MaDuce

Here's a thing I wrote on facebook. It's about different cultures I've incountered. Australian is in there. Says allot about what I think of these people. ........... When I was little, my family and I lived in rural Alaska. We didn't have allot of racial diversity. I can remember only one black family in the entire county, 1 Indian family (just twins at our school actually), 2 Mexican families etc. You might think this would have set the seeds for racial bigotry. You'd be wrong. What lack of racial diversity really does is makes you seek it, appreciate it and understand how much of a blessing it really is. Needless to say, I grew up with a fascination with both racial diversity as well as world cultures, and I have made a huge, life-long effort to meet and understand people of all walks of life from all over the world. And I have met some wonderful people. Unfortunately, I have also had some negative experiences with not just individuals but entire cultures as well. As odd as it may seam, the popular American impression of foreign cultures seams to be the reverse of my actual experiences. For instance, My experiences with Australians (which was a big surprise) and Indians has been about 80% negative while my experience with Russians and Germans has been about 90-95% positive. But in most cases, I found that each had their own unique ups and downs and I have rarely met cultures I ended up liking or disliking more then my own. Anyway, I want to go through a list of these different cultures and give you some brief information on what my actual first hand experiences of them were. * Germans......... Very focused on education. Love to joke around. Polite and really good at making you comfortable around them. * Swiss.............. Indistinguishable from Germans * Norwegians...... Very polite and education oriented. They also seam moderately homely. * British.............. Americans with a foreign accent. * Dutch............... I've met a couple vastly different types. Some extremely arrogant and basically the incarnation of the worst liberal. The other type I've met is very homely and easy going. I'm told by people who live there that; contrary to popular belief, it's a modest and relaxed country. * Greeks.............. The movie, "My big fat Greek Wedding" tells it like it is though slightly exaggerated in a few cases. * Romanians........ Very much in to technology. They seam to love freedom more then most Americans. Romanians over the age of 35-40 know their national history. * Irish................... I've never met an Irish drunk before. Most Irish I met were very entertaining people who love to joke around and have a good time. Don't make them mad though. That particular stereotype is true. * Russians............ Very modest and clean people. Their food and pastries are either exceptionally good or exceptionally bad. Occasionally you'll encounter extremely arrogant young men but they're usually moderate people. Women are almost always either gold diggers or family oriented. They have an unhealthy love for money but usually get it honestly contrary to popular belief. * Ukrainians........... Very similar to Russians. More family oriented though. The word, "slave" comes from these people (Slav) and you can see it in their work habits. They make the best friends and worst enemies. * Polish.................. Pollocks and Ukrainians accept one and other almost as one the same, so there are striking similarities in their cultures. Contrary to the "Pollock" jokes, Polish people tend to be very much interested in the sciences and education and tend to have good common sense. * Moldavian........... Not to sound insulting but these are the people the Pollock jokes truly belong to. I was warned early on by people from neighboring countries that Moldavians are not very smart. At first I ignored this but my first hand experiences quickly forced me to acknowledge it. I've met smart Moldavians, but most weren't very bright at all. And ALL of them were very apathetic. Otherwise, they are like Pollocks and Ukrainians. * Indians................. Like many of you, I grew up with stories about how spiritual and noble these people were. With VERY few exceptions, my actual experiences couldn't be farther from that. This culture acts very self-centered and has a very strong "my way or the highway" attitude. And don't EVER do business with them outside of a retail store. My 20% positive experiences has been ALMOST entirely from Indian women and elderly people. About half the Indian women I've ever met were very sweat. And the vast majority of elderly Indian men I've met were very friendly, respectful and sensible people. But watch your back around anyone else from this culture. * Australians............ Like Indians, I grew up with a positive impression of these people. But to this day, I have yet to meet a single Australian who wasn't an unrepentant A$$hole. They are politely spoken which initially leaves you with a good impression of them but usually within 5 minutes of knowing them they will start to reveal themselves as conceited, arrogant and/or apathetic. I'd like to think I just had bad luck but after dozens of negative encounters and not a single positive one, I can't help but think that entire culture has gone bad. The only positive thing I really have to say about them is they seam to have a modest tongue. * Africans............... These people vary allot and tend to contradict the common impression. Women usually seam naive but very loveable. Most men I met were either "good ol boyish" or or "butler" like. But there's also a cold-blooded crowd who seam to be sociopaths. Usually non violent but they will act without regard for anyone's well being. * Native Americans.... Vary ALLOT according to tribe. Most of the Seminoles I've met were downright rude and arrogant. Most of the Paiute I've met were the exact opposite. I can see why Jews and Cherokee accept one and other. They really do act alike. * Israelis.................. Easiest foreigners I've ever encountered to mistake for Americans. But there's a clear behavioral difference upon further inspection. Most Israelis I met were very mature and even magnanimous. They tend to be "good ol boyish" and they're kind of a "sleeves rolled up, down in the mud" people who like to get things done. They're friendly and polite but seam to permanently have their guard up. * Mexicans................ Once you get to know this community, it's easy to see why people who live with them appreciate legal Mexican immigration but oppose illegal immigration. There's a huge cultural divide between homely, loving and hard working family people who love to have a good time and cold blooded thugs who live to rob, rape and murder. Many of the best and worst people I've ever met and/or known were Mexicans. * Syrians, Iranians and Iraqis.... They are very much alike. Iraqis and Iranians in particular look and act so much like Mexicans that it's VERY easy to mistake them for Mexicans. Fortunately, you don't see many of them in gangs, so mostly you see the good side. Family oriented, laid back and obsessed with cooking for some reason. They tend to be very paranoid that everyone thinks they're terrorists and are basically far more afraid of you then you are of them. Younger ones I've met in the USA seam to be obsessed with integrating in to American culture, getting an education and settling. * Brazilians............... Very much like Mexicans but their culture overall seams more homely. All the Brazilians I've met were on the good side. I know they exist but I've never met a Brazilian thug.

