Selling things outside the PX -- A SH history homily.

[EddieNFL]

Hey, Jhākri, my great-great-great-great grandfather was a Hessian!

 

[Whiskey Tango Foxtrot]

 

[Strykervet]

Couldn't resistView attachment 7641016View attachment 7641019View attachment 7641023View attachment 7641020

I almost pissed myself...

 

[Tactical_Tom]

Not that it will ever happen but the best way to make the PX work better is simply to give buyers the option to buy insurance on their purchases at some percentage of the selling price. Paranoia is way up these days. If the fee is set right Frank can make a profit off it.

 

[SouthFork]

I got my account 15 years ago. Every month I got nudes from Frank via PM. Now that you have to upgrade in the PX to sell, the nudes have stopped coming each month.

So if I upgrade will the nudes return to my PMs? I have kinda gotten used to them and miss them.

 

[OREGUN]

View attachment 7641143

This is a visual representation bear pit, right?

 

[kl3309]

I got my account 15 years ago. Every month I got nudes from Frank via PM. Now that you have to upgrade in the PX to sell, the nudes have stopped coming each month.

So if I upgrade will the nudes return to my PMs? I have kinda gotten used to them and miss them.

Had to read that a couple times over to make sure you weren't saying "nudes of Frank."

 

[SouthFork]

Had to read that a couple times over to make sure you weren't saying "nudes of Frank."

Actually I was typing on my phone and I mistyped. Yes you are correct. Thanks for catching my error.

So do you know if I upgrade will the nudes return?

 

[kl3309]

Actually I was typing on my phone and I mistyped. Yes you are correct. Thanks for catching my error.

So do you know if I upgrade will the nudes return?

Wait, you've been bogarting full frontals of Frank for 15 years now? What a dick (metaphorically speaking).

 

[DocRDS]

Lot of Manbun hate in here. Yeha I gotta a 6.5, in fact, I ordered a second one. It was an AI, so you know that counts for something.

Been here a long time. Can't believe people are screwing with the PX (Ok i have a dim view of humanityso I do, but still). Dudes here have helped me a lot before I posted much and I even forgot my account name from the Pre-Scout days. Do you know how hard it is to find some of the crap we use around here? I can't excatly go to my LGS and get the gear we use.

There are 2 things we don't like around here:
People who cause Frank unnecessary stress (we give him shit because we're men, WE DON'T CAUSE TROUBLE)
The Dutch.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Had to read that a couple times over to make sure you weren't saying "nudes of Frank."

That’s it… time out. I need to go scrub that image out of my cortex….

You people need Jesus.

Ok… here is Jesus…

 

[Jscb1b]

That’s it… time out. I need to go scrub that image out of my cortex….

You people need Jesus.

Ok… here is Jesus…

View attachment 7641798

Paint my fence and mow the yard.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Paint my fence and mow the yard.

Do you know what Jim Bowie said to Davy Crockett when he saw Santa Anna’s army charging at the Alamo?

“Hey I didn’t know we were landscaping today!”

Cheers sirhr

 

[VSP968]

Hey sihr-
When I joined in late 04, the forum was pretty wild and the PX was no exception.

A dude would post a picture of a rifle he had for sale on his kitchen counter and a half dozen smart asses would chime in asking how much did he want for the kitchen canister set, or the blender, or the knife block and knives that were in the background…

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Hey sihr-
When I joined in late 04, the forum was pretty wild and the PX was no exception.

A dude would post a picture of a rifle he had for sale on his kitchen counter and a half dozen smart asses would chime in asking how much did he want for the kitchen canister set, or the blender, or the knife block and knives that were in the background…

So… is the blender still available?

Posting a rifle on a kitchen counter. Yup, that would do it!

Sirhr

 

[Jscb1b]

Do you know what Jim Bowie said to Davy Crockett when he saw Santa Anna’s army charging at the Alamo?

“Hey I didn’t know we were landscaping today!”

Cheers sirhr

I heard it as pouring concrete.

 

[gonzaga]

I joined here as a recommendation from my buddy EHG.... I didnt know shit then and still don't, but you guys have taught me alot. I have read alot of posts and tried to chime in when I think I can help, but like the wise men have said "gone are the days of yesteryear",
Everyone is a sniper now with their self proclaimed entitlements and importance.

 

[kl3309]

That’s it… time out. I need to go scrub that image out of my cortex….

You people need Jesus.

Ok… here is Jesus…

View attachment 7641798

Jesus, envia desnudos de Frank a SouthFork, por favor.

 

[Sean the Nailer]

So… is the blender still available?

Posting a rifle on a kitchen counter. Yup, that would do it!

Sirhr

You forgot the "Nice Socks" or "trim your toenails, that's gross!"

 

[NukeMMC]

You forgot the "Nice Socks" or "trim your toenails, that's gross!"

I remember when it was almost a requirement to include at least 1 foot in a picture of a for sale item so you could prove you were or were not wearing crocs.
I think some of the old For Sale posts also caused the original "Wives and Girlfriends" thread.

 

[VSP968]

About that time I vaguely recall one of our wacky Texas members (the original forum was very Texas-centric with RO) posting something for sale around Christmas time. The thread turned into a bidding war on a Santa figure decoration thing that was in the background.

 

[Shooter McGavin]

Good write up. Just jumped over to the PX to take a look and what do I see, a post about scammers. I have had lots of luck buying stuff in the PX. Sorry to see this being a problem on the forum.

 

[anon]

It's ok sir... At least it's not an 8.6 BLK!

