fm2176

I'll keep an eye peeled in my area. Hopefully you can find one!

They can have some good deals. They're store brand stuff (JobSmart) isn't bad, especially since it offers some heavier-duty tools and accessories (3/4" drive, impact rated, etc.) for a lot cheaper than name brands. I've gotten some good deals on DeWalt tools and caught a few Gearwrench deals there. Probably the best clearance prices I saw were Porter Cable 4Ah batteries for about $15 back in 2017 or so, and DeWalt brushed hammer drills for about $35 or so (maybe $50). I picked up one of the latter and have yet to use it. I think the best time to go is after major holiday and sales events. They tend to be a bit conservative with markdowns, but if you need accessories or hand tools, the bins at the front of the store are usually a good bet, as are the seasonal displays. Dog toys can be found cheap too.

I made a rare trip to Tractor Supply and found that they have some of the DeWalt socket and accessory sets on clearance. I picked this one up for $30-something: DeWALT 3/8 in. and 1/2 in. Drive Impact Accessory Set, 10 pc. at Tractor Supply Co.

I tried looking this up, and like so many products, it's gone the way of the dodo. As nice and convenient as online shopping is, I think that outside of a random person popping in, seeing this thread, and realizing they have an unused cabinet, or saw one at their neighbor's garage sale, your best bet is going to be searching locally. A few years back, you might have found new old stock at the local Sears store closing sale, but those days have gone the way of both Sears and Kmart.

I have the Ridgid butane gun: RIDGID 18V Lithium-Ion Butane Cordless Heat Gun (Tool Only) | The Home Depot Canada It works well, though it does rely on butane to fuel it. It heats up quickly due to that, though, and has a cool down feature that makes it safe to the touch a few seconds after turning it off.

After I buy the M&P-15, I've got to switch over to fire and theft protection. I bought a decently sized (33-gun, I think) gun safe back around 2000, moving it across the South during the first half of my military career, before putting it in storage after being burglarized of many of my tools just before deploying to Afghanistan (the safe did its job, though I have no doubt it would have been taken as well if I were gone another day or two). The keypad went out at some point, and by the time I decided to retrieve my guns in 2016, I had to breach that "safe". Let's just say that homeowner grade safes are deterrents at best, and mostly useful for their fire protection qualities. Despite the Georgia summer heat inside of a steel storage unit, I got into the safe in less than an hour, with probably 10 minutes of actual work, using only a DeWalt breaker bar, 24" prybar, and 4 lb. engineer hammer. The seemingly extremely protective vault doors on the four Army Arms Rooms I ran or assisted in were only rated at around 10 minutes of protection against forcible entry (explosives or torches). One of my walk-in closets is now a gun room, with plans to cover the interior with fire retardant gypsum board and either hiding the entrance or putting a reinforced entry door on it. I've been thinking recently, though, on what safes I want to place in it. Originally, I was thinking about a couple of large (60-gun) safes, but now I'm debating simply waiting for the holiday sales and buying four or five smaller (20-30 gun) safes. I will be lag bolting them to the concrete slab, so overall weight isn't as important. That 550-pound safe I moved numerous times by myself probably contributed to my hernias, so lighter is better if I need to relocate them. In other news, our used gun department has made a few decent buys over the past couple of weeks, so when I go in later, I might see if anything catches my eye. We bought a few vintage revolvers, including a couple of Colts and a S&W Model 36, along with some absolutely terrible guns like a Rock Island AK47/22, which looks like it was made by a five-year-old apprentice in the Khyber Pass region.

The Mossberg 500 Tactical JIC Cruiser Shotgun | Bass Pro Shops runs $480. So far as I know, Winchester doesn't make any pistol grip firearms these days. Their Super X-Pump (SXP) is under $400, I have this one: Winchester SXP Woodland Hybrid Defender Pump-Action Shotgun | Bass Pro Shops. I would probably recommend a Mossberg 500 or 590 over an SXP, due to them being made in the US (as opposed to Turkey) and still being family owned, while Winchester is part of the Belgian Herstal Group. The SXP is a decent design (evolving from the classic Model 12 through the 1200 and 1300), though, and the 1200 was considered a close second to the Remington 870 in popularity years ago.

That's the Winchester 1300 Defender. Most have full wooden or synthetic stocks, and I'm not sure if they were ever shipped in the configuration, but those were popular in the '90s (my brother had an identical one). The Side Saddle on mine is a TacStar, and I think the grips are as well. Mossberg offers the 500 Cruiser, which has a rear pistol grip (it's the only pistol grip firearm we sell) and used to include pistol grips with all of the 500/590 home defense shotguns.

