by Alan Brooks
I finally managed to track down some CCI #41 small rifle primers for reloading and some Speer Gold Dot short barrel hollow points for my daily carry piece (don’t forget to swap out that ammo every 6-9 months to ensure reliable function). But before I could pick them up I had to stop at an ATM to get cash because Tex Guns doesn’t take debit or credit cards. However, if Central Texas Gun Works carried reloading components and/or ammunition, I wouldn’t have to worry about dealing with banks or carrying cash. I could pay with Bitcoin . . .
Bitcoin is, for the uninitiated, a digital currency that can be transferred to anyone, anywhere in the world without a bank or transfer fees and without the risks of fraud or theft that come with credit cards, cash, and checks. Over the weekend, Central Texas Gun Works took the leap into the 21st Century by installing a Bitcoin ATM machine in their lobby. Now you can turn Federal Reserve greenbacks into digital currency…and then into a gun.
They kicked off their foray into the world of Cody Wilson’s dreams in true Austin style with live music, a stand-up comedian, five different flavors of wings, and plenty of people open-carrying. Michael Cargill, the CEO of Central Texas Gun Works, said that he wants people to be free financially and that Bitcoin is a way to get out from under the current “too-big-to-fail” banking system.
Granted, the Bitcoin market is still a bit volatile, but it’s nice to have an alternative (any alternative) to the Gosbank.
I dont mean to be a troll, but it seems like you’re literally just shooing away business from your door not taking credit. Motivations aside, bitcoin is still sort of new and as you noted, volatile.
Side NOTE:
I keep hearing about Russia stopping imports of ammo into the US today, sounds like its some mongering to get some tul-ammo or wolf sold 🙂
My Lucky Gunner email came today from Angela on time. Wolf and Tula are cheaper than ever and certainly not up. It’s possible but I see no signs.
I don’t really have a strong opinion for or against Bitcoin. At the very least it proves the adage that something, even money, is only worth what someone is willing to give you for it.
Has anyone ever seen Cargill NOT smiling? Anyone?
I’ve got to write a piece about Bitcoin this week. I always thought about it on the same level as Farmville. Nope. Suddenly, it’s like studying economics, which really isn’t my bag.
It’s just another fiat currency, except far more unstable.
If you want to gamble on it go ahead–but the key word here is GAMBLE. Don’t put in more than you can afford to lose.
the difference between bitcoin and government backed currency is that it (in theory) is immune or resistant to political flux. If the American govt suddenly tanks, dollars will be worthless but bitcoins will not. Thats the theory. In practice, it isnt so simple.
My LGS takes cash, check and most major credit cards. They do not take BitCoin and I wouldn’t use it if they did.
As for why many gun stores don’t take plastic, it’s rather simple. Most banks don’t like dealing with guns in any way shape or form. Setting up a merchant account can often be more trouble than it’s worth.
So it’s wrong if Russia does it, but when the US does the same thing it’s okay? God I’m sick of the hypocrisy of gun / gun accessory companies.
What happened to the pictures of people smiling? I always really happy when holding a firearm.
Bad shop is bad.
Won’t trust bitcoin and always recommend AGAINST reloads for carry ammo
Ugh. Not this tired crap again. This is about as useful as the caliber wars.
SD ammo choice is a very personal decision based on a lot of factors.
Can’t we just assume that the grown-ups we trust to CARRY FIREARMS IN THE FIRST PLACE can make their own decisions about caliber, firearm type/size/brand and ammo selection?
Bitcoin is very volatile. http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/03/05/bitcoin-firm-ceo-found-dead-in-suspected-suicide/
Stay away from that bitcoin for awhile. Two bitcoin exchanges have gone bankrupt in the last 30 days. One was hacked and robbed and one mismanaged the money. Beyond that risk I have two warnings for those who want to trade bitcoin. One is the actual value of the coin. I was there in the .Com craze where companies were paying people salaries in stock options and even paying their building leases with stock. In many instances the stock was not trading. The whole thing collapsed because the boom ended and ultimately the shares have no value. I was caught up in that stock option salary debacle not by my election. The other warning is the government… Bitcoin only has to infuriate one sector of people and it will become regulated. There was a market that operated outside of the stock and commodity markets call the OTC market. It was not held to too many rules but after the 2008 Financial crisis the market is now almost over regulated and the value of doing business in this outside market has decreased greatly. Just my two cents.