If there is one thing that we've seen here it's that 6.5 Creedmore shooters have thick skins, put up with a ton of ribbing... and stick up for their caliber! What more can one ask for?

Wonder if there is like a 6.5 pride flag out there? Maybe a group buy thing? ;-)

Sirhr

 

[NH4X]

Good read............now that we've had a history lesson about the PX............could y'all fuckers get back up to "The Fix" thread mentioned and continue to stomp on O P's pee pee and " rape the shit outta his ass " or are ya all tuckered out.

The " Cat let loose er " spoke and I think got the message across to his dumbass .......but who knows ,he may be back for more.

I was wondering yesterday why the " Pit " was so slow............hell, y'all were up there providing a community service and my dumbass ( who isn't interested in "The Fix " ) never opened the thread and missed out on the laughs ,in real time . Spent this morning reading ROFLMAO and getting caught up .

 

[Jefe's Dope]

Can someone finally tell me what caliber I can shoot without being called a fag?

 

[hlee]

Can someone finally tell me what caliber I can shoot without being called a fag?

50 BMG, but only standing unsupported. And, the target has to be at least 300 yards, less than 2 moa. And, yer a fag if you miss.

 

[W54/XM-388]

Can someone finally tell me what caliber I can shoot without being called a fag?

.375 Swiss P out of a Hoplite Aspis rifle, using Badlands Projectiles.

 

[NH4X]

"This a public service announcement "............. He's rested up and back......you know what is expected ,should you except the mission.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

Can someone finally tell me what caliber I can shoot without being called a fag?

There is this.

Oh and a 10mm. Definitely a 10mm.

Sirhr

 

[Naaman]

I got that early this morning, knowing it was a scam, thought I’d play along and piss this guy off.
Sent him an email acting like I was interested, got an email back saying, “sorry man, I sold that yesterday.” Lol... You never know. (So don’t take chances. Ever.)

My "worst case scenario" interpretation is that you will get an email in the future from that address/person offering you the same (or related) product. Could still be a scam.

 

[NoDopes]

"nudes of Frank."

Is this still available?

 

[Handloader]

Honestly, the PX has never failed me. Every transaction was solid. I do tend to look at how long a person has been a member though.

 

[Bender]

I agree with everything except the 6.5 manbun. I am disheartened by the level of disrespect this cartridge gets. It hurts me personally when people don’t like everything I say or choose to use. I spent hours with my therapist crying and gut wrenching anxiety over not fitting in with the crowd of precision rifle shooters. I lay awake at night with my hot ass wife being buck naked while sipping a drink watching best of pigeons on Nat Geo while I type this out and make you guys think I give a fuk about what you say about my 6.5 Man bun. All I can say is at least it ain’t the 6 Gay Tiger.

Man, this dude was on point.

 

[Stevo86]

Man, this dude was on point.

Don’t you have a pigeon to fuck somewhere ?

 

[MtnCreek]

Similar Threads strikes again.

 

[ggmanning]

Schott glass really is the best, I agree. I've got a mint IOR for sale just pm me.


75% of my high end gear was bought in the Px or from Snipers Hide vendors. I only buy high dollar stuff from the folks with history that I recognize from 12 years here.

 

[ker2222]

Been here a long time too. Never was tactical at all but there was a time where this was the only place to get solid info and lessons on long range anything—-my target of choice was little bitty prairie dogs at long distances. I’ve bought and sold thousands and thousands of dollars worth of stuff on the px. Always good experiences. Not so much anymore as I am keeping all I have now and haven’t been I. The market for anything in a while. But I hope everyone can keep this place the awesome source of information it has always been

 

[EddieNFL]

Been here a long time too. Never was tactical at all but...

No shame in not being tactical...as long as you're national match or milspec.

 

[sirhrmechanic]

No shame in not being tactical...as long as you're national match or milspec.

Or capable of shooting Minute of Duck.

Sirhr

 

[EddieNFL]

Or capable of shooting Minute of Duck.

Sirhr

My standard has always been minute of pie plate.

 

[Maggot]

No shame in not being tactical...as long as you're national match or milspec.

Operator. Ya gotta be an operator.

Jim knows.

 

[EddieNFL]

Operator. Ya gotta be an operator.

Jim knows.

"You can keep the dime."

 

[Baron23]

Can someone finally tell me what caliber I can shoot without being called a fag?

Ah....GAU-8 will probably do the trick, yeah? haha

By the by, I don't care what anybody says about the guns/caliber I shoot...unless they are paying for them, right?

 

[Bender]

So after reading another twat-waffle's whiny little bitch post about how he was stuck with the 6.5 Manbun rifle when he really wanted something else... (how do you buy the 'wrong caliber' in a rifle, anyway?) it occurs to me that with our huge new member population, a history of the PX and why it's so rigidly enforced might be in order. Because it speaks to why things are the way they are. And why this community is protective of our PX and associated rules.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away our HMFWIC created Snipers Hide. And it was good. And it attracted good people and times were good. Those people swapped state-of-the-art information on rifles, optics, accessories, ammunition, reloading, bipods, web gear... and tactics, methods and tips. And times were good. One could say that the realm of the precision tactical marksman had moved from the dark recesses of the .mil and .LE communities... making its way to a group of people who wanted to pit their skills against, not so much each other, but against physics and the science of ballistics. Many of those skills and much of that knowledge fed back into the .mil and .LE communities and helped save countless lives downrange as the entire science of tactical marksmanship flourished over the past 25 years. And it was good.