I am seriously looking in to moving myself about a hundred or so miles north to Nevada.

Pretty common in the Keini peninsula of Alaska. They're also the only ones out there that really target, stock and hunt down people. Bears generally only go after people if spooked, very hungry and/or target of opportunity. There's a reason why people are mowing them down.

After everything, my .308 cost me around $1400 and would have cost me about $1500 had I paid full price for everything. My AR-15cost me around $1700 after everything and would have cost around $2200 had I paid full price for everything. Right now, local gun stores are selling 20 round boxes of .223 for $17 and 20 round boxes of .308 for $22 I am a .308 fan first and foremost but TBH, when I compared the two head to head, I found that I am much more fond of my AR-15. It's smaller, faster and more manuverable, short of large game it's just as potent as the .308 with the right ammo, just as acurate and has almost no recoil. Then again, my .308 is an economic frankengun while my AR-15 is a top of the line gas piston rifle. I am now wishing I baught a shorter barrel for my .308 but otherwise I am sold on both for different reasons. As far as killing a bear goes, I seam to recall there being a 90gr .223 cartridge that moves at over 3000fps from the AR-15. Compare that to common .308 loads pushing a 150gr bullet at around 2700fps. Of course .308 can do allot better then that but it DOES go to show that the .223 can come fairly close to the standard stuff and no one questions a standard .308 round's ability to take down a bear. .223/5.56 looks small and weak but when you do the math, it reveals it's self to be far more powerful then it appears. To me, the two fall in to the 9mm VS .45ACP debate in a way. Anything you launch out the barrel of a .308 is going to knock the living daylights out of anyone it hits. Some ball ammo in .223/5.56 are just hole pokers but when you add SD or specialty ammo in to the mix, the crucial differences between the two start to fade.

I didn't know that. Wish I did.

Breaking it in DOES dramatically improve the function. But there's a couple other things to cinsider. If you over tightened the buffer tube, you may have spec issues there. Another; the problem I myself had is one I've never heard of before. I ordered Armalite AR-10 carbine length buffer springs. Turned out that they coil up completely before the recoil buffer can even make contact with the butt. You can see here my DPMS heavy buffer compared with a brand new, unmodified fully compressed Carbine length AR-10 buffer spring. It's not as easy to see in picture as in person but there's a full 3 coils that need to be clipped before the buffer will even make contact with the butt.

That's too bad. Mr. Robobot is the one and only person on this board I know in person and actually converse with regularly. He strikes me as much more interested in helping folks know the laws and stay out of trouble then throwing the book at people with every chance. He's a cop. While on duty he's required to enforce the laws whether he agrees with them or not. Otherwise, he's just another one of us. In that picture, we DON'T know if his mags were 5/20s (I've thought about making such mags myself. It CAN be done) and basically no PROOF of illegal activity, even if there's indication. Based on the way he spoke, it SOUNDS like he either just didn't know the rules or managed to get some rare, custom hardware. That man has allot more to gain by sticking around and listening to Mr. Robobot then running off. My suggestion. Be quiet about this topic for legal reasons, pick Mr. Robobot's and the rest of our member's brains and get aquainted with the community.

My sister just brought this to my attention. Probably not the whole story, just the first link I found. http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message2160122/pg1

Hello folks. I am dealing with non-gun related matters, so don't be alarmed by my relitive absince. Anyway, I just got an email from copes distributing. They have some AR-15 magazines in stock for $15.99. Even better, they ship them as rebuild kits to California, so if you're in California, you better grab em while you can!