It sucks that a lot of the hunting stories are derpy fuddliness, but in all honesty, it isnt without some truth. As noted above, hunting on public lands is REALLY a dice roll sometimes, had some great bird hunts and some big WTF hunts as well. Ive heard of and experienced an awful hunters ed class that could be complimented by comparing it to drivers ed.
I dont hunt solo anymore for this reason, plus its a lot easier to have 2 people to skin grizz and cart the rest out. As much as we talk about first aid on here, its ironic that the topic of first aid rarely comes up in conversations about hunting.
Dear NGAVC,
You’re “Done Asking”, eh? My, what a strong statement you make…I may have peed myself just a little! Sure hope you didn’t put your foot clean through the floor when you said it. I’d retort with the same statement back at you but, you see, this thing called The Constitution is on my side and thus I don’t have to ask.
I grow weary of having to explain this to you: the Second Amendment is an individual right that extends beyond the home. Period. Even Illinois couldn’t ignore that fact any longer, “frightening” to you though it may be (loved that “50 states” graphic on your website, by the way; I could hear the shudders of fear in the voice of the graphic’s creator).
While I’m at it, I must say that these ideas of yours aren’t “sane” by a long shot. Smart triggers…hah! I always love that one! It’s almost as funny as your suggestion, which I think is close to a double negative, that we should make it illegal for those whom it’s already illegal to own firearms. You just can’t make this stuff up!
Please don’t take my comments above as insensitive, NGVAC. I realize your members have experienced personal loss as a result of violence and I pray you are delivered from your grief. But, you see, the truth is that your loss does not nullify my rights. It annoys millions of us (yes, millions…and I don’t think you outnumber us) to no end that you somehow think such is the case.
Honestly, I think some of the stories on your website even make a case for why people should be able to exercise their rights more freely, but I’m one of those crazy bastards that realizes the world isn’t always a wonderful place and that self-defense is my responsibility as an individual…but I digress…and you’re not listening anyway.
Good luck with your debate tonight. Wish I could tune in live, but I’m already looking forward to the podcast. I always enjoy hyperbole being torn to shreds by facts and logic.
Sincerely,
TStew – An Armed American
My only experience with Bit Coin was when I some jackass hacked my PayPal account and took $200.00 billed via ebay. Filed with Paypal and got my money back. He didn’t even have a real email address just a chat room you can log into. The satisfaction of knowing he did not get to keep his ill gotten money. So guess you can say the whole bit coin thing didn’t work out for him..
Bitcoin = bitcon as in a scam. Don’t get suckered in, it will never thrive as an alternative currency.
A bit volatile? Try extremely volatile. From a few bucks per coin to $1k, only to drop 50% again when MtGox got (presumably) hacked and all their bitcoins stolen. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard interviews with Erik Voorhees saying that it’s impossible to hack bitcoin. Next thing you know, MtGox went bankrupt, lost hundreds of millions in dollar value, and apparently nobody knows exactly how. I’d stay away from bitcoin and (the dozens of) other, lesser known digital currencies.
Randal or somebody, please correct me if this isn’t correct…
Well, in fairness, the Bitcoin algorithm itself (which as I understand it protects against counterfeiting, etc.) wasn’t hacked.
Rather, the attack was via the protocols used to transfer Bitcoins from one entity to another in a verifiable fashion. Basically, they hacked the electronic equivalent of Brinks, not the bank or the mint.
Still not reassuring, but not as bad as it could have been.
If anything, the advent of bitcoin (etc.) demonstrates the global market’s desire for alternative, non-state mediums of exchange.
Bitcoin might very well cease to exist. But other, more sophisticated, alternative currencies will surely take its place as markets atempt to fill the void left central banks destroying their nations’ currencies.
Most LGSs are also pawn shops, and are more than willing to accept the *original* alternative currencies, gold & silver.
I actually found myself thinking this was a bit late today….
Edit: BTW, the default tweet is 141 characters.
Bitcoin is a cult, like Apple is a cult (socially-conscience users who ignore the fact that their products were made with slave labor) and like Tesla is a cult (a market cap of $31 billion for a company that has made 25,000 cars in its entire history)
But back to bitcoin…
If you believe the pumpers of bit coin, it’s safer, more secure, can be anonymous, and doesn’t require any government… all of which isn’t true at all.
Someone else already mentioned Mt Gox, but a better example would be Flexcoin, another bitcoin ‘bank’ that went bust on March 2nd.
In the case of Flexcoin, hackers got in and stole ALL of the bitcoins they had in their ‘hot wallet’. And what was the answer from the company? They pointed users to their terms of service which said… if the coins we hold for you are stolen, that’s too bad, you lose.