These same people also began to sell rifles, optics, accessories, etc. Mainly among friends. And with the confidence that among this tight community, noone was going to get ripped off. A man's word was his bond. An 'I'll Take it" constituted an ironclad handshake, even between two men, sometimes warriors, who never even met. As it should be.

Then, after 9/11 and a few years of deployments and news stories and gun magazine stories about legendary snipery topics.. the community grew by leaps and bounds. More people coming in to learn and take the sport (and the tactical science) to the next level. Rifle, scope, ammo, accessory development entered a golden age where advancements seemed to come weekly in one area or another. New calibers, new platforms, chassis, new optics. Much of it driven right here on SH.

But with growth came some downsides. The community got large enough that it was seen as a target market. And what had been a nice, cozy, trustworthy buying and selling community became like Craigs List for all kinds of crap. Newbies were dropping in by the hundreds and offering junk for sale or, worse, offering scams. Surprise, right? This is the Internet. No fooling... scammers show up. The issue is that our HMFWIC bore the brunt of these scams... and his beloved community risked getting a reputation as being just another POS gun site on the Interwebs. So the community rallied and started to put in some rules.

First, they ruled that in order to buy, sell, trade here, you had to have 100 posts. Seems like a good idea. That way you can see if the person you are buying from is really a 'community' contributor. And that didn't work.

Why? Because the little scammers, trolls and "rules don't apply to me" douche bags who would later grow manbuns... would put up posts like "Tag" or "Ditto" or "#me Too" (probably only the ones who were molested). And within a day, they were going "But I have 100 posts... I have this awesome scope to sell at 3X USO MSRP because I managed to scam one." And people were again getting ripped off and pissed off and we were getting a reputation for being a douche-magnet.

So... the rule went into place that you have to have 100 Meaningful posts. Figuring that weeding out the peckerheads by their content would be something that could be spotted easily. Nope... Folks would come on and post semi-meaningful blather and would shoot to get to 100 posts in 2 hours... and on the 101st post would be their item for sale in the PX... or 20 items. Along with a "Ha Ha HMFWIC and SH assholes... I followed your little rules and here I am, selling my crap... ." And again, instead of contributing to the Community, these folks did nothing but turn The 'Hide into eBay... all while getting into spats, disputes, complaints that made the HMFWIC's life difficult.

And before we go into how this started to resolve itself... it should be noted that all during this time, the PX and "Sales" were not making our Leader any money. He didn't charge for storefronts. He didn't take a percentage. He didn't get a Commercial Vendor Fee or a 3 percent skim off the top like eBay or Gunbroker. So he got all the headaches brought on by the "Used Car Salesmen" who dumped all over the PX. And no benefit whatsoever. In fact, a net negative, because the BS in the PX spilled over into General Population and threatened the reputation of the SH Community. And without that reputation, he (and our residents) got nothing. We become a crap site like so many others.

So... the natural answer is to shut down the PX. Ban selling and trades and other 'commerce' all together. Boom! All the headaches go away. It is a very real and valid option. And one that if I had been the HMFWIC I'd have probably done, because I don't have his patience and tolerance. But the community rose up and begged to keep the PX. Me among them. Because I've gotten some great deals on reloading stuff and I find the PX to be a very useful place not just as a buyer but for information as well. "We'll follow the rules HMFWIC, we all said. Please, don't take our PX. Come up with a plan! But let us keep our PX!" And the HMFWIC relented and we got to keep our PX. And it was good.

But, of course, in the post-Scout world and in the COVID world, the interest in the subject has gone through the roof. The sign-up numbers are in the tens of thousands a month. A million new members pouring into our community. This means more opportunities for HMFIC. More visibility for his sponsors and his videos and classes and events. And it is very good!

Except with the PX. Because all of a sudden, this influx of new blood (90 percent of which is awesome) is accompanied by scammers, Nigerian Warlords, eBay sellers, man-bun-wearing douche-nozzles with 6.5's who think they are above petty rules. And the HMFWIC's life is, again, not copasetic.

"Don't shut the PX down," says the community. "We love the PX. Come up with something..." So the HMFIC creates a new banner and category for folks called "Hessians" who are allowed to buy accounts to sell in the PX 'up front.' Hessians, BTW, was a blatant insult intended to brand these folks as being purely mercenary... and willing to sell out for a few bucks. But, many wore the tag to continue to post for sale and trade, etc. items in the PX. And the community was happy. Mostly. Except for those who skirted the rules. And those who sold crap. And those who were scammers. And, again, the HMFIC was getting headaches from the PX.

"Please, don't shut our PX Down," says the community. "We love our PX. Please don't kill it! Even though it is the bane of your existence. We'll follow the rules."

So the 100 post rule goes away. The 'time you are a member' goes away. Hessians go away. Everything goes away. Now, you pay a membership to post in the PX. Which is still a PITA. But at least our dear leader is now getting some compensation for the bovine scatology he has to endure daily from the little PX spats and people scamming and selling garbage. Hey, at least he can also say "Those aren't members of the community, they're just used gear salesmen... "

And we get to keep our PX. Of course, it is now more of a minefield than it every was. Handshakes aren't ironclad. And one has to watch their a$$ because that pistol you buy from Alaska might not exist at all... and some MFer is using SH to do what every thieving scum-weasel on the Internet does... Steal shit and scam people. It's what they do. But for those of use who are smart enough... there are still great deals and great people on the PX... and joining SH every day. Did I mention 10 percent.

