Josh Smith

A c3 or a pre-Ultracast? Regards, Josh

Thanks. I've not had a chance to examine any BPS reels. It would be nice to do so. Regards, Josh

I'm talking more like $50 reels or those which cost a lot because they have some outrageous speed or something. What's that reel? Daiwa? Thought Shimano but also thought the thumb bar looks slightly wrong. Regards, Josh

I personally like a reel that can handle anything that I might catch in the local rivers and lakes. This means having a setup that will handle a huge catfish if one should decide to bite, or a huge carp, or drum, etc. The biggest fish I ever caught was a bigmouth buffalo. It was too heavy to bring in all the way at the place I was fishing, so I released it partially landed. The thing was pulling drag on a locked-down Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 5000. I remember being concerned about the drag because it had been sticking -- this was pre-carbon fiber. I believe I loosened it a bit as Ambassadeurs have 12lb to 14lb or so drags, and I had 17lb mono. I'd figured on having to horse smallmouth away from structure, and this is why I had the drag locked initially. The lure was a #4 or #5 Mepps that had been Grandpa's. The treble hook came back bent, and I retried the lure to Grandpa's tackle box after this. At any rate, this fish peeled more drag than I'd ever experienced, and I was glad I had the Ambassadeur 5000 because it was very tough compared to the other reels of the time. Even today, that old Ambassadeur -- and the newer c3 and c4 models -- seem much tougher than the majority of black bass reels. I'm sure the higher-dollar low-profiles are tough, but there are parts on the majority of mid-range low-profile reels that I simply don't trust to hold up. Regards, Josh

I am throwing some pretty light lures using a 4600c3 (modified). I do believe the lightest I've thrown with it is 1/4oz, but the limit is in the rod, not the reel. Or, I should say, I've not tried going any lighter. The lure I'm thinking of is a soft plastic jerkbait/swimbait/whatever, and I can throw it 20-30 yards, which is generally more than is needed. Regards, Josh

Guys, what's the point behind the DC? What can it do that I can't do with my thumb? Regards, Josh

I like to build mine into custom-for-application. For example, my c3 models now have all bearings, and one has faster-than-stock gears. I have big hands so they palm well for me. In my opinion, they outperform most modern reels in everything but weight. They are of a design which has been evolving since 1953-1954. Regards, Josh

There are two reasons a person will stop when hit by a handgun. 1. Psychological stop: This is a 'decision'. It's the "Oh crap, I'm hit!" factor. May or may not be experienced by those who are on certain drugs. Heck, adrenaline can keep a person from feeling this. 2. Physical damage: With any handgun, this is not reliable. We're talking about making hits on the CNS, which is pretty well protected and hard to hit on a moving person. We're talking about structural damage, such as breaking the pelvic girdle. We're talking about bleeding out, which can take a few minutes. Ever shoot a critter and have it take off on you? The animal has no concept of what a bullet is. It only knows something hit it and it goes into fight or flight. When a person is functioning with his lower brain, he'll have the same type of reaction. Unless you can drop an angry black bear every time, first shot, with a given caliber/load, you're not going to stop a human being, either, unless the human being decides to stop or is hit in the CNS. Josh

Thank you, WRB. Regards, Josh

What reel? Regards, Josh

Hi DVT, I have an automotive background that I reference when I talk about greases. Axle grease -- the stuff that goes in your differential -- can get to viscous in cold weather and not sling onto the gears correctly. I understand also that it's not a direct apples:apples comparison. The only place that any heat might build is in the drag, unless I'm missing something. Probably the better comparison would be how grease works in an unsealed wheel bearing, but still, those get heat that reels do not. As you said, fishing reels are not demanding applications. Did some reading last night. From what I can find, if the blue Penn stuff is used on drags and a fish makes a nice, long, drag-smokin' run (granted, not real likely with bass), the lubricity breaks down and the grease, as it cools, becomes tacky and can glue the drag together somewhat. Now, I've not confirmed this. However, this is the type of thing I'm looking for. I had no idea that Penn blue should not be used on drags, nor did I know that (it is said that) it becomes glue-like when heated and cooled. I'll eventually get Shimano and Cal's to try, guys. I want to try the stuff I already have, first. Thanks, all! Regards, Josh

Has anyone tried this on nylon gears, like are found in the Ambassadeurs? Regards, Josh

Thank you, Preston. I need to order some of that; I've been putting it off. Out of what I have, I'm leaning toward the Abu Garcia stuff, or maybe use it on one and the Penn on the other then compare. Regards, Josh

Please note that these are all modified Ambassadeurs ('cept for one; I think I saw a round Shimano in there.) So, if you want to cast far... the Abu Garcia Ambassadeur is the best bet! Josh

