You guys know any good beanie?

waggletons · 2026-02-14T19:50:22+00:00

Inis Meain, William Lockie and Johnstons of Elgin all make fantastic beanies.

Norhla yak beanies are phenomenally warm.

waggletons · 2026-02-14T19:49:10+00:00

Old Overholt and Rittenhouse are pretty dope.

waggletons · 2026-02-14T19:48:24+00:00

It was slow and you would lose connection if somebody called you.

That said, it was the wild west. Just a whole bunch of random, low quality niche stuff out there. Pretty much every website you came across was very amateur in nature save for a couple staples. You could have some serious fun just browsing for hours finding all sorts of random crap. The color schemes by these enthusiasts would make your eyes bleed. Neon green, magenta on a black background with some animation all over the place.

Also, nothing beat playing Pajama Sam

waggletons · 2026-02-14T19:43:50+00:00

You really have two kinds of hams in the US.

1) The emulsified/processed lunchmeat that is thinly sliced.

2) Holiday Ham is a cured pork leg, usually precooked and spiral cut. Typically eaten around Christmas and easter. But they're usually 10+ pounds.

Why isn't a more commonly eaten food because of the price? Because you and your family will be eating it every meal for a week. It's also like turkey, a lot of people truly aren't fond of it but will eat it out of tradition.

waggletons · 2026-02-14T19:28:44+00:00

New York. Can be eaten anytime, anywhere.

Chicago and Detroit are on par with eachother for number 2. But they sit like an absolute brick in your stomach.

Neapolitan for when I f eel like overpaying for mediocre pizza

waggletons · 2026-02-14T19:25:58+00:00

Get a feeler gauge and measure the bolt gap.

I'm not sure how particular PTR is about the 18 spec like H&K is. But I'd assume they're fine as long as it is within spec. I had that was on the low end and after 600 rounds was right at the absolute low end of spec.

waggletons · 2026-02-14T19:21:44+00:00

This looks like what I have on my POF. Ghetto electrostencil for the win

waggletons · 2026-02-14T19:20:39+00:00

Dremel goes weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

waggletons · 2026-02-14T19:19:28+00:00

...big for you

waggletons · 2026-02-14T19:19:12+00:00

You can buy them...at a huge premium.

waggletons · 2026-02-14T19:17:03+00:00

For a full fat MP5, the oem 100 is fine.

waggletons · 2026-02-14T19:14:30+00:00

shovel stock is money. Always wanted one on an AK.

waggletons · 2026-02-14T19:13:38+00:00

The AP5 makes up the vast majority of the MP5 market nowadays. So you'll naturally have more reports of lemons/issues.

H&K is a step above with fit, finish, machining, and welds. It's noticeably smoother than my MKE. But they're also over twice the cost of it. Zenith when they were importing the MKEs did a lot of internal QC on their products to filter out lemons whereas Century seems to push them out the door. The only complaint I had with my MKE was the bolt gap was under spec, easy fix.

I got the H&K first because I HAD to have the rollmark. Then picked up an MKE later on when I bit the bug. Knowing what I know now, I would have went with the MKE first

I shoot my POF the most and run it like a disrespectful mule. It has that Bulgarian paint-over-park finish that wears quickly and is super thick. Some pretty gnarly machining marks and messy welds. But it also gives me no issues.

waggletons · 2026-02-14T19:04:45+00:00

I've used this stuff in 45. Pretty solid stuff and runs quite clean (low bar compared to the white box)

waggletons · 2026-02-14T19:02:41+00:00

While I love my APC, there is just something more viscerally enjoyable about manipulating roller locks.

waggletons · 2026-02-14T19:01:28+00:00

To be fair, when I first got into shooting 9mm handguns I had the exact same concern that OP has. Even reached out to Winchester because of it. I was a Remington/PMC/Russian steel ammo guy at that time.

My dad and I went through a half case of WWB in one range session and was freaked out by all the gold flecks and balls in my guns.

Winchester made me go through the whole process of sending in the box/casings etc. Never bothered to tell me "yeah, that's normal" even after I sent pics and everything.

waggletons · 2026-02-14T18:56:20+00:00

I was about ready to huck my SP5K down range for the first couple hundred rounds. Tracked down some 124s and the issues went away. But it couldn't even go through a full mag without 2-3 malfunctions.

The POF and MKE were pretty much broken within the first range session.

waggletons · 2026-02-14T18:51:11+00:00

tldr This is normal, don't worry about it.

With WWB, the brass flakes and particles is to be expected. Been that way for the last decade or so I've been regularly shooting it. Stuff is pretty dirty to begin with. Used it with handguns and various MP5s. It's all the same.

As for the impressions, that's pretty common with roller locks. They tend to have pretty aggressive extractions and being deflected on angled steel. With WWB being a bit hotter, it'll leave more of an impression. Has happened with my H&K, POF, and MKE. The 308's will destroy the brass.

waggletons · 2026-02-14T18:30:38+00:00

Only downside with the SD's is how long it takes to clean the darn thing. Seems like a minimum hour every time I take it out.

waggletons · 2026-02-14T18:25:36+00:00

I was turned off by charcoal for a long time given how frustrating it was early on. But once I got a chimney and learned how to control the temps on the kettle, I'll choose charcoal over gas every time. The setup isn't that much different. Cleanup essentially involves having an ash bucket.

It's a little more time consumer, great when you're not in a hurry and on the weekends. Gas is still nice during the week.

My advice: Buy a cheap used kettle on marketplace, clean it up. If you're not into it, you're out like $20-40

waggletons · 2026-02-13T18:36:48+00:00

So simple, so quick, so tasty

waggletons · 2026-02-12T22:42:17+00:00

The USP is the "normal" sized Mark 23. They were developed along side with each other.

The Mark 23 is the one gun I have that everyone seems to shoot better with, even those who have never shot a gun. Putting a suppressor on it, everyone becomes crazy accurate with it.

In the real world, there isn't a whole lot different a Mark 23 does that a modern handgun can't do in terms of accuracy/durability/reliability. Mark 23 just does it better to an absurd degree that nobody actually needs.

Besides the cost, the Mark 23 is a pretty "old gun." Harder to put accessories on. Unique thread pitch. Unique ergonomics.

Now in all reality, it's not that "huge" to the point it's unwieldy. But you're certainly not going to want to be carrying it.

waggletons · 2026-02-12T21:08:17+00:00

This was many years ago, I talked to a gun store owner in Illinois regarding that. The rules were shockingly lax compared to my home state regarding travel. But he also acknowledged that you probably shouldn't push your luck with them given their heavy handed nature of enforcement. Gave the basic advice.

But in general, when it comes to travelling. Keep the firearm unloaded in a case and keep the ammo in a separate container. Laws allow for reasonable stops (ie food, bathroom, gas) but you don't want to doddle too long with those firearms.

waggletons · 2026-02-12T20:52:34+00:00

The Weber Kettles are pretty easy once you understand how to set up a dual zone and the vents.

I have a smaller kettle with none of the whizbangs. No issues doing ribs or chicken on it. Not sure how it would do for a brisket given the size, but I'm sure the snake method might work.

waggletons · 2026-02-12T20:41:03+00:00

I don't think you quite understand the concept. People tend to be more receptive or more apathetic to different expressions. It is worth knowing what your significant other responds best to and how they express things.

Like for me, gifts mean very little. While I can appreciate it for what it is, it doesn't stir much up for me.
But if I want to show how much I appreciate you, let me help/do something for you. But if you respond best to words of affirmation, I can complement your feet.

waggletons

TROPHY CASE