But, as in all things. there's always those few guys. The douche-weasels who go "I'll create a workaround by creating a 'state-by-state' marketplace. Or "Noone will notice if I come here and put a "For Sale" line hidden at the bottom of my first post. I'm above the rules." And more importantly are willing to say, right in public... right to the whole community in their posts: "I am openly stealing from Frank Galli and putting the PX at Risk by being an asshole and I don't care because the rules don't apply to me.

And when the community... the same community that values its PX and is here because the castle that our HMFWIC built is an amazing place... calls some little peckerhead thief on his actions... they get all antsy in their little skinny jeans and call out the community.

We are protecting our PX and our community for a reason. And here is some news for the little thieves who think stealing from Frank and Shitting in our nest is a good idea. Some folks here protect this community pretty ruthlessly. The level of vitriol that you will find can be epic. And you will never come back. Moreover, your idiocy will be preserved for all to see. A virtual head-on-a-pike, Dracula style around the Transylvania castle. And we'll have fun doing it.

So please, new members... Join us in droves. Come and contribute! Become part of the community and revered members. Learn, shoot, grow, contribute to a growing sport. Buy (and earn) the right to use the PX and use it wisely. Be Snipers Hide.

The 10 percent of you who think you are above us all and show up here to steal and throw arrows? Game on, cupcakes.

Thus endeth the lesson. And all is good.

Sirhr

PS... My apologies for any details I got wrong on the PX history... I missed the first decade here... coming in with the first wave of newbies... and only just overlapping with many of the founding legends. So some of you real early folks, please correct my oversights. And, last, thanks HMFWIC for putting up with us. And for keeping the PX when it would have been much easier to nuke it long ago! Hey, I'm going shopping now!

I don’t get mad

I get even

 

[sirhrmechanic]

I don’t get mad

I get even

View attachment 7825867

Just remember, you made me do this... ;-)

Ah ha hahh aha haha...

Sirhr

 

[montigre]

Very well stated, Sir. Bows of supplication applied!!

 

[Jack Sparrow Pirate]

So after reading another twat-waffle's whiny little bitch post about how he was stuck with the 6.5 Manbun rifle when he really wanted something else... (how do you buy the 'wrong caliber' in a rifle, anyway?) it occurs to me that with our huge new member population, a history of the PX and why it's so rigidly enforced might be in order. Because it speaks to why things are the way they are. And why this community is protective of our PX and associated rules.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away our HMFWIC created Snipers Hide. And it was good. And it attracted good people and times were good. Those people swapped state-of-the-art information on rifles, optics, accessories, ammunition, reloading, bipods, web gear... and tactics, methods and tips. And times were good. One could say that the realm of the precision tactical marksman had moved from the dark recesses of the .mil and .LE communities... making its way to a group of people who wanted to pit their skills against, not so much each other, but against physics and the science of ballistics. Many of those skills and much of that knowledge fed back into the .mil and .LE communities and helped save countless lives downrange as the entire science of tactical marksmanship flourished over the past 25 years. And it was good.

These same people also began to sell rifles, optics, accessories, etc. Mainly among friends. And with the confidence that among this tight community, noone was going to get ripped off. A man's word was his bond. An 'I'll Take it" constituted an ironclad handshake, even between two men, sometimes warriors, who never even met. As it should be.

Then, after 9/11 and a few years of deployments and news stories and gun magazine stories about legendary snipery topics.. the community grew by leaps and bounds. More people coming in to learn and take the sport (and the tactical science) to the next level. Rifle, scope, ammo, accessory development entered a golden age where advancements seemed to come weekly in one area or another. New calibers, new platforms, chassis, new optics. Much of it driven right here on SH.

But with growth came some downsides. The community got large enough that it was seen as a target market. And what had been a nice, cozy, trustworthy buying and selling community became like Craigs List for all kinds of crap. Newbies were dropping in by the hundreds and offering junk for sale or, worse, offering scams. Surprise, right? This is the Internet. No fooling... scammers show up. The issue is that our HMFWIC bore the brunt of these scams... and his beloved community risked getting a reputation as being just another POS gun site on the Interwebs. So the community rallied and started to put in some rules.

First, they ruled that in order to buy, sell, trade here, you had to have 100 posts. Seems like a good idea. That way you can see if the person you are buying from is really a 'community' contributor. And that didn't work.

Why? Because the little scammers, trolls and "rules don't apply to me" douche bags who would later grow manbuns... would put up posts like "Tag" or "Ditto" or "#me Too" (probably only the ones who were molested). And within a day, they were going "But I have 100 posts... I have this awesome scope to sell at 3X USO MSRP because I managed to scam one." And people were again getting ripped off and pissed off and we were getting a reputation for being a douche-magnet.

So... the rule went into place that you have to have 100 Meaningful posts. Figuring that weeding out the peckerheads by their content would be something that could be spotted easily. Nope... Folks would come on and post semi-meaningful blather and would shoot to get to 100 posts in 2 hours... and on the 101st post would be their item for sale in the PX... or 20 items. Along with a "Ha Ha HMFWIC and SH assholes... I followed your little rules and here I am, selling my crap... ." And again, instead of contributing to the Community, these folks did nothing but turn The 'Hide into eBay... all while getting into spats, disputes, complaints that made the HMFWIC's life difficult.

And before we go into how this started to resolve itself... it should be noted that all during this time, the PX and "Sales" were not making our Leader any money. He didn't charge for storefronts. He didn't take a percentage. He didn't get a Commercial Vendor Fee or a 3 percent skim off the top like eBay or Gunbroker. So he got all the headaches brought on by the "Used Car Salesmen" who dumped all over the PX. And no benefit whatsoever. In fact, a net negative, because the BS in the PX spilled over into General Population and threatened the reputation of the SH Community. And without that reputation, he (and our residents) got nothing. We become a crap site like so many others.

