Cosmicblue

No Rewulf it's not - Turkey whilst not a full participant of the EU - it signed a Customs Union agreement in 1995. I do make the point at the end is that where the concept of the EU as a trading group was a good idea - our representatives have failed in keeping the EU bureaucrats out stuff that isn't anything to do with trading agreements.

Armsid So you were in your 20s, so now you are in your 60s - same as me. The list of Grumbles From the top - the motor industry is truly global (2nd largest industry vertical in the world after pharma), the woes of the industry have nothing to do with the EU. The industry responds to global trends, where the growth markets are and cheapest labour (i.e. Audi build the Q5 in Mexico). For the automotive assembly industry here in UK it is dependent on open borders in the EU so that they can ship stuff back and forth - i.e. BMW build engines just south of Brum, some of the manufacturing steps are done in the EU and the components re-imported (tariff free) back to the UK. All bets are off with Brexit - most likely the plants in UK will be scaled back/closed - that's why getting that 'deal' is so important. The challenges of the Steel industry are well documented and have nothing to do with the EU - you will have to look to China for that and where the steel that's made is actually consumed. Pension funds have issues for lots of reasons - poor administration, people are living longer, financial crash of 2008 damaged values and earnings rates - many things none of which are EU related. We could feed ourselves true - supermarkets would then only sell seasonal veg and fruit - much of what we eat is imported all the year round. The NHS - a favourite political football. The NHS kicked off in 1948 - back then we men lived to about 66 and women to around 77. The NHS is fundamentally doomed for many reasons: 1) Technology/science/research has discovered more ailments and methods of healing us coupled to ever more sophisticated treatments all of which cost money - lots of money. 2) People are living longer because of (1) above 3) All the technology and treatments require even more highly qualified staff that need to be paid a salary that reflects the skills, value and dedication. Roughly speaking there are 320,000 nurses and about 150,000 doctors. Their salaries do not reflect the dedication and professionalism - against overwhelming demands. Giving each individual a £2 pay increase each year increases that wage bill by £1m - plus NI and pension costs. Nurses salaries need to be increased by say £5,000 across the board to make it worth doing the job - they have to pay their Uni fees now so they can take care of us lot. I have a dear friend working a night shift right now in cardio-thoracic ITU - people hanging on the very edge of life so providing minute to minute care so their families can take them home a week or two. We don't pay those amazing people anywhere near enough. So the NHS is in a doomed loop: Increased life expectancy>ever more expensive treatments/staff>needs more money>increased life expectancy - repeat. It's only a matter of time before the NHS has to transition to two-tier care system (like the US) where those with money can have private healthcare and the rest get the baked-potato version. Does this having anything to do with the EU? The world of 40 years ago has nothing to do with 2019 (except we have screwed over the climate in the intervening years) No - absolutely nothing - we do have EU nurses and doctors though. The EU and Brussels Yup - totally agree - the EU leadership and Brussels machinery has got too powerful and lost sight of the reason that it was created. Stick to commerce and stop trying to meddle with pointless stuff that just keeps bureaucrats busy and the EU would be a good place to be. The EU thing got broken because of our useless politicians (all countries) who were happy to take the salary rather than manage our collective futures - hence the mess we are in now.