The Shield EZ came in while I had off during the holiday. It's a good thing I didn't hedge my bets for one of the two we had in transit to our store; when I got in yesterday morning both of those were already pegged to get sent out as customer orders. Just over 50 remained in national inventory as of yesterday. Now, I just need to get another magazine or two (it comes with two), as well as a decent holster. I'm tempted to just order a second gun. Mags will be about $40 each with shipping, so for another $120 I can just get a backup. I splurged and bought the Winchester 1300 Defender I'd purchased used a while back as well (similar gun in picture). It was part of the same collection as the M&P-15 I have yet to buy. Did I need it? No, I have at least 20 12-gauge shotguns. But I didn't have a pistol grip firearm, and the Model 1300 marked the last US-produced Winchester shotgun, being a refinement of the Model 1200, of which I have a police surplus Riot version. The SXP is made in Turkey and is based on the 1300. I bought a woodland camouflage home defense version last year. That original 1897 Riot rounds out my 18"-barrel Winchester 12-gauge collection for now. The shotgun fits perfectly in the Cabela's Discreet MSR Case | Cabela's (cabelas.com), making it a potential new road trip gun. The 1200 Riot has been outstanding over the years, but with a full stock it's not exactly easy to get in and out of a room without drawing notice. Some areas I really don't care. Park in front of the room and let all of the local perma-residents (usually druggies) watch as I unload tools and gun-shaped bags from my truck before locking it and barricading myself in the room. Other times (at slightly nicer hotels or areas), I don't want people wondering why I'm making multiple trips and then bringing in long guns. There's a Side Saddle on the gun, providing another six rounds to top off the seven-round magazine... that's one less round than my Mossberg 590A1 but two more than the 1200 or SXP.

I hate to say it, but to me it sounds like the batteries are on their last legs. How old is the mower?

In high noise and/or activity workspaces it just makes sense. The US Navy uses a color-coding system for flight deck personnel on its aircraft carriers, for example. On a commercial or industrial job site, I could see wanting to differentiate the electricians from the plumbers, supervisors and project managers from skilled labor, and so on.

Just a heads up, the Smith & Wesson M&P Shield EZ Semi-Auto Pistol without Thumb Safety | Bass Pro Shops is currently on sale for $250 (regularly $500) and going fast. We had two of each (with and without thumb safety) a couple of weeks ago and they sold quickly. There are only five of the thumb safety versions available for in-store purchase company-wide, and just over 100 of the ones in the link (two in Chicago, if Eric is in the market), which can still be ordered online. Oh, and the icing on the cake is a $50 S&W rebate. With my military discount and the rebate, the gun I just ordered will cost $198.49. I still need to buy that M&P-15 and am also considering a Winchester 1300 Defender pistol grip firearm. Edited to add: the discount also applies to law enforcement and other first responders with proper ID. A veteran status on your license suffices, as will any credentials showing your status--it doesn't only apply to current and retired personnel. The discount on firearms and ammo is 5%, and 10%v on everything else.

I'll get some pics uploaded soon. I'm fortunate to not live in the Rust Belt, so my GMC should be good frame and body wise. I remember having cars where rust was a big problem, including my 1978 K5 Blazer. Sadly, when we sold what we could before letting go of the in-laws' house, the 1989 Mercedes 560SEC only netter a few hundred. The buyer went underneath and immediately just cut off the catalytic converter, saying the frame was rusted through. That car was nice when we got it in 2000 and had a sticker price of around $85k new. Unfortunately, after I joined the Army, it sat neglected, and when the sunroof started leaking and a window motor went out, so much water got into it that the electrical system was screwed and the interior mildewed. Obviously, the rust set in due to that.