So... the natural answer is to shut down the PX. Ban selling and trades and other 'commerce' all together. Boom! All the headaches go away. It is a very real and valid option. And one that if I had been the HMFWIC I'd have probably done, because I don't have his patience and tolerance. But the community rose up and begged to keep the PX. Me among them. Because I've gotten some great deals on reloading stuff and I find the PX to be a very useful place not just as a buyer but for information as well. "We'll follow the rules HMFWIC, we all said. Please, don't take our PX. Come up with a plan! But let us keep our PX!" And the HMFWIC relented and we got to keep our PX. And it was good.

But, of course, in the post-Scout world and in the COVID world, the interest in the subject has gone through the roof. The sign-up numbers are in the tens of thousands a month. A million new members pouring into our community. This means more opportunities for HMFIC. More visibility for his sponsors and his videos and classes and events. And it is very good!

Except with the PX. Because all of a sudden, this influx of new blood (90 percent of which is awesome) is accompanied by scammers, Nigerian Warlords, eBay sellers, man-bun-wearing douche-nozzles with 6.5's who think they are above petty rules. And the HMFWIC's life is, again, not copasetic.

"Don't shut the PX down," says the community. "We love the PX. Come up with something..." So the HMFIC creates a new banner and category for folks called "Hessians" who are allowed to buy accounts to sell in the PX 'up front.' Hessians, BTW, was a blatant insult intended to brand these folks as being purely mercenary... and willing to sell out for a few bucks. But, many wore the tag to continue to post for sale and trade, etc. items in the PX. And the community was happy. Mostly. Except for those who skirted the rules. And those who sold crap. And those who were scammers. And, again, the HMFIC was getting headaches from the PX.

"Please, don't shut our PX Down," says the community. "We love our PX. Please don't kill it! Even though it is the bane of your existence. We'll follow the rules."

So the 100 post rule goes away. The 'time you are a member' goes away. Hessians go away. Everything goes away. Now, you pay a membership to post in the PX. Which is still a PITA. But at least our dear leader is now getting some compensation for the bovine scatology he has to endure daily from the little PX spats and people scamming and selling garbage. Hey, at least he can also say "Those aren't members of the community, they're just used gear salesmen... "

And we get to keep our PX. Of course, it is now more of a minefield than it every was. Handshakes aren't ironclad. And one has to watch their a$$ because that pistol you buy from Alaska might not exist at all... and some MFer is using SH to do what every thieving scum-weasel on the Internet does... Steal shit and scam people. It's what they do. But for those of use who are smart enough... there are still great deals and great people on the PX... and joining SH every day. Did I mention 10 percent.

But, as in all things. there's always those few guys. The douche-weasels who go "I'll create a workaround by creating a 'state-by-state' marketplace. Or "Noone will notice if I come here and put a "For Sale" line hidden at the bottom of my first post. I'm above the rules." And more importantly are willing to say, right in public... right to the whole community in their posts: "I am openly stealing from Frank Galli and putting the PX at Risk by being an asshole and I don't care because the rules don't apply to me.

And when the community... the same community that values its PX and is here because the castle that our HMFWIC built is an amazing place... calls some little peckerhead thief on his actions... they get all antsy in their little skinny jeans and call out the community.

We are protecting our PX and our community for a reason. And here is some news for the little thieves who think stealing from Frank and Shitting in our nest is a good idea. Some folks here protect this community pretty ruthlessly. The level of vitriol that you will find can be epic. And you will never come back. Moreover, your idiocy will be preserved for all to see. A virtual head-on-a-pike, Dracula style around the Transylvania castle. And we'll have fun doing it.

So please, new members... Join us in droves. Come and contribute! Become part of the community and revered members. Learn, shoot, grow, contribute to a growing sport. Buy (and earn) the right to use the PX and use it wisely. Be Snipers Hide.

The 10 percent of you who think you are above us all and show up here to steal and throw arrows? Game on, cupcakes.

Thus endeth the lesson. And all is good.

Sirhr

PS... My apologies for any details I got wrong on the PX history... I missed the first decade here... coming in with the first wave of newbies... and only just overlapping with many of the founding legends. So some of you real early folks, please correct my oversights. And, last, thanks HMFWIC for putting up with us. And for keeping the PX when it would have been much easier to nuke it long ago! Hey, I'm going shopping now!

Thank you

So after reading another twat-waffle's whiny little bitch post about how he was stuck with the 6.5 Manbun rifle when he really wanted something else... (how do you buy the 'wrong caliber' in a rifle, anyway?) it occurs to me that with our huge new member population, a history of the PX and why it's so rigidly enforced might be in order. Because it speaks to why things are the way they are. And why this community is protective of our PX and associated rules.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away our HMFWIC created Snipers Hide. And it was good. And it attracted good people and times were good. Those people swapped state-of-the-art information on rifles, optics, accessories, ammunition, reloading, bipods, web gear... and tactics, methods and tips. And times were good. One could say that the realm of the precision tactical marksman had moved from the dark recesses of the .mil and .LE communities... making its way to a group of people who wanted to pit their skills against, not so much each other, but against physics and the science of ballistics. Many of those skills and much of that knowledge fed back into the .mil and .LE communities and helped save countless lives downrange as the entire science of tactical marksmanship flourished over the past 25 years. And it was good.