Intro So we let the nation vote for something without explaining the implications of the decision - totally dependent on our useless politicians for that irrespective of which mob you had an allegiance to. If you are fortunate enough to understand global commerce, where the stuff comes from that you buy/eat/consume and have an understanding of how the various nations, currencies and trading groups are intertwined going back 40 years the you might have a nagging doubt that our amazing country has been tragically let down by individuals that are pursuing their own short term agendas. All that stuff about controlling immigration and pumping money into the NHS was just emotive guff - when we leave the EU the problems will be exactly the same. And guess what? The same mindless drongos that caused the problem will blame someone else. Recession is already here I'm pretty certain I know what will happen post Brexit and it won't be pretty for the average family, life is going to become a lot more expensive - check out 'Economic Reality' below. The news outlets aren't saying it yet but the UK is slipping into a recession, everywhere you look there is a cut-back on spending against a backdrop of rising costs for the basic things like food. Aldi have announced that they are opening a new supermarket every week - go figure why they'd do that. Economic reality Even here on a shooting forum - where do the raw materials for our ammunition come from? Where do most of the affordable guns come from? Yup - most of it comes from the EU. Right now all goods are sold VAT free from the supplying country and pass through the EU borders without collecting customs duty. UK VAT is charged at the point of sale. Simples. So has anyone bothered to explain what will happen when we aren't in the EU? The EU supplier company will apply VAT (legal requirement) and their country border will apply an export duty charge. At the UK border HMRC will levy UK duty+VAT and then the retailer that sells you the product will have to apply UK VAT. Net result everything (that is EVERYTHING) that's imported is going have the costs rolled upwards and is going to become VERY expensive. This is serious stuff - when screaming for exit on the 31st of October without a 'deal' you have to understand that decent people will lose a standard of living that many assume is a democratic right. It isn't. I have no axe to grind either-way on this topic btw.. The Democratic vote Yep, the nation voted leave and by that in a democratic society our elected representatives should be getting us out. However it seems that some politicians - labelled 'Remainers' have figured out that maybe this is actually political suicide for themselves and the UK nation as a whole that's been fed by foolish people who either just plain don't understand or had some personal agenda. Finally - don't torch or troll me for the post - happy to discuss if you believe the above is different to the facts that you understand. I saw recently that someone was trying to find more about me - was on here with another username some years back and couldn't get my password reset.

It's just a horrendous mess - I can't imagine that I'm the only one that is totally 100% bored of the whole thing - and the ineffective people's representatives who once elected seem to be hell bent on achieving their own objectives rather than those of the very people that got them there in the first place. Our political system seems to have broken itself - now in conflict with the judiciary, talk of the PM misleading the Queen - that's a one way visit to the Tower of London. Taxi!!

That'll be us - the good old tax payer.

Brexit - we all voted for something that in practical terms can't be achieved in the timescales the politicians promised. Politicians making all the right noises at a particular point in time knowing full well that they won't be twitching a muscle to make anything concrete actually happen - BorisJ being a perfect example. Well that's never happened before has it?? Rather than leaping on the emotive hobby horse as the Spiked' article above seemed to do let's look for some realistic time-scale objective setting in conjunction with the civil servants that will actually do the work. I dare to suggest that anyone who publicly quotes less than a further 5 years is dreaming and it's more likely nearer 10 - the politicians spout about trade agreements and borders well those are the really easy things to fix (and they have failed at that so it isn't looking good). The real stuff, the nuts and bolts of how the UK functions within Europe are much, much harder to work through. It would appear that those political individuals that are close to the front-line of getting Brexit made a reality very quickly realise that having an Election (normally a political gift) could leave a party with an impossible prize.... a case of "and the good news is that you have won the chance to govern the UK and the bad news is that you have won the most unwelcome prize in recorded political history" No wonder the parties are all saying 'no election'.

Yeah agreed - the majority voted based on 'facts' were provided by very politicians that are letting the nation down again. A democratic vote for a concept that wasn't ever going to fly - shameful.

The whole Brexit thing would be very funny if it were not that the future of the UK was as stake. 1) Political parties come and go - I kind of feel that we are getting the feeling that the people's elected representatives are doing anything but that. 2) Whilst the political nit-wits preside over the pile the real work of making things happen gets done in Whitehall by civil servants. 3) So when the Brexit vote resulted in a 'Leave' edict the Whitehall teams will have responded with 'it ain't that easy' - which is absolutely true. 4) I've spent a sizeable chunk of the last 35 years working across the European Union/the world in a variety of businesses and industries (IT Enterprise software Pre-Sales) and still do it today and know just how deeply the UK is integrated into the EU, it's laws, taxation and processes - it's hard to think of a corner of our society that won't be affected by leaving the EU - some positively, some negatively. 5) So whilst a democratic process has taken place and a conclusion made - 'Leave' the reality away from the Boris Johnson puff is that it will take years to work through something that took 40 years to assemble. It's not rocket science - 40 years to build, 3 years to disassemble? Was never going to happen was it? 6) Sadly - the UK has become the subject of much mirth and amusement - in normal business in Europe, the kind many here work for. Jokes akin to the UK's ability to organising a heavy drinking session in Brewery - we'd probably try it in a Lemonade factory.

