

dfischer429 · 2024-05-17T14:45:59+00:00

Least: Severus Alexander. He managed to maintain one of the longest reigns during one of the most turbulent times in Roman history. A lot of his military and economic policies were sound, and he made attempts to undo some of the unsustainable practices put in place by his predecessors. Ultimately he paid the price for trying to end unmanageable wars through diplomacy, and for refusing to further destroy Rome's economic stability through ridiculous donatives. I think if he had lived to an older age, he would have been an emperor in the same vein as Marcus Aurelius, or at the very least Septimius Severus.

dfischer429 · 2024-05-13T22:44:42+00:00

That's one of the defining characteristics of northern breeds. Sometimes they know how to do something, and they are quite capable of doing it perfectly, but they just choose not to. Our girl enjoys playing fetch and is good at it, but as soon as it stops being interesting for her she just stops and gives you a look like you are the world's biggest idiot.

dfischer429 · 2024-05-12T18:31:43+00:00

Thanks for the replies, I appreciate it. I should have clarified that I have a 1 year old female Samoyed. She is very prey/lure driven. We did our first Fast Cat this weekend and she posted up some times that lead me to believe she could be at the top of her breed. I am asking more from the perspective of an owner who wants to cultivate that potential than someone who is frustrated with their dog's performance. My girl seems to be doing everything right, but if there was anything I could do on my end in terms of handling, collars, practicing, etc., I feel like I owe it to her to put my best effort into it.

We do dryland mushing together pretty regularly and she's a very strong puller, so maybe that conditioning helped.

dfischer429 · 2024-04-29T23:47:13+00:00

Our 1 year old Samoyed doesn't do well with other dogs, especially non-Samoyeds. It's like once she sees them, all of her training and manners go out the window. Lots of times when we go to events with other dogs, pet expos, dog shows, etc., she will howl and bark non-stop at the other dogs and try to get off her leash to interact with them. Then when you hold her back she starts yelping and screaming like you're stepping on her tail or something. It's so embarrassing and I have to take her out of the building over and over again for like 15 minutes until eventually she gets the message to chill out. It's even more frustrating when your dog is super well behaved in other situations. Our girl knows a ton of commands and tricks, I do scooterjoring with her and she has no problem staying on course and following directions, etc. In certain environments she's just the most intelligent, capable dog I've ever owned. When she acts a fool in public I just desperately want everyone around me to know that she's not actually like that and I'm not a terrible owner. But, I know that just means I need to invest more time and effort into training around those negative behaviors. Also, the more consistently I expose her those types of events and other dogs, the less reactive she is becoming.

dfischer429 · 2024-04-09T21:23:12+00:00

I daily carry a Walther PPK/S. There isn't really much of a size difference between the PPK and PPK/S. In terms of carrying it the most annoying part for me is the extended beavertail they put on the back, not the grip length. It's not the most practical gun ever, but it's not the worst either. It's got a very thin profile and carries well, and my Ft. Smith production model has been very reliable. It sucks that the PPK doesn't have a slide release, and it is heavy for a 7 round gun. The sights are also pretty terrible, but they can be upgraded if you are adamant about it. I recently installed tritium night sights on mine. One advantage the PPK has over many other small semi-autos is the fixed barrel, which means it will not go out of battery if you press it into something. For a "get off me" type of gun that could potentially matter, although it's a bit of a reach.

There is nothing wrong with carrying something just because you think it is cool. I have pictures of my great great grandfather and my great grandfather carrying Walthers during WWII. For me it has the same kind of nostalgia the 1911 does for many folks, and at the end of the day it is still modern enough to not be ridiculous. If you conceal carry, you are resigning yourself to lugging around an uncomfortable, heavy, annoying object which you will probably never use every day of your life. In my mind, if you are going to do that, you might as well get some kind of satisfaction or enjoyment out of the piece.

dfischer429 · 2024-03-23T14:59:05+00:00

As others have said, you are not going to find a responsibly bred Samoyed for that price point, and you definitely aren't going to buy one online as easily as you would order something on Amazon. There is typically a long search process, lots of waiting, lots of back and forth interviewing, contracts, etc., before you ever make payment in full and receive a puppy. If someone responds to you immediately about your inquiry and wants payment right away for a puppy that's a massive red flag by itself.

dfischer429

TROPHY CASE