These same people also began to sell rifles, optics, accessories, etc. Mainly among friends. And with the confidence that among this tight community, noone was going to get ripped off. A man's word was his bond. An 'I'll Take it" constituted an ironclad handshake, even between two men, sometimes warriors, who never even met. As it should be.

Then, after 9/11 and a few years of deployments and news stories and gun magazine stories about legendary snipery topics.. the community grew by leaps and bounds. More people coming in to learn and take the sport (and the tactical science) to the next level. Rifle, scope, ammo, accessory development entered a golden age where advancements seemed to come weekly in one area or another. New calibers, new platforms, chassis, new optics. Much of it driven right here on SH.

But with growth came some downsides. The community got large enough that it was seen as a target market. And what had been a nice, cozy, trustworthy buying and selling community became like Craigs List for all kinds of crap. Newbies were dropping in by the hundreds and offering junk for sale or, worse, offering scams. Surprise, right? This is the Internet. No fooling... scammers show up. The issue is that our HMFWIC bore the brunt of these scams... and his beloved community risked getting a reputation as being just another POS gun site on the Interwebs. So the community rallied and started to put in some rules.

First, they ruled that in order to buy, sell, trade here, you had to have 100 posts. Seems like a good idea. That way you can see if the person you are buying from is really a 'community' contributor. And that didn't work.

Why? Because the little scammers, trolls and "rules don't apply to me" douche bags who would later grow manbuns... would put up posts like "Tag" or "Ditto" or "#me Too" (probably only the ones who were molested). And within a day, they were going "But I have 100 posts... I have this awesome scope to sell at 3X USO MSRP because I managed to scam one." And people were again getting ripped off and pissed off and we were getting a reputation for being a douche-magnet.

So... the rule went into place that you have to have 100 Meaningful posts. Figuring that weeding out the peckerheads by their content would be something that could be spotted easily. Nope... Folks would come on and post semi-meaningful blather and would shoot to get to 100 posts in 2 hours... and on the 101st post would be their item for sale in the PX... or 20 items. Along with a "Ha Ha HMFWIC and SH assholes... I followed your little rules and here I am, selling my crap... ." And again, instead of contributing to the Community, these folks did nothing but turn The 'Hide into eBay... all while getting into spats, disputes, complaints that made the HMFWIC's life difficult.

And before we go into how this started to resolve itself... it should be noted that all during this time, the PX and "Sales" were not making our Leader any money. He didn't charge for storefronts. He didn't take a percentage. He didn't get a Commercial Vendor Fee or a 3 percent skim off the top like eBay or Gunbroker. So he got all the headaches brought on by the "Used Car Salesmen" who dumped all over the PX. And no benefit whatsoever. In fact, a net negative, because the BS in the PX spilled over into General Population and threatened the reputation of the SH Community. And without that reputation, he (and our residents) got nothing. We become a crap site like so many others.

So... the natural answer is to shut down the PX. Ban selling and trades and other 'commerce' all together. Boom! All the headaches go away. It is a very real and valid option. And one that if I had been the HMFWIC I'd have probably done, because I don't have his patience and tolerance. But the community rose up and begged to keep the PX. Me among them. Because I've gotten some great deals on reloading stuff and I find the PX to be a very useful place not just as a buyer but for information as well. "We'll follow the rules HMFWIC, we all said. Please, don't take our PX. Come up with a plan! But let us keep our PX!" And the HMFWIC relented and we got to keep our PX. And it was good.

But, of course, in the post-Scout world and in the COVID world, the interest in the subject has gone through the roof. The sign-up numbers are in the tens of thousands a month. A million new members pouring into our community. This means more opportunities for HMFIC. More visibility for his sponsors and his videos and classes and events. And it is very good!

Except with the PX. Because all of a sudden, this influx of new blood (90 percent of which is awesome) is accompanied by scammers, Nigerian Warlords, eBay sellers, man-bun-wearing douche-nozzles with 6.5's who think they are above petty rules. And the HMFWIC's life is, again, not copasetic.

"Don't shut the PX down," says the community. "We love the PX. Come up with something..." So the HMFIC creates a new banner and category for folks called "Hessians" who are allowed to buy accounts to sell in the PX 'up front.' Hessians, BTW, was a blatant insult intended to brand these folks as being purely mercenary... and willing to sell out for a few bucks. But, many wore the tag to continue to post for sale and trade, etc. items in the PX. And the community was happy. Mostly. Except for those who skirted the rules. And those who sold crap. And those who were scammers. And, again, the HMFIC was getting headaches from the PX.

"Please, don't shut our PX Down," says the community. "We love our PX. Please don't kill it! Even though it is the bane of your existence. We'll follow the rules."

So the 100 post rule goes away. The 'time you are a member' goes away. Hessians go away. Everything goes away. Now, you pay a membership to post in the PX. Which is still a PITA. But at least our dear leader is now getting some compensation for the bovine scatology he has to endure daily from the little PX spats and people scamming and selling garbage. Hey, at least he can also say "Those aren't members of the community, they're just used gear salesmen... "

And we get to keep our PX. Of course, it is now more of a minefield than it every was. Handshakes aren't ironclad. And one has to watch their a$$ because that pistol you buy from Alaska might not exist at all... and some MFer is using SH to do what every thieving scum-weasel on the Internet does... Steal shit and scam people. It's what they do. But for those of use who are smart enough... there are still great deals and great people on the PX... and joining SH every day. Did I mention 10 percent.