For over ten years, I've enjoyed (for the most part--driving older vehicles is a love/hate relationship) a car payment-free existence. For someone in their mid-'40s, I suppose I haven't financed many vehicles. There was the 1999 Nissan Sentra I traded in for the 2006 GMC Sierra I still own. Then there was the wife's 2004 Mustang GT. Until a few years ago, I used my Sierra as a daily driver, even when it was well past 300k on the odometer. My wife drove a 2006 Mercury Mountaineer we bought with cash, which is how I bought the eight or so other vehicles I've owned since the mid-90s. My truck might have blown a head gasket a couple of years ago. It still made a two-hour drive to my sister's house, but I decided to leave it in Virginia and bring it down south later (I need to try to get it down here soon), with the intent of putting a crate engine in it. My wife's Mountaineer suffered a far more horrendous fate. I was relying on that for my commute the couple of days a week I had to drive into work during my last year or so in the Army. One day it wouldn't crank and being a 4.0L with over 250k miles, I figured the engine had locked up. I kept it parked on the street for a few days and borrowed my son's car. The night before Thanksgiving 2021, I heard what sounded like a gunshot right as I was basting my turkeys for the last big family gathering before retirement. I grabbed a pistol and peeked outside, seeing the Mercury parked at an odd angle in the ditch. Sure enough, someone speeding down the street had hit it, and the timing couldn't have been better. I still had full coverage, so despite the driver being uninsured, I was able to file a claim and get somewhere around $5 for the truck. I used that to buy a 2009 Dodge Journey. In hindsight, I should have stuck with one of the minivans we were looking at. It's been transportation since moving down to Louisiana, but that's about it. A few days ago, however, it stalled out and will crank but not turn over. I'll look at it when I get the chance. There's one honorable mention vehicle. Last year, we paid $3k for a 2007 Ford Focus. Having a second vehicle (and one with A/C) was nice while it lasted, but driving into work one morning, a coworker whipped into the parking lot and totaled that car. We still came out about $300 over what we paid from insurance. Regardless, it sucked, because we'd only had the car a couple of months. Anyway, all that to get to this. We drove to Mississippi yesterday to pick up what the wife and I consider the perfect compromise vehicle for our family. I rented a 15-passenger Fort Transit high-top last year and loved it despite its size. In the future, maybe, but that wouldn't make for a good daily driver as I just drive back-and-forth to work. I'd prefer a full-size pickup, but I have one. Given today's prices, I can pay to have my truck shipped here, replace the drivetrain and steering/suspension, and basically have a new truck on an old chassis at 1/5th the price of a new truck. There's no major damage--a few scuffs and dings--but I won't have to obsess over every little bit of dust that gets on it like I would with a new $80k Sierra. My wife likes SUVs. The problem is, we need 3rd row seating but didn't want to go over $25k for this vehicle. Eventually, she'll have the Escalade she wants, but frankly, I think it'll be good that the kids will all be grown by then. I rented a car a couple of weeks ago, and within days, the 17-year-old had spilled sunflower seed shells all over the passenger side. We considered minivans but our prime years for one are way behind us, and neither of us really like them. Ten years ago, with kids ranging from three to 15, it would have made sense, but now the oldest two are grown and the youngest is 13. So, the compromise vehicle... a 2021 Ford Transit Connect. This is by far the newest vehicle I've ever owned (well, will own once the bank's paid). The seating configuration seems ideal, with a 2-2-2 layout giving plenty of space for the three kids still in the house and leaving enough room for the dogs if they ride along. With the seats folded, I can haul some stuff; sheet goods would have to be broken down and long materials like conduit or dimensional lumber would require the rear doors to be left partially open, but overall, it's a better option than an SUV or minivan. I've heard these things called wagons, and I've heard them called vans. They're smaller, but definitely not the classic definition of minivan, though the sliding doors don't really make them a wagon in my opinion either. I like the feeling of being in a miniaturized version of that large Transit. This should meet our needs for the time being and will likely serve as our base of operations for any music festivals or other events we attend. Outfitted properly, it will provide a decent platform to camp out of, maybe with a vehicle tent at the rear. Anyway, this is getting long. I guess I'll be sucking up the payments on this new to us vehicle. At least I can use the app to set remote start times to get some A/C going before I leave for work. With the proximity sensors on the front and rear, I'm hoping the wife doesn't take out quarter panels like she has on the SUVs (my truck only went through two sets of nerf bars on her watch). All told, I don't mind the payments. We've lived fairly frugally over the past few years, and if I'm going to continue to work, I need something I can jump in and not start stressing over because of a new noise or due to the temperature gauge being slightly higher than normal. It just sucks that the Dodge quit when it did... within two weeks I'm eliminating most of my debt and would have had enough to pay cash for the this. As it stands, well, one's gotta do what one's gotta do.

My dad had a '78 Bill Blass edition Mark V. I took it 30 miles down the road to pick up my first guitar when I was 14, backed into a car in the parking lot, and sped off down some back roads with $5 and change in my pocket. I almost ran out of gas, but that $5 got me a few gallons, a Pepsi, and a bag of chips to make do till I got home. He had a '79 Coupe DeVille and a '79 Cordoba too. When he had to downsize his collection in the mid-2000s, he offered me the Cordoba but I didn't have anywhere to park it. Those '70s-era personal luxury vehicles were big, gaudy, and not exactly fuel efficient, but they had style!