Hi Folks, This past fall I did my reels with Ardent Reel Butter. I went fishing today in 33°F weather, and I'm pretty sure I lost a lot of it off the gears. I'm going to therefore redo the two reels I used today. I want to see, at any rate, if the Reel Butter fell off due to cold. Since buying the Ardent Reel Butter, I've acquired some Abu Garcia with PTFE, some Berkley Silicote, and some Penn blue stuff. I really like the Penn stuff, but I've tried it -- it's in a Shimano reel I'm rebuilding. I'm pretty sure the Abu Garcia grease is different than that I grew up using. Pretty sure the stuff I used to use did not have PTFE in it. I'm curious. I'll leave the Berkley stuff alone for now as I bought it just to get the oil that was with it, as I really like the Berkley oil and couldn't find it separately. So, what would you try next? The Penn stuff, or the Abu Garcia stuff? Regards, Josh

I personally think that the best defensive round would be a 10mm necked down to 0.355", loaded with a 124 grain Gold Dot, and shot to optimum velocity for fragmentation at about 9-12". A 1911 chambered in that cartridge with an undercut trigger guard would probably provide the most control. Still, not a lot of folks would be willing to put up with the recoil and muzzle blast, which would be significant. If you're after "stopping power," use a rifle capable of producing hydrostatic shock. This means a round capable of sending the bullet to Mach 2, at least. Regards, Josh

Hello, If you're talking ball military ammo, then no, they are not the same, but they do both suck in ball. 9mm just sucks slightly more. I personally feel that the .45acp may have a slight edge in "stopping power" with similar hollowpoint loads, but the data really doesn't back that up. I carried 9mm for the first 10 (or so) years, and a .45 Government-size I modified to my needs for the past eight or so years. Being rural, I used them both for critter control, and no critter hit with either cared about the caliber. I also carried a couple revolvers and a .380 pistol in there as primary and backup arms. Time was I conducted ballistic tests, and a group of us would swap info and check each others' work, and then we'd all check our work with conclusions drawn from real-world data, including, but not limited to, Marshal and Sanow. The 9mm Parabellum, as loaded in this country, is weak. This was due to WWI and WWII bring-back weapons of questionable integrity. (The 8mm Mauser - the 7.92x57mm - was likewise loaded down for much the same reason.) Only recently has the 9mm P gone back to its original loading of 124 grains at 1250fps. In the States, we call this loading a "+P". Regards, Josh

When I supertune my reels, I like to test them. The weight I choose is based on what loads best on the particular rod. Using a 3/4 oz weight on a 6' MH/F, I get about 50 yards. Using a 1/2oz weight on a M/F, I get about 50 yards with a lighter, easier-to-start reel. There are only a couple times I use that distance when fishing, and it takes certain lures to make it that distance. Generally, 30 yards is max for me, and that's only with braid. This is when I'm trying to cast across the river or when I'm targeting the outlet to a small dam that can't be gotten to many other ways. 50 yards is doable on the water with a few lures like the Spittin' Image or original Torpedo, but the weight of the line tends to mess up the walk-the-dog action for me that far out. Regards, Josh

Hello, Start with a 9mm Beretta 92 with rail. Add 6" barrel holographic optics or Tritium sights 20-round Mec-Gar magazine Mainspring from a 92D Use 115 grain +P Cor®Bon or 115 grain +P+ Federal or 90 grain +P Cor®Bon Casino Load (1500fps, semi-frangible due to speed and Sierra bullet) This is a house pistol only. It is not a holster pistol. The rounds I listed will still penetrate walls. If you go to frangible ammo, test to make sure it cycles. This should be done anyway, but more so with frangibles and other light-for-caliber loads. Regards, Josh P.S. .45 vs 9mm vs .40 vs 10mm doesn't matter. 9mm and .38spl +P+ on up are about the same. .38spl on down are likewise about the same. It's what you're comfortable with when you're talking about duty calibers. JS

Keep it away from any line. I don't trust it on plastics, either, but I'm likely paranoid on that part. Regards, Josh

I use a modified Ambassadeur 4600c3. I'm in the minority that prefer round reels. Regards, Josh

You know, I cast every which way conceivable, but I don't know what these are past back hand. Like a roll cast -- is that when I swing the lure in a circle before I let it go? What's the difference between pitching and flipping? Never did understand that. Regards, Josh

Yes, Sir, I'm a member of that FB page. Regards, Josh

Dude writes books? Heck, I thought he was just a feller I occasionally bought stuff from on eBay. Regards, Josh

Nope, made me hungry for bacon though. Josh