But, as in all things. there's always those few guys. The douche-weasels who go "I'll create a workaround by creating a 'state-by-state' marketplace. Or "Noone will notice if I come here and put a "For Sale" line hidden at the bottom of my first post. I'm above the rules." And more importantly are willing to say, right in public... right to the whole community in their posts: "I am openly stealing from Frank Galli and putting the PX at Risk by being an asshole and I don't care because the rules don't apply to me.

And when the community... the same community that values its PX and is here because the castle that our HMFWIC built is an amazing place... calls some little peckerhead thief on his actions... they get all antsy in their little skinny jeans and call out the community.

We are protecting our PX and our community for a reason. And here is some news for the little thieves who think stealing from Frank and Shitting in our nest is a good idea. Some folks here protect this community pretty ruthlessly. The level of vitriol that you will find can be epic. And you will never come back. Moreover, your idiocy will be preserved for all to see. A virtual head-on-a-pike, Dracula style around the Transylvania castle. And we'll have fun doing it.

So please, new members... Join us in droves. Come and contribute! Become part of the community and revered members. Learn, shoot, grow, contribute to a growing sport. Buy (and earn) the right to use the PX and use it wisely. Be Snipers Hide.

The 10 percent of you who think you are above us all and show up here to steal and throw arrows? Game on, cupcakes.

Thus endeth the lesson. And all is good.

Sirhr

PS... My apologies for any details I got wrong on the PX history... I missed the first decade here... coming in with the first wave of newbies... and only just overlapping with many of the founding legends. So some of you real early folks, please correct my oversights. And, last, thanks HMFWIC for putting up with us. And for keeping the PX when it would have been much easier to nuke it long ago! Hey, I'm going shopping now!

Thank you Command SGT Major ... The day of a man word, a firm handshake and a direct look in the eye are over ... I'm going to say that I think founding fathers of SH was to present a platform that would stand tall above all else and the family would contain the most honorable and those that "GET IT" Today is a day that I was not raised in. I am new here .... I try read as much as I can ( time permitting ) .. Purpose of my rambling is ... I support SH ... I believe in the higher bar ... I'm glad SH is avail ... Rules are rules

 

[akmike47]

Hey sihr-
When I joined in late 04, the forum was pretty wild and the PX was no exception.

A dude would post a picture of a rifle he had for sale on his kitchen counter and a half dozen smart asses would chime in asking how much did he want for the kitchen canister set, or the blender, or the knife block and knives that were in the background…

Is this still available?

 

[Boatninja]

Thank you Sirhrmechanic, (I'm not sure how to properly use the @'s and #"s) for the time you spent to write this and so eloquently explaining the history of SH and current PX rules.
I have gotten some very good deals on the PX and some not so great ones, but have never complained, feeling that if I'm dumb enough to buy on the interwebs.......
And I may as well use this time to express my apologies for all of my past and future posts to any and all frustrated English teachers for any and all mistakes in my posts for misspellings and improper use of Commas and periods etc.
Honestly officer I only drank two beers.

 

[Steven c]

So after reading another twat-waffle's whiny little bitch post about how he was stuck with the 6.5 Manbun rifle when he really wanted something else... (how do you buy the 'wrong caliber' in a rifle, anyway?) it occurs to me that with our huge new member population, a history of the PX and why it's so rigidly enforced might be in order. Because it speaks to why things are the way they are. And why this community is protective of our PX and associated rules.

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away our HMFWIC created Snipers Hide. And it was good. And it attracted good people and times were good. Those people swapped state-of-the-art information on rifles, optics, accessories, ammunition, reloading, bipods, web gear... and tactics, methods and tips. And times were good. One could say that the realm of the precision tactical marksman had moved from the dark recesses of the .mil and .LE communities... making its way to a group of people who wanted to pit their skills against, not so much each other, but against physics and the science of ballistics. Many of those skills and much of that knowledge fed back into the .mil and .LE communities and helped save countless lives downrange as the entire science of tactical marksmanship flourished over the past 25 years. And it was good.

These same people also began to sell rifles, optics, accessories, etc. Mainly among friends. And with the confidence that among this tight community, noone was going to get ripped off. A man's word was his bond. An 'I'll Take it" constituted an ironclad handshake, even between two men, sometimes warriors, who never even met. As it should be.

Then, after 9/11 and a few years of deployments and news stories and gun magazine stories about legendary snipery topics.. the community grew by leaps and bounds. More people coming in to learn and take the sport (and the tactical science) to the next level. Rifle, scope, ammo, accessory development entered a golden age where advancements seemed to come weekly in one area or another. New calibers, new platforms, chassis, new optics. Much of it driven right here on SH.

But with growth came some downsides. The community got large enough that it was seen as a target market. And what had been a nice, cozy, trustworthy buying and selling community became like Craigs List for all kinds of crap. Newbies were dropping in by the hundreds and offering junk for sale or, worse, offering scams. Surprise, right? This is the Internet. No fooling... scammers show up. The issue is that our HMFWIC bore the brunt of these scams... and his beloved community risked getting a reputation as being just another POS gun site on the Interwebs. So the community rallied and started to put in some rules.

First, they ruled that in order to buy, sell, trade here, you had to have 100 posts. Seems like a good idea. That way you can see if the person you are buying from is really a 'community' contributor. And that didn't work.

Why? Because the little scammers, trolls and "rules don't apply to me" douche bags who would later grow manbuns... would put up posts like "Tag" or "Ditto" or "#me Too" (probably only the ones who were molested). And within a day, they were going "But I have 100 posts... I have this awesome scope to sell at 3X USO MSRP because I managed to scam one." And people were again getting ripped off and pissed off and we were getting a reputation for being a douche-magnet.