Use your story as an example… they won’t take credit cards, so you have to exchange your cash at the door to pay with bitcoin? Why not just pay cash in the first place?
Add to that the fact that bitcoin values are about as stable as most of my ex girlfriends, that transactions can be traced more than they can with cash, that there really is nothing supporting their value other than the ‘hope’ that someone thinks they’re worth something… and what you’re left with is a bad idea, a pyramid scheme set up by people who don’t understand finance and bought by people who literally don’t know the value of a dollar.
Personally, I would never transact in bitcoins, nor would I support a business so foolish as to do so.
If you want to use a standard of value held up by nothing more than peoples belief that it has value, stick with gold.
Right now, the price of Bitcoin is based purely on speculation. Whoever takes bitcoin, what’s the first thing they do? They sell it for dollars, since you can’t do much else with bitcoin, like use it to pay taxes for example. The speculators who got in early made their money. Everybody else will most likely have to take a big loss and get out. Bitcoin has no intrinsic value and the fact that these ‘wallets’ or ‘banks’ are getting hacked should make people think twice. In my opinion bitcoin has very little credibility, if any.
I was looking at one of these yesterday. Then I remembered these posts.
I bought a Ruger SR22 instead.
Let the hilarity ensue!!
Commence whining!!
Here you go:
PUHLEEZE not again!!!
Bitcoin is like the currency issued by banks in the 19th Century before the creation of the Federal Reserve. It is subject to fraud, manipulation and sudden loss of value. Bitcoin enthusiasts think that this private currency is somehow not subject to either the laws of economics or human nature. It is a solution to a misunderstanding of a problem.
Monetary instability isn’t caused by the issuance of fiat currencies. There was plenty of monetary instability under the gold standard. It is fractional reserve banking that is the villain. However, without fractional reserve banking there are no financial intermediaries. Without intermediaries there is no functioning market economy. A bank can’t make money unless they loan out their depositors funds. If you require 100% reserves there is no reason for the bank to exist. It can’t make loans and at best it can do is make a little money letting you store your funds in their physical or electronic vault. Try getting a mortgage, starting a business or buying a car when you have to raise the funds on your own.
Try getting mortgage, starting a business or buying a car when you have to raise the funds on your own.
Not really that difficult, just highly abnormal in today’s society.
Some very ridiculous comments above regarding fighting from either martial-artist-wannabes, or from masters of bushido.
I’ve learned to value real life-saving skills in these situations, such as Kung-Run. If that doesn’t work, you can fall back on Kung-Gun.
Avoidance is best.
10 rnd mags were used by Klebold & Harris. Good thing CO finally passed a mag law… oh wait….
Look at China, nutters with knives (lest we forget Rwanda) killed 29 people and injured over 100 people. It’s the mentality, not the inanimate object. But I’m just preaching to the choir, eh, and who cares about common sense or reason, blah!
downloaded the app played with it for awhile 1. please explain why i have a 4 mph n/e wind showing on it when i am steadly siting at my desk? (must be the chilli i had last night) 2, pointed it to what i know for a fact is due north and it was showing i was facing east. 3. sorry at this time it’s not for me …i deleated it
I have several nice Mosin Nagant 91/30s that I’m willing to sell back to the Russians at a small upcharge. And ammo too!
1. We need “NRA-Book” or something similar.
2. The headline I envision: “Mom’s Looking For Some Action go home alone”
3. Look at the ‘likes’ for the NRA versus Brady and CSGV. Last time I checked we were up something like 37:1. But remember we are the minority.
We’re buying large quantities of handguns because of distrusting the gummint?
Don’t be silly…
We’re buying large quantities of rifles because of distrusting the gummint.
Not at the moment, but they should consider it. Boutique stores like a local gun store are forced to operate with tiny margins since they aren’t able to purchase goods at the bulk-discount-prices of larger retailers. When customers want to purchase one of their goods using a credit card, the retailer must pay a credit card processing fee of ~2.2%. Transaction engines using Bitcoin (like Coinbase’s Payment Processing) can lower that fee to less than 1%. Customers just need to open and fund an account and then pay for a good priced in dollars “using Bitcoin”. The customer’s coins are transferred to the merchant’s account, and are then exhanged back into dollars. Since the transaction happens instantaneously, the merchant never really “owns” Bitcoins, which also means they aren’t subject to Bitcoin’s famous volatility.
And out next contestant on “Let’s take a selfie like a soon-to-be spree killer” is… this guy.
good to see the lunatic fringe is checking in
The common misperception is that the WSJ is a “conservative” newspaper.