You have to give it to the big liege racing industry for keeping casualties down as much as they have. In the 1st half of the 20th century, racing was practically considered a blood sport, and you became a spectator at your own risk. But after the Le Mans disaster, they really stepped up safety for both drivers and spectators. Nothing is free of danger anymore, especially car racing, but they really did a job of bringing it down.

That man card stuff is really getting on my nerves. I've never known a single man who is courageous, smart and pays any attention to the "man card" macho nonsense. The things that make a man tough, smart and courageous also make him humble.

Motor Mania is a timeless cartoon. I'm in my early 30s and even I grew up with it. I guess I shouldn't be but I was a little surprised how few of you knew about it. Anyway, check it out, and imagine this guy behind the wheel of a Lamborghini!

If he was that bad in that old beater, imagine him behind the wheel of a modern super car. LOL.

Terrifying photo for you. Terrifying enough to look at (especially for you Mr. Robobot. Far more terrifying if you know who that is.

At different times I am going to try and get both. I'll probably try the Sniper scope first since it's a little cheaper and runs the risk of disappearing at any time. The sniper scope also has testimonials stating that it works very well with large caliber rifles while the Bushnell is getting the exact opposite reviews, stating that it's better for smaller caliber rifles (such as my AR-15, which is accurately sighted in ATM) For me, the main appeal on the Sniper scope is the parallax adjustment. But the "dawn and dusk" coating on the Bushnell has drawn my attention since my early 20s. From what I can gather, the two seam like a trade-off. One having better weather immunity, the other having the parallax feature. BTW. I had a sniper laser hollow sight at one time. I think I still have it somewhere actually. It was a little on the generic side but built like a tank. Out of all the "cheap" stuff I've seen over time, it made the most sense to me. The only real downside I noticed compared to other similar products was the weight. It was about 10%-20% heavier then equally sized products. I am still looking at other options and will do so until I have both guns sighted in and am fully satisfied, but these two are the ones I am looking most closely at ATM.

I'll look in to it. I am surprised you mentioned Dusk and Dawn as that's one of the lines I had in mind. But I am a little more interested in their 6-24x40. However, there's also a less known generic brand rifle scope in the same power but comes with parallax adjustment, is getting better reviews and costs around $35 less. Since neither are bank breakers and I need new optics for both my ARs, I am probably; at different times, going to get both and compare them. These are the scopes I am looking at: http://www.amazon.com/Bushnell-Banner-6-24x40-Rifle-Reticle/dp/B000GEWB52 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005D9HZ1K/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_5?ie=UTF

This sounds like a job for Mythbusters.

No. I want to stick in the 6-24 power range and am particularly fond of Bushnell. Apart from that, I am still open. I remember the first time I fired all my guns. I don't know why. I have a random memory.

I took it out on Monday morning. Put 30 rounds through it. There's some good and bad news though. The good news is that; in my one attempt to aim precisely in the same spot, the result was a "peanut" shaped hole in the target. The bad news is that I was actually aiming at a specific piece of dirt between 6 and 7 feet ABOVE where the bullets were actually hitting and the scope was adjusted to the max. So; while the gun appears to be extremely mechanically accurate, the optic badly needs to be replaced. As far as recoil goes, the gun reminds me allot of the Barrett M-82A1. Kinda like an AK with a very good muzzle break but stiffer, straighter and overall bigger gun moving back at you. A heavy push but entirely soft. That actually means mission accomplished as this is well within the range of what my friend's kids can handle and I myself never lost sight of the target during recoil. I may later still put a recoil pad on, though this will be for butt length and looks. One downside to the gun it's self. All those rumors I've heard about .308 ARs not liking JSPs is absolutely true. Jams every time on JSPs but as soon as you put ball ammo in, it's like an AK. Those smushy tips just don't connect well with that feed ramp. Overall, I am still more fond of my AR-15 for it's size, quality and practicality but the .308 exceeded my expectations and I am very satisfied with it.

That thing reminds me of the Roman ballista. He should look at how they made that thing and got the power out of it that they did.

Joe Arpaio is not someone I am willing to do anything on behalf of. Viciously protecting the rights you are passionate about while aggressively stomping the ones you don't like is what the liberals do. Last thing we need is republicans doing the same thing. I do not and will not support or go to bat for people who are selective about liberty. What goes around, comes around Joe.

This is exactly how democrats and republicans behave. What goes around, comes around.

Too bad Saturday Night Live had to be the ones to do it.

It's the same department Ronnie Barrett gave the finger to. Can you imagine if they opened up on that poor guy with one of Barrett's products? Mr. Robobot, do you know where I can find and read a copy of that guys statement he wrote? I read that he's a fan of Michelle Obama. If that's true then he really is nuts. But the way those people are handling the hunt for him really makes you wonder about what drive him to go on a rampage in the first place.

I hope so.