So... the rule went into place that you have to have 100 Meaningful posts. Figuring that weeding out the peckerheads by their content would be something that could be spotted easily. Nope... Folks would come on and post semi-meaningful blather and would shoot to get to 100 posts in 2 hours... and on the 101st post would be their item for sale in the PX... or 20 items. Along with a "Ha Ha HMFWIC and SH assholes... I followed your little rules and here I am, selling my crap... ." And again, instead of contributing to the Community, these folks did nothing but turn The 'Hide into eBay... all while getting into spats, disputes, complaints that made the HMFWIC's life difficult.

And before we go into how this started to resolve itself... it should be noted that all during this time, the PX and "Sales" were not making our Leader any money. He didn't charge for storefronts. He didn't take a percentage. He didn't get a Commercial Vendor Fee or a 3 percent skim off the top like eBay or Gunbroker. So he got all the headaches brought on by the "Used Car Salesmen" who dumped all over the PX. And no benefit whatsoever. In fact, a net negative, because the BS in the PX spilled over into General Population and threatened the reputation of the SH Community. And without that reputation, he (and our residents) got nothing. We become a crap site like so many others.

So... the natural answer is to shut down the PX. Ban selling and trades and other 'commerce' all together. Boom! All the headaches go away. It is a very real and valid option. And one that if I had been the HMFWIC I'd have probably done, because I don't have his patience and tolerance. But the community rose up and begged to keep the PX. Me among them. Because I've gotten some great deals on reloading stuff and I find the PX to be a very useful place not just as a buyer but for information as well. "We'll follow the rules HMFWIC, we all said. Please, don't take our PX. Come up with a plan! But let us keep our PX!" And the HMFWIC relented and we got to keep our PX. And it was good.

But, of course, in the post-Scout world and in the COVID world, the interest in the subject has gone through the roof. The sign-up numbers are in the tens of thousands a month. A million new members pouring into our community. This means more opportunities for HMFIC. More visibility for his sponsors and his videos and classes and events. And it is very good!

Except with the PX. Because all of a sudden, this influx of new blood (90 percent of which is awesome) is accompanied by scammers, Nigerian Warlords, eBay sellers, man-bun-wearing douche-nozzles with 6.5's who think they are above petty rules. And the HMFWIC's life is, again, not copasetic.

"Don't shut the PX down," says the community. "We love the PX. Come up with something..." So the HMFIC creates a new banner and category for folks called "Hessians" who are allowed to buy accounts to sell in the PX 'up front.' Hessians, BTW, was a blatant insult intended to brand these folks as being purely mercenary... and willing to sell out for a few bucks. But, many wore the tag to continue to post for sale and trade, etc. items in the PX. And the community was happy. Mostly. Except for those who skirted the rules. And those who sold crap. And those who were scammers. And, again, the HMFIC was getting headaches from the PX.

"Please, don't shut our PX Down," says the community. "We love our PX. Please don't kill it! Even though it is the bane of your existence. We'll follow the rules."

So the 100 post rule goes away. The 'time you are a member' goes away. Hessians go away. Everything goes away. Now, you pay a membership to post in the PX. Which is still a PITA. But at least our dear leader is now getting some compensation for the bovine scatology he has to endure daily from the little PX spats and people scamming and selling garbage. Hey, at least he can also say "Those aren't members of the community, they're just used gear salesmen... "

And we get to keep our PX. Of course, it is now more of a minefield than it every was. Handshakes aren't ironclad. And one has to watch their a$$ because that pistol you buy from Alaska might not exist at all... and some MFer is using SH to do what every thieving scum-weasel on the Internet does... Steal shit and scam people. It's what they do. But for those of use who are smart enough... there are still great deals and great people on the PX... and joining SH every day. Did I mention 10 percent.

But, as in all things. there's always those few guys. The douche-weasels who go "I'll create a workaround by creating a 'state-by-state' marketplace. Or "Noone will notice if I come here and put a "For Sale" line hidden at the bottom of my first post. I'm above the rules." And more importantly are willing to say, right in public... right to the whole community in their posts: "I am openly stealing from Frank Galli and putting the PX at Risk by being an asshole and I don't care because the rules don't apply to me.

And when the community... the same community that values its PX and is here because the castle that our HMFWIC built is an amazing place... calls some little peckerhead thief on his actions... they get all antsy in their little skinny jeans and call out the community.

We are protecting our PX and our community for a reason. And here is some news for the little thieves who think stealing from Frank and Shitting in our nest is a good idea. Some folks here protect this community pretty ruthlessly. The level of vitriol that you will find can be epic. And you will never come back. Moreover, your idiocy will be preserved for all to see. A virtual head-on-a-pike, Dracula style around the Transylvania castle. And we'll have fun doing it.

So please, new members... Join us in droves. Come and contribute! Become part of the community and revered members. Learn, shoot, grow, contribute to a growing sport. Buy (and earn) the right to use the PX and use it wisely. Be Snipers Hide.

The 10 percent of you who think you are above us all and show up here to steal and throw arrows? Game on, cupcakes.

Thus endeth the lesson. And all is good.

Sirhr

PS... My apologies for any details I got wrong on the PX history... I missed the first decade here... coming in with the first wave of newbies... and only just overlapping with many of the founding legends. So some of you real early folks, please correct my oversights. And, last, thanks HMFWIC for putting up with us. And for keeping the PX when it would have been much easier to nuke it long ago! Hey, I'm going shopping now!

I bought a 6.5 creedmore at bass pro got it home and it was prc