Only their op-ed page can be remotely considered “conservative,” and then only on certain issues. For the rest of their paper, they reflect their NYC urban sophisticate bias: Guns are icky, and gun owners are backwards, stump-jumping rednecks.
I agree with Junior Walker. “Shotgun!”
What brand of belt are you wearing in these pic?
I keep the M4 set up like RD keeps his Pardner Pump. Since I see an EO on the SCAR, try it on your M4. You won’t believe how fast you get on target. Use #1 buckshot if you fear for your neighbors. Oh, and the whole setup is much more PC in US suburbia. Hand your daughter the SCAR: It may take more shots, but the recoil’s more manageable.
If you need more than eight rounds of buckshot before reaching cover, you bought the wrong house in the wrong neighborhood, else MDA has lost the ounce of self-control it had to begin with.
Shotgun, have many more years of clearing buildings with one then a .223. Would assume all projectiles would exit my house so would try for a down angle if possible.
Actually, I found the wording of the FB policy interesting. “…advice offered by…” Offered, not sought out. The “thank you” is basically the list of groups that have been nagging FB. It’s not much more than a pat on the head so they’ll go away without anything actually changing.
At the end of the day, the so-called policy change is nothing more than a reminder to “keep it legal guys” and at most something to give them some liability protection. What is so funny is the MDA/MAIG spinning of this. The extent of delusion in their comments are more commonly associated with the need for psychiatric care.
What would be fun, though, would be for people to contact Facebook and ask if the company is officially signing on to the MDA agenda like the press releases imply. I wonder how Mom’s would respond if Facebook actually repudiated the claims?
Back in the real world where the choice is between AR or mossberg we drool…
To defend a stairway, I like the shotgun.
With the extra rounds on the sleeve, I can do tactical reloads. I figure a couple of blasts down the stairs ought to buy me a little time.
For any other home defense need, more rounds might come in handy. The shotgun is kind of a specialist.
Let’s see…
SCAR advantages:
Lighter, more ammo capacity, less recoil, more precise, RDS, easier to reload, less overpenetration
M4 advantages:
Better terminal ballistics
The choice seems clear to me. I would choose the rifle based on the red dot sight alone. Anyone who thinks ghost ring sights are easier to shoot well hasn’t put enough time behind a dot.
Awww… that’s a shame.
The plug in is not supported.
Well damn.
Am sure that some would like our FB ID to be made public so they could put a bounty out on us terrible gun folks. Considering some of the commentaries I have read.
Unfortunately I fear some of the commentators might encourage the more literal of their followers.
Benelli gets the nod.
Read the sitrep – suburban neighborhood=unlikely to have long range shots. Also means possibility of urban/suburban police and prosecutors as well as media scrutinizing the way the situation gets dealt with. The M4 is plenty of gun for the situation described and most other household chores, and is less likely to lose the battle for your well-being AFTER shots get fired.
always park off campus!
Here we go again.
I was pulled over many years ago by a cop in the next town over. He got out of his cruiser & hid behind my tailight. Finally I put my hands out the window & he slid along the side of the car shaking. This was the most nervous person I have ever seen. I don’t know what the deal was, I didn’t move fast though.
easy pick….m4….it will solve any problem that comes through the door….true 1 shot stops without question….you can argue that the 30 round magazine has more shots but it is a no brainer….a 3 “round of 00 buck shot or 1 oz.slug of your choice… inside of a house has no peers…period! more devastating damage in one shot than 5 of the 5.56…a 12 gauge shot gun is the most versatile and usable platform to most mere mortals for home defense
Just looked at a2go page. 7.62×39 is not on the menu.
Finally, someone gets it!
Look it’s a bird, it’s a plane …
That flavorful, exciting your meals are somehow detrimental to your
healthiness is an proven fact that many dieters seem to have.
The Bible covers obtaining the faith of the mustard seed
and exactly what do happen when we have slightly of faith.
The simple truth is in case you have experience
experiencing and enjoying the great meals your Mom, Dad, Sister, Brothers, Uncles, Aunts, Friends have shared, you do have
a story plus some great recipes.
And *I* get accused of writing “rambling” posts!
Shee-it.
Remington enters the one handed knife enterprise with the introduction of the Rattlesnake” line.
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We intercepted the network traffic on a Nexus 7 with Android 4.3 and with the first sample listed in Appendix I installed.
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I don’t know who you are but certainly you’re going to a famous blogger
for those who are not already. Cheers!