Methotrexate - I'm on it in a small dose each week to supress the symptoms of severe Eczema... I believe Metho' is actually a cancer drug that was discovered to have interesting side effects in other conditions - Eczema and Arthritis being just two. Not good for the liver though so regular blood tests - was weekly at the beginning for me, now every three months - I can only get prescribed by a hospital consultant - the GP can't even do repeat prescriptions.

Oh brings back memories - and a painful one of whacking my thumb with the stone that didn't go quite as far as it should have...🤬

I have factual knowledge - trade apprentice through to working with car manufacturers and importers all over the world - now at about the 45 year mark. I've leased many cars and can separate 'industry guidelines' from real world experience.

Personal Lease = Personal Contract Hire. Example sites: Nationwide or Lings Upsides 1) Leasing companies have enormous purchasing power and can dispose of car manufacturers excess production - can get you into a new car regularly for relatively little money 2) Fixed monthly payment for pre-agreed mileage 3) Can include maintenance 4) Includes road fund licence (your name isn't on the V5) 5) Can be for periods as short as 1 year Downsides 1) It's expensive to exit the contract early (typically 6 months payments or more) 2) Exceeding the agreed mileage can be eye wateringly expensive - conversely if you don't do the mileage you contracted for - there is no refund 3) You have to return the car in retail showroom condition - the contracts talk about fair wear and tear but in reality they returned vehicle needs to be in mint condition 4) Adding factory order options in expensive - ideally you need to stick to stock, std spec cars.

The smart things to do are: 1) Never, ever buy a new car - no matter how sweet the deal from the dealer. The moment you drive it out of the showroom you will lose the following instantly: a) The VAT b) The delivery charge and 1st registration fee c) Most of the value of the options. d) All the bolt-ons they try to sell you - GAP insurance/paint protection and other profit margin generators. 2) So buy a used car with low mileage and in the colour with the options you want. Be prepared to travel for the right vehicle. To give an ideal of savings I bought an Audi RSQ3 in 2016, 9 months old/3000 miles on the clock - it had lost £17,500 of it's purchase price. And then last year a 10 month old Audi RS4 with almost every option (factory Press car), 6,000 miles on the clock...it had lost more that £25,000 - crazy isn't it? Who can afford to lose that kind of money? 3) Finance - Do NOT consider for a moment any of the Personal Contract Plans (PCP) as you are not on the road to outright ownership but rather to that of having your leg lifted with a hefty final payment or give the car back - nett result you own nothing after 3 or 4 years of outlay and probably an initial deposit too. If you are very crafty you will organise a low interest bank loan with a view to outright ownership but take the finance offer and often considerable incentives from the dealer to get the price you want to pay. Once in possession of the car you will be in your legal right to cancel the finance deal direct with the finance house and use your cheap bank loan to purchase the car outright.

And that's what makes the shooting sports such a great element of life - money and status make no difference at all and we can all miss with style!

IT Pre-Sales - specialising in Cloud/Security/Integration for a Houston, TX software company. 4 years off hitting the state retirement age for me - 66 but right now thinking I'll continue working if it remains as much fun as it is now,,,😎

Yeah, there was a documentary on the beeb a few months back that said the same - basically over 60 then it's very likely that you will have cancerous cells in the prostate - the question is will they develop to the point where it becomes an issue or remain benign. There are all sorts of new techniques for addressing such things - get referred to hospital and into specialist hands.

Back to the Drugs topic - it seems that some people have unfulfilled lives and seek some kind of escape because for many life is just too dull. Us lot, i.e. the shooting community tend to get out there and enjoy ourselves be it target shooting or live game - compete against ourselves or others - seizing life with both hands and giving it a good shake - we are a minority. The teacher in question might get a Darwin Award - well a runners up mention anyway...😀

There is quite a bit about the MX3 in Karl C Lippard's book "Perazzi Shotguns", seems it has all the internals of an MX8 but the sides of the action were smooth and uncluttered - perfect for an engraver to produce something beautiful. There are references in the book that suggest that Perazzi made the MX3 as a more affordable entry point into ownership - that'll be just like the MXS of today.

Just one for me now, having two in the cabinet plays on the mind - i.e. taking the other one 'might' have been a better decision...

Yup, been there too. Attaching to the brick wall is the best option, it will be what's called 'dry walled' in that there is a sheet of plasterboard sitting on dabs of plaster and then a block wall behind that - my house is the same. Do not risk use expanding rawlbolts as there is a very real risk of splitting the bricks or blocks in the wall behind which will result in a serious problem that will be hard to rectify.. My FAO insisted that the cabinet (a Brattonsound SL7) was sitting on the floor and flush against the wall so I had to carefully cut the skirting board in situ using a hand held tenon saw, just took some patience to do. I then used Excalibur Screw Bolts http://excaliburscrewbolts.com/, which are rather clever in that you drill exact size holes for them and they cut their own threads into the brick or blocks as you tighten them up, incredibly secure and super neat, no mess, Will take the cabinet back hard against the wall. If you Google 'fasteners' and your postcode you should be able to locate a wholesaler near to you.

Had the first fitting for the new HPX DSR this morning at South Worcestershire Shooting Ground and the gun fits perfectly (as it should having been made for me) and is beautiful to shoot, put 75 24Grm Fblacks through it, very happy! JJ will finalise the stock, oil finish it, fit a pad and tune the triggers before the next session...pictures below:

Thanks, yes, an HPX costs a bit more than a standard MX, however it is fitted to you personally. The trigger pulls of a standard MX are lovely, JJ just spends as much time as it takes to get the pulls perfect and as near identical for each barrel as he can.

Yes, all being a bit different makes life all the more interesting, that's a lovely gun for sure, beautiful wood and engraved too, is that SC3? As a matter of interest if you fancied an HPX and wanted to protect your existing investment then he can supply/fit HPX barrels and stock to an existing Perazzi action....

You are most welcome Of!

Here you go: If one of the pictures looks familiar as being on JJ's web site that's because its my gun.... The leather slip comes with the gun and a hat too. The spec of this one was as a 33" SR1 Sporter, beaver tail fore end, adjustable comb, Briley interchangeable chokes, nickel coloured action. JJ goes over to the factory and selects the stock blanks personally so you get lovely wood without having to pay the premium. I think looking back I almost set about replicating the spec of Browning Ultra XS I had before. Curiously for the DSR I've opted to go fixed choke at 1/4 and 1/2 (I never change them in the SR1 because it patterns so tightly, Carl Bloxham had me extract the tubes to prove it, its really tight), no adjustable comb, just have it made and fitted right from day one and a black action. Delivery timescales - the SR1 above took about 6 months start to finish, ordered November 2012 and arrived May 2013, the DSR order went in 9th of Feb this year and I'll get the first fitting next week, it will still be a month or two before the stock is finalised oiled and finished. JJ measures you up and then orders the stock slightly oversize so there is a little margin for final adjustment, his son-in-law is a gun smith and does all the stock work to perfection, everything, even the stock pad (not present when the gun comes from the factory) is specific to your fitting requirements. With regard to the purchase experience I wrote a testimonial piece for JJ, really as a way of saying thanks for providing something special: http://www.perazzihpx.com/testimonials/ All I'd say is if you are wavering then don't read it! Buying an HPX is a special experience and one of the better purchase decisions I've made in my life....golly I've made